PROVO -- Riding a two-game win streak, Bronco Mendenhall discussed BYU's preparation for Saturday's road game against Notre Dame at the weekly media luncheon, Wednesday at Legends Grille.
Opening Comments:
"Good afternoon. It's good to be with you, coming off a football game in which our football team improved, played consistently from start to finish and generated momentum in our victory over Colorado State, who was a conference leader. It was a gratifying win and has prepared us one step closer for our next step, which is this week in South Bend against Notre Dame. Our coaching staff and our players are looking forward to the game, preparing diligently, and we had, in my opinion, one of the best Tuesday practices we've had to this point. So what questions at this point might I be able to address for you?"
Q: How do you get players to not get caught up in the mystique of Notre Dame? Some guys have been there before but a lot of them haven't.
BM: "I think working them hard enough to where their focus has to be on the day-to-day. We have plenty to improve in our program. There are a lot of areas and a lot of individuals that can do better, myself included. When you have an opportunity like this against an opponent that is perceived to be a top-10 team in the country with the storied tradition they have, and with the history we've had already this year of overcoming adversity and now starting to gain momentum, I don't think we're a football team right now that would be overconfident or one that would look past or be caught up in anything other than improving our football team and doing our best Saturday, and that's what I've asked our team to do.
Q: This will be the third time Brady Quinn has faced your defense. What kind of problems does that create for you?
BM: "I'm not sure it presents any problems for us. The scheme is unique and different enough that I don't think they see it often. Once a year is probably not enough, and you're talking about a coaching staff that has changed since then. We faced the previous staff two-consecutive years and played better defensively the second year than the first. So I'm not sure there's any relevance in Brady's experience with the defense. I think the more relevant thing is that now he's being coached in a different system, playing at a higher level, is more confident in general regardless of who he sees, and their offense is executing at a higher level regardless of the scheme they go against. I think that's the more relevant point."
Q: As you break down game film about Notre Dame, what do you notice about Coach Weis' preparation each week and what he's done with game plans?
BM: "They're not similar week to week. The core plays are the same, but the formations in which they're run from and the emphasis changes based on what scheme you use. For instance, against USC, in the first five or six plays there were formations that hadn't been exposed to this point in the season. They were similar plays but out of different formations, so the masking or the presentation appears differently. In many instances that forces a defense to be on their heels as they match up and adjust to things that are a little bit uncertain to them. I think, in general, the play calling week to week reflects that to where you don't see the exact same plan, the same formation or the same emphasis from what you saw the previous week. How that reflects on our preparation is you have to possibly predict what the plan will be of the things you've seen, and then what else might be in store, and not necessarily prepare for all the looks that have been exposed the previous weeks because it's not relevant. So really the prediction of what we might see, not so much in terms of plays because those stay relatively consistent, but in terms of from what formations and what alignments; that's where the focus is."
Q: Notre Dame's students are out of class this week on a fall break. Could that be a good thing or could it be a negative?
BM: "I think it could be either, based on the mindset of the team, the current dynamic of the team, and really the management they use day to day. It's a lot like fall camp before the students arrive where you have a lot of time to manage, similar to what we did last week with the 8 o'clock start, the players have a lot of time in between. Sometimes that can work in their favor, it can make them more fresh, more energetic and more excited for their time to come over to the practice facility and the complex. Other times, it can take an edge off. I think it just reflects what the current status is of their team mentally. "
Q: Is there a facet of the matchup that you perceive you have an advantage in?
BM: "I think you'd have to give Notre Dame the advantage if you were an expert and you were predicting in really any statistical area, other than our offense against maybe, statistically, their pass defense or total defense. I don't pay as much attention now as I once did to statistics. Now I'm in this role because I've learned to understand that games are managed differently week to week and are managed based on a chance to win, and not on one side of the ball or the other. Also, plans are imposed on how a game unfolds. For instance, if Notre Dame's offense is scoring and averaging 36 points a game, if I were the defensive coordinator, maybe like theirs, the amount of risks that you take goes down. The number of passes people throw to catch up goes up. So maybe more conservative is the approach they've taken, so sometimes statistics can be misleading as well. I think that' s the case on both sides. What I care about is that our football team is gaining momentum and getting better each of the last two weeks, and I look forward to continuing that against a very good team."
Q: As it relates to game management, how important do you judge time of possession to be in any game?
BM: "Last week was a great reflection. Colorado State had the ball 51 plays with an explosive offense and a dynamic passing attack. If they have 80 plays they score more points, but at 51 they score fewer points. Ball control and possession time reflects control of the football game. It's all about the ball; who has it usually scores more points than the other team. By having it longer you have a chance to do that, and scoring points is the best indicator of whether we win or not. The other night, clearly when we decided to run the football and could, the last drive took up the seven minutes. There's nothing more frustrating than knowing that you want the ball back, need it back and can't get it back. I think Notre Dame is doing a good job of that as well."
Q: Knowing that, how important is it that you be able to run the ball on Saturday?
BM: "I think relative balance is becoming more important in our scheme and in the nature of our football team and our chances to reach our goals. As has been well documented by statistics, if you rush for more than 100 yards our chance of winning goes