BYU football: Future bright with Hoffman, Van Noy returning

A pair of sophomores ? receiver Cody Hoffman and linebacker Kyle Van Noy ? flanked BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall on the podium at the postgame news conference after the Cougars fought past Tulsa 24-21 on Friday in the Armed Forces Bowl.

?The future looks bright,? Mendenhall said, motioning to Hoffman, the bowl?s most outstanding player for BYU and Van Noy, who set a bowl record with five tackles for losses. ?If you look at Cody and Kyle, these two have grown and matured a lot and have continued to produce on the field in new and better ways each time we play. That?s a great sign for our future.?

Postgame chatter focused on BYU?s quarterbacking situation, as usual, after another rollercoaster performance by junior Riley Nelson. The risk-taking lefthander finished brilliantly, converting on fourth-and-9 and then throwing the game-winning 2-yard touchdown pass to Hoffman. He also threw a pair of interceptions and misfired on 23 passes, almost breaking Houston quarterback Kevin Kolb?s 7-year-old bowl record for inaccuracy, and finished with a pedestrian pass-efficiency rating of 109.8.

Lost in the discussion over Nelson?s effectiveness, and whether he can take the team to the next level in 2012 against a schedule markedly more difficult than the one in 2011, is the fact that the Cougars have superstars in the making on both sides of the ball.

?You can?t say enough about Cody and Kyle,? Nelson said. ?Those guys make winning plays.?

With offensive lineman Matt Reynolds graduating, Hoffman and Van Noy are arguably BYU?s two most likely future pros, along with perhaps offensive guard Braden Hansen, who will be a senior.

The Cougars will have a roster loaded with juniors and seniors next year, Nelson said, adding that ?the most successful teams in college football are senior-laden.?

Getting to 10 wins next year will be a major accomplishment, considering Utah, Boise State, Washington State, Oregon State, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech are on the schedule.

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?To know that we have so many guys coming back for next season, I am excited,? said junior linebacker Brandon Ogletree. ?I don?t know if it is possible, but it makes you kind of excited for winter workouts and spring ball. Man, let?s just get going. That?s what I feel like.?

And they have an offensive leader in Nelson and a defensive leader in Van Noy, who put to rest any fears he might follow quarterback Jake Heaps out the door in the postgame news conference by describing Mendenhall as ?the most underrated coach in all of college football as well as a defensive mastermind.?

?It has just been an awesome experience to be at BYU,? Van Noy said. ?Wouldn?t change it for anything.?

As for Nelson, he said the 2012 team, like himself, will make up for perceived deficits in talent with grit and determination.

?We have that chemistry,? Nelson said. ?We love the battle and the fight, not just on the field, but off the field.?

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/utes/53209829-89/byu-noy-van-hoffman.html.csp

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