BYU Football: 6 Nightmare Scenarios for the Cougars 2011 Season

In my previous article, I discussed what the Cougars dream season would feel like in 2011 if all the pieces fell into place and Jake Heaps and Co. wrote a storybook ending. It was lots of fun.

But what about the inverse. What things could go horribly wrong this season and create nightmare scenarios for the Cougs?

Bronco eaten by a shark while surfing in Costa Rica? Jake Heaps announcing a transfer to Utah State? Gordon Monson being named the new defensive coordinator?

None of these items made the list. But some equally frightening thoughts did.

Enjoy, and as always, follow Twitter.com/SportsGuyUtah for more BYU fun.

Jake Heaps Goes Down to Injury

Remember what Colby Clawson did to Sam Bradford in 2009? What if, in a sick twist of fate, the Ole Miss Rebels did the same to Jake Heaps in Week 1?

There’s no doubt this offense is Heaps’ to run. And after his performance through the latter half of last season, there’s only optimism brewing on that side of the ball in Provo.

But if Heaps were to go down, things get very rough.

It’s not that Riley Nelson isn’t a solid backup. It’s the fact that Nelson is a completely different QB than Heaps. Nelson moves, scrambles, runs the option and uses his speed and agility as his strength.

With Heaps at the helm, the entire offense is built around his strength, which is arm and accuracy.

Heaps going down would require the entire system to change. That’s akin to changing the tires while you’re driving down the road.

Brandon Doman Struggles in New Play-Calling Role

Man, those uniforms were AWFUL!

Cougar fans are reticent to acknowledge this, but Brandon Doman is an unknown commodity as a play-caller. 

Play-calling is an even blend of art and science, and you never know whether someone will have the artistic touch and intuition it takes to be great.

All signs show Doman has what it takes, but you never know until the yards start to pile up—or not. Should he find himself struggling to deliver the right plays for success, the Cougars may find themselves likewise struggling for wins. 

A Key Player Runs Afoul of the Honor Code

Brandon Davies, by all accounts is a good kid and things will work out for him. But what if something similar happened to a BYU football skill player?

You can’t plan for this. And you really can’t spend time worrying about it either. But you have to be aware of it.

BYU went into spring 2010 expecting Harvey Unga to anchor the offense, only to find he withdrew from school due to honor code issues.

Should a key player have problems this year, the impact could be huge. This year it’s more pronounced than years-past as the skill players on this team are all very young.

Not to mention the national attention which would create a rerun of the Brandon Davies story. 

Cougars Slip on a Cupcake

With a schedule like the Cougars, you absolutely have to win the games put on the schedule as automatic Ws.

Five games are in that category for BYU this season, to make bowl eligibility easy to attain. A loss like last year’s to Utah State would be a disaster. As would slip-ups in Provo against San Jose State, New Mexico State, Idaho or Idaho State.

No Recovery from the September Gauntlet

This is still a very young BYU team. While they had great success the latter-half of the season, they have yet to win a big game against a quality opponent.

If the Cougs were to struggle against Ole Miss, Texas, Utah and Central Florida to start the season, we may be looking at a repeat of last year, where six wins come against cupcakes but the rest are merely “learning experiences.”

A Recurring Nightmare of 2011

Remember when the Luke Staley-less Cougars went to Honolulu in 2001?

This season is similar to the 2001 campaign, in that the Cougars finish up the season with a December visit to Hawai’i. And none of the current roster has played in Honolulu.

Distractions, time zone issues and travel distance make an impact. How well will Bronco have the guys prepared?

Who knows. But like that 2001 Warrior team, this Hawaii squad has tons of offensive firepower and experience.

Nothing would be worse than an undefeated BYU team getting pummeled by Hawai'i on national television with the world watching.