There must be a change to the BYU coaching staff and it must be made immediately. Tuiaki must go! He is the sorriest excuse for a defensive coordinator I have ever seen.

We began the season playing Arizona, probably the worst team in the FBS category. It should have been a forty-point win. However, with the soft zone Tuiaki has the team play it became an eight-point victory. I wrote it off to opening game jitters. Utah and Arizona State committed enough turnovers to keep their offensives off the field and for us to secure the wins. Then came the most embarrassing game I have seen in years. A third-rate quarterback from USF picked that soft zone apart like an all-star. Another potential forty-point win was relegated to a cliffhanger situation with another eight-point win. Then Utah State, a mediocre team. A close game there was written off as the result of a rivalry contest.

THEN THE TRUTH WAS EXPOSED FOR ALL TO SEE!! While Boise State has had many great teams, the present edition is not one of them. This year’s Boise team will be lucky not to have a losing season. While BYU gave Boise what amounted to 21 points in turnovers, we still should have won easily. However, the Boise QB was made to look like an all-American picking that soft zone apart. He relaxed, in the pocket, while we never blitzed or had linebackers shoot the gap to disrupt play.

The Baylor game was a legitimate loss. But with a normal defense it could have been much closer and possibly winnable. If nothing is changed, we will lose at Washington State, USC, and will lose at home to Virginia. Even Georgia Southern might beat us and Idaho State will make us look terrible. Other coaches watch film and they are looking forward to playing us.

As the season began the pundits predicted us to have a 7-6 season. I rejected that. I told everyone I expected at least a 10-2 season with the players we had on the roster. After beating Arizona State, I thought it possible to be undefeated and maybe have a new year’s six bowl game. That’s gone. Now, we are stuck in the Independence Bowl (one of the mid-level toilet bowls — of which there are far too many).

Tuiaki has shown himself to be incompetent. Detmer was fired for far less. LSU has fired Ed Orgeron for a 9-8 record since winning the national championship. To those who tell me we are playing a ‘bend but don’t break defense’, I reject that. It is a keep the game close so the other team can win defense.

I realize Tuiaki is Coach Sitaki’s friend but sometimes you need to fire friends. We need 60,000 yelling “FIRE TUIAKI” at the Virginia game. If Tuiake is kept on the staff, I may not renew my season tickets next year and encourage others to do the same. There is no excuse for keeping incompetence around, no matter how good of a friend they are. FIRE TUIAKI NOW.

Seventy years ago, BYU fans would tolerate this kind of play, but no longer. We want a consistent winner and will no longer make excuses for a loser, no matter whose friend they are. If someone can’t coach-get rid of them. Tuiaki has shown he has no clue how to coach a defense.

Neil Mitchell, Provo

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