Van Noy would be a liability in certain situations but extreme instincts like that normally pay off in the pros. Very, very rare. I always love how relaxed he is while doing it...calmly in charge. Note he turned both turnovers into points tonight. Not merely causing the game turning fumble, but falling on it in the end zone. Then on the interception he immediately turned his head back to check on the location of the intended receiver, the first guy who had a crack at him. You won't see a handful of players who know to do that. Once the receiver was out of contention, Van Noy calmly weaved to the end zone, like it was a formality. Too many players can start the play but not finish it. I call those cheap yards. You don't want to force your weak offense to line up again if you can pop it into the end zone for them.
Granted, I'm biased in Van Noy's favor partially because he's been good to me. BYU has been excellent against the spread during his two seasons, covering more than two-thirds of them. I won a halftime bet early last season when Van Noy made a huge play to almost single handedly reverse the outcome at Mississippi.
Yeah, he's light in the trunk. Looks more like a flexed tight end than a linebacker, if you merely watched his frame in warm ups. That BYU defense is so strong they rarely allow Van Noy to be exposed against the run. I thought he was not quite as relentless this season, coming off the shoulder issue. Seemed to pick his spots, looking for big plays. Not that you can blame him, considering how many he makes. Ed Reed or Von Miller-type instincts, not that I'm comparing his overall ability to theirs.
