Rise and shout: BYU and sports talk radio

I am a huge sports nerd, which is why I felt the urge to call 1320 KFAN, the local sports talk radio station, during their postgame show following the BYU game. And it was awesome. I have tried calling radio stations a few times before, and it always ends with me getting too nervous and hanging up, or having my opinion shot down.

This time, having just come from the game in Provo, I was confident that I knew what I was talking about, and I owned it. I voted for the Cougars to start Riley Nelson at quarterback in their next game, because he runs the option like a champ, which creates new challenges for opposing defenses. They can bring Jake Heaps off the bench when they need a gunslinger to throw the ball. The option, which Nelson ran perfectly in the game, is almost impossible to defend when executed well, so it gives BYU a new way to move the ball down the field. The hosts liked my opinion, and pointed out that the University of Arkansas did something just like this in the 1980s, with one quarterback running the option and another serving as the "designated passer," and had great success. There was a definite sense of achievement for having participated so successfully in a live radio show, even if the only people listening were fellow BYU fans driving home from the stadium.

The game itself was awesome, too. I finally got around to bringing binoculars to one of these BYU games, so I could see a bunch of things that I would never have been able to notice in past years, such as the way Riley Nelson chose to tuck the ball and run with it instead of pitching it to a running back on a few option plays at the far end of the field. It's always great to be a part of the 65,000 fans at LaVell Edwards Stadium during a BYU victory, especially when it is against a (supposedly) up-and-coming Pac-10 team (Washington) with rowdy, raucous fans who entered Provo supremely confident. Great showing from the BYU defense, and from the offensive line. This was a great game because it let me know that this season will almost definitely be positive and exciting, as opposed to being a 6-6 or 7-5 dud. And the weather was perfect, too. There's nothing like the spectacle of a Division I football game. Just a great evening at the stadium.