This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Is the BYU football team ready for its opener on Saturday at Virginia? Nobody really knows. That's one of the beauties of college football. Offensive coordinator Robert Anae, for one, believes the offense he installed the past six months is on track to deliver a decent performance. At least, that's what I got out of this analogy that Anae gave on Tuesday when a reporter asked him if he has "more butterflies" heading into this week's game than in previous openers due to his installment of the fast-paced offense. "Butterflies?" Anae said. "You know, there's a story about a farmer. When the storm came, he had a couple of neighbors who were freaking out. They were running and grabbing boards. That guy went to sleep early. I think the moral of the deal was: He had prepared his barn for the storm, where the others, when the storm came, they were running around frantically. I think, we are that farmer that is prepared for the storm. Now, what does that mean? Tune in. That's all I can say — just tune in." I posted video last night of the first half of Anae's interview on Tuesday in which he mostly talked about QB Taysom Hill's progress. Routine stuff.
But I had to momentarily leave the spirited discussion to interview another coach (Garett Tujague) before he left the football office lobby. When I returned to the group surrounding Anae, the coach was still delivering one liners, anecdotes and analogies, like the one about the farmer. Unfortunately, I didn't have the video camera rolling then — just the tape recorder.
Here's more from Anae: On what offensive linemen have stood out: "The group as a whole. I will say this: They get worked very hard. And I am very excited, because for me it is like coach [Roger] French is back in the program. Coach Tujague is, by far, the best O-line coach since coach French, I would say. I am having a blast working with him, working for him, and we send stuff to coach French. He looks at it, he evaluates it, and he sends it back. Not just with two of his former players back in the program, but values and fundamentals that make great offenses, it starts with the offensive line. I am glad it is back, and I am very honored to be a part of it."On what coach Roger French did that was so beneficial: "He challenged your every wit, your every ability. If you made it through, it was like your own little badge of honor. ... I have to admit, I look at coach Tujague coach those guys, and there are times when I feel sorry for them."On all the question marks surrounding the offensive line:"That's what you think. Now if you had coached, and got a good background, maybe I would say, 'hey, this guy is on to something.' I have been down the coaching path, and I can tell you, I am looking forward to this group. Now, is this group going to light it on fire? That remains to be seen. Buy a ticket, come and watch. But I will say this: I am very excited, working with coach Tujague. The offensive line stuff that is going on, man I get up and I can't wait to get into work."On whether the offensive line is his favorite position group to work with:"No. My favorite position group to work with is ABSOLUTELY the offensive line. Joke. [You can] laugh." Later, Anae added: "You guys aren't coaches, but you ask some goofy questions, and I give you my goofy answers." On how Virginia-specific the game plan is as opposed to just doing what they do best and focusing on themselves: "Oh, that's a pretty good question, for a non-coach. It is all about us, because we don't have the ability, really, to scout our opponent. So it is all about us. Yeah, absolutely."