PROVO -- BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall discussed Saturday's game against New Mexico, his former team, during the weekly media luncheon at Legends Grille on Wednesday.
Opening Comments:
"Good afternoon. It's good to be with you again. Our football team had an excellent practice yesterday, and they're working very hard and are anxious to play New Mexico. New Mexico's game has special significance to me because of the five years I spent there and returning players they have as starters who were there when I was a coach. The town itself over five years proved to be very good to my wife and me and my family with dear friend still in existence there. However, those things are nice to talk about now, but we're going to play a football game and play well and represent our university through how we play the game. So with those comments, what questions can I answer for you?"
Q: New Mexico lost 49-28 last week against TCU. Was the score mainly because of turnovers or defense, or both?
BM: "Both. Six turnovers is certainly an element that has to be considered. I visited with (UNM) Coach (Rocky) Long this week and he's been very plain and open from the beginning that they didn't expect to be as good on defense this year. They lost some key players, and with those losses come some mistakes through lack of experience, which is happening to them right now. They played well enough to tie the score at 28 after the initial 28-0 original start and responded to that, so there are signs of them playing the kind of defense they're known to play."
Q: After the San Diego State game, where is the starting point to assessing or rebuilding the confidence the players had after the TCU game?
BM: "They still have the confidence, but they're hungry. I think this football team and this coaching staff wants more than anything to have the principles of the program, and all the positive things going on behind the scenes every day with accountability and work, to be manifest on the field at a different level than it did on Saturday. Our football team showed three weeks of improvement, and in my opinion it took a step back on Saturday. We're anxious to play at a higher level against a quality opponent this week."
Q: New Mexico and BYU are the only MWC teams without a defensive stop in the red zone this year. Is there a commonality in the 3-3-5 that makes it more difficult to defend inside the 20 for these defensive alignments right now? Is it just this year?
BM: "This year. It would be interesting to look at last year and previous years and see how that is. But this year, it's personnel, experience and execution -- doing what you're supposed to do when you're supposed to do it at a high level -- more than anything. The scheme is a fantastic scheme, as it's proven over time. The execution is what needs some work right now, in the red zone and everywhere else."
Q: Does the offensive line and the rest of the offense feel as dominating when you are throwing swing passes for five or six yards opposed to pounding the ball for three to five yards on the ground?
BM: "I think you'd have to ask them. I think they like it when they see a post going over a team's head for 50 yards. That might even be more gratifying than seeing a three-yard run. I think our team cares about winning and about performing at a high level. I think if you asked them if they prefer a three-yard run over a three-yard pass, my guess is they'd say they like to perform well and win regardless of how we do it."
Q: On defense, one thing Boston College and San Diego State did effectively was drop eight or nine guys. If this is something John Beck will see throughout the year, what will he do to combat that and how do you coach him?
BM: "Decision making versus losing patience. Boston College dropped seven, and San Diego State dropped eight and even nine sometimes. But the decision making in those situations is the main point, which John has done very well in most of this year. Then patience is part of it. When a team wants to drop eight or nine, the consistency of looking for six yards or four yards or eight yards, and just knowing that they might come in smaller chunks, as opposed to the TCU approach where they tried to play some match-up zone and match-up man, which eventually leads to throwing the ball over the top if you hold the ball long enough. The points may be more spaced out over time when we become methodical and consistent in how we're delivering the football and to whom."
Q: Do you think the Texas Tech-style offense still has an advantage over the scheme of New Mexico's defense?
BM: "I think scheme against scheme can be argued either way because the defensive scheme is excellent and so is the offensive scheme. You're talking about a familiarity now also because Rocky (Long) has seen this four or five times now. However, he has some personnel issues he's concerned about as well, and some execution issues also. So understanding the scheme and then matching your personnel to stop it sometimes becomes a delicate thing, not necessarily wondering how to stop it. The biggest determinant in the game might be what the matchups are within the schemes."
Q: What similarities do you and Coach Long share in terms of consistent progress?
