As the sting of losing yet another bowl game begins to wear off, BYU's football coaches are looking ahead to next season - to a team they expect to be better than the 1992 edition.
And why not? Except for a couple of key defensive losses, the Cougars return more than enough talent to vie for the WAC title.The big plus is that, no matter who wins the starting quarterback job, it will be someone with experience. For this past season, inexperience at quarterback was the big question mark - and ultimately proved to be BYU's undoing.
For '93, BYU will have seven returning starters on both the offensive and defensive units - including the entire offensive backfield, a load of talented receivers, and most of a defensive line that started to come into its own late in the year.
Here's a unit-by-unit look at how the Cougs stack up for next season:
Quarterback
In a way, this is more complicated than last season, with Ryan Hancock, John Walsh, and Tom Young all having made strong bids for the starter's role. But a lot of the confusion will clear up if Hancock decides to concentrate on baseball and pass on another year of football, which seems likely.
According to quarterback coach Norm Chow, Hancock said recently that he hadn't decided yet. If Hancock doesn't return, Walsh will no doubt enter spring ball as the No. 1 guy, with Young around to give him competition. Steve Clements, who has become the forgotten man in all this, won't be ready to practice until fall.
Chow said that right now, Walsh looks like the No. 1 guy. "He was the starter going into last season, so obviously we saw something," he said.
Walsh showed the throwing ability to lead the Cougar offense, finishing with a three-game pass-efficiency rating of 143.7. Hancock's rating was 144.6, third in the nation. What Walsh could have learned from Hancock is to be a little more relaxed, a little more willing to gamble. BYU's linemen said they liked that Hancock got rid of the ball faster than Walsh, and receivers said they appreciated how Hancock wasn't afraid to put the ball up and let them make a good play.
Of Young's Aloha Bowl performance, Chow said: "It was enough to win the football game. We always knew he had the mental skills, he's a smart guy. The question was the physical skills, and he put that question to rest."
Running backs
Simply loaded. Halfback Jamal Willis, BYU's first 1,000-yard rusher in 20 years, is back, along with starting fullback Kalin Hall (742 yards). There's also sophomore fullback Hema Heimuli, who improved as the season progressed, and backup halfback Steve Christensen, who actually led this group in yards per carry, at 5.8. Another fullback, T.D. Biegel, sat out the season with an injury but also could figure in somewhere.
Receivers
Also well-stocked. Otis Sterling and Nati Valdez are gone, but Micah Matsuzaki returns from a redshirt season to fill the void. All-WAC first-teamer Eric Drage is back, along with Bryce Doman, Tyler Anderson and Tim Nowatzke. Redshirt freshman Kaipo McGuire should get a chance, too. If there's a problem with this group, it's finding enough footballs to go around.
"Receivers are never happy," Chow said. "They always want to catch more balls and they're always open."
Where there definitely will be some competition is at tight end. With the departure of Byron Rex, a two-time All-WAC first-teamer, the position will be sought after by Terence Saluone, a sophomore who played well in the game when Rex was suspended; Todd Jorgensen, a redshirt sophomore; and Jim Pinello, who was injured last season.
Even if one of those guys doesn't shine, however, Chow says the Cougs will be all right running a three-wideout scheme.
Offensive line
All-WAC first-teamers Garry Pay (center) and Scott Brumfield (tackle) are gone, and that hurts. Eli Herring, who was injured for much of the season, is expected to return in Brumfield's slot, solving one problem. Jim Edwards, who filled in for Herring, could move to center - he's center-sized, at 6-4, 250 - and Pay's backup, senior Ron Simmons, is still around. That would leave a guard spot open, however, and while there are already hopefuls on the team, the coaches plan to bring in some JC prospects to compete.
Defensive line
All-WAC noseguard Lenny Gomes is back, along with tackle Randy Brock, a conference second-teamer who was second in the WAC in sacks and improved noticeably during the season, and tackle Greg Pitts. Scott Sralla, who has been Gomes' relief, should get more playing time backing up the noseguard and tackle positions. Defensive end Kevin Nicoll is gone, and defensive coordinator Ken Schmidt says his likely replacement will come from the JC ranks.
Linebacker
Only one loss here, but it's a big one. Inside linebacker Shad Hansen, a three-year starter who led the team in tackles, will be tough to replace. Royal Chamberlain filled in for Hansen several times this season, but Schmidt says the job isn't his - yet.
"We're going to look at two or three different people," he said, including Chamberlain; Brian Hughes, a transfer from Ricks who redshirted this season; and Shay Muirbrook. Muirbrook, 6-0, 215, is a possible sleeper. Recruited out of high school in Norco, Calif., by such schools as USC, Colorado, Washington and UCLA, he chose BYU but didn't enroll in the fall. Schmidt said he'll enroll in January and be available for spring drills. At the other linebacker spots, Nathan Hall and Todd Herget, a second-team All-WAC pick, will return.
Secondary
How do you replace weak safety Derwin Gray? "Try to get him back, change his name or something," suggested Dick Felt, BYU secondary coach. A three-year starter who Felt thought should have been WAC defensive player of the year, Gray led the team in defensive points this season. Also gone is Brad Clark, the strong safety who did a creditable job after moving over from fullback.
Overall, the secondary, perennially BYU's most-criticized unit, had a strong season, finishing third in the WAC in pass defense. Felt is confident that Clark's replacement, Frank Christianson, will do a good job - he played in dime situations and was considered better than Clark at pass coverage.
But replacing Gray is another story. JC transfer Casey Mazzotta will compete, along with redshirt freshman Dennis Simmons and senior Kyle Roberts, a senior who has had an injury-plagued career. Felt expects some JC recruits to vie for the job, although the two they've signed so far have played cornerback. BYU is well-stocked at cornerback, returning starters Patrick Mitchell and Vic Tarleton as well as the top three backups.
Kicking
Ouch. Can David Lauder recover from his three missed field goals in the Aloha Bowl? Can Joe Herrick punt farther than 37 yards?
In fairness, Lauder was dependable during the regular season, booting kickoffs deep, making 42 of 43 extra points and 13 of 20 field goals. But Herrick is another story. He opened the season as the regular punter, but when BYU sank to the bottom of the WAC in net punting, Brad Hunter got the call and did a terrific job. Hunter's gone, however, so the job belongs to Herrick or . . . ?
Kicking coach Chris Pella said one possibility is Alan Boardman, a walk-on who redshirted - and impressed coaches - before going on a mission but will be back in time for spring practice. The Cougs are also trying to recruit a kicker, someone who can punt and placekick.
So, except for some doubts about the kicking game - and some lingering anxiety about quarterback - BYU looks like a contender again in '93. And who knows? They might even win a bowl game.