We didn’t fight and we have to address that. We have big guys and we have to play big….We have to go back and play to our strengths, which is to be physical. We’re not a bunch of (fast) guys, so we have to play to our strengths. – BYU receivers coach Guy Holliday
PROVO — According to BYU receivers coach Guy Holliday, his position group largely failed to meet the challenge presented by Michigan in last week's 31-0 beatdown. This week, in preparation for Friday's game against Connecticut, he aims to make strides to ensure that it never happens again.
Presented with a physical brand of man-press coverage by the Wolverines, the likes the Cougars hadn't encountered yet this season, Holliday's group struggled mightily to get open.
“The thing I was disappointed with was our physicality,” Holliday said. “We didn’t play as physical and that’s my fault. It’s never the player’s fault, it’s the coach’s fault and I’m going to get that right.”
To get it right, Holliday is working to appeal to his players' psyche as much as anything else.
“A lot of it isn’t a physical game as far as having your body right. A lot of that is mental,” Holliday said. “So I expect my guys to go in and really reevaluate what they did, prepare mentally and then help one another. That’s what leadership is.”
Some of the leaders among Holliday's group are some impressive frames such as Mitch Mathews (6-foot-6) and Nick Kurtz (6-5), players who shouldn't have much trouble getting off the liine of scrimmage and completing routes, according to Holliday.
“We didn’t fight and we have to address that,” Holliday assessed. “We have big guys and we have to play big….We have to go back and play to our strengths, which is to be physical. We’re not a bunch of (fast) guys, so we have to play to our strengths.”
This week against UConn, Holliday expects the Huskies to take a page from Michigan and to use press coverage.
“The recipe to beat BYU, I guess, is to press us,” Holliday said. “So we’re going to be up to that challenge. That’s what I care about — winning against press man and the way you beat press man is to execute and to make big plays.”
Should the Huskies present different coverages, other than press-man, Holliday feels his players will execute at a high level.
“The rest of it is easy. It’s cake. I mean, we’ve proven that we can be effective against off-man and zone (coverages), so we’re going to prepare against man,” he said. “Anything else they bring, that’s going to be sort of like putting vanilla icing on top of a chocolate cake. It’s going to taste good.”
Email: bgurney@desnews.com
Twitter: @BrandonCGurney