BM: "The expectation here, as it should be, is to win football games, win conference championships and play postseason every year. For similarities, I'm a defensive coordinator who's a first-time head coach trying to meet the expectations of a program and doing my best every day under a timetable that would reflect continued progress. What I've learned is diligence and that steps of success come in small increments."
Q: How close are Breyon Jones and Mike Morris to contributing to the secondary? Can you give us a Kayle Buchanan update?
BM: "Breyon Jones and Mike Morris are in their second week playing corner, and they're not game ready yet, even though they have talent and ability playing out there on the edge and on the island. It requires trust and confidence, from me especially, not just in ability but in assignments. I'm pleased with how they're both working. I'm not sure how long it will take -- maybe a week, maybe two weeks still. You're talking about a position they haven't played before. What it's allowing us to do is to practice more effectively, and the players who are starting don't need to take as many reps. The volume of plays is allowing those players to be fresher and run better and more effectively on Saturday. Kayle Buchanan's latest report is he has three-centimeter tear in his hamstring, and that's why it's taken so long. He's closer now than he's ever been, but I couldn't tell you if he'll play yet or not. He went through more practice yesterday than he's been through since two-a-days."
Q: How do you plan on defending New Mexico's Hank Baskett more effectively than you played Jeff Webb at San Diego State? Also, are you satisfied with the in-game adjustment you are making as a coaching staff?
BM: "Hank Baskett is phenomenal receiver. He's a hard worker, is not afraid to block you, and is very good when the ball is thrown up to him. When you choose to play double coverage on any given receiver, they have a running back who isn't bad either and an option attack that requires assignments based on numbers. You need to count the quarterback as a run threat. If you choose to play the option, that's great, other than Baskett is by himself. If you choose to double Baskett and they play the option, that's great, except you're a player short. Based on tendency, feel and game experience, playing the right call at the right time becomes more critical this week than any. In terms of in-game adjustments, I think we're right on track. You can argue against it because of our record to this point, but I look forward to when the record proves that the in-game adjustments are being handled appropriately. "
Q: There is a recent ESPN The Magazine article that talks about the long-term state of the program. With the slow start, what do you feel about the long term at this point, and what adjustments need to be made, if any?
BM: "No adjustments need to be made. The long-term vision of the program is exactly the same. This program is based on tradition and things of the Spirit, and honor in living the right way. My job as a football coach is to be a strong enough strategist, motivator and coach to have those principles apply with the right kids at the right program to meet that expectation. It's an amazing thing to consider that I would deviate after four football games, even though it's reflective of the timetable most of us are under. I know every day that things have been exactly as they're supposed to be in terms of the principles of the program. Now our coaching staff and players need to execute our schemes on the football field at a high level that would be equal to the way the program is being run day to day."
Q: How is the rotation of the return teams shaping up?
BM: "Breyon Jones will be back returning kicks based on his performance last week. Nate Meikle is the punt returner. There are no other changes."
Q: Do you have any plans to get the ball to Todd Watkins more than on his regular routes?
BM: "Sure. There are two parts to it. There is a delicate balance between designing plays for a particular player that are outside of your offense because therein you lose an identity. The positive part is making an attempt to do that, and also taking advantage of what other teams give you is another relative point within developing a system. It's a unique balance right now as we continue to develop a system that I expect to perform right now. And we need to get the ball in the right people's hands, which also has to happen within that, and we've done that more effectively some weeks than others."
Q: The road team has won the last four games in this series. What does that tell you about the series?
BM: "It doesn't tell me anything. I haven't been able to predict yet the outcome or the way a game was going to be played. Managing the game as it unfolds will be the critical thing. Sometimes when a team plays on the road they are actually more focused than when they are at home, especially based on where they are in the season and what their performance has been. I don't know where the answer to the question lies, but we're going to play as hard as we can and as well as we can."
Q: If John Beck continues to struggle, does your mindset not to replace him change?
BM: "I don't think he will struggle. I think he'll continue to grow and improve and run the offense at a very high level. He has done nothing from the time he was named the starter, through the summer and through the fall, to make me think otherwise. I look forward to him playing well each and every week from here on out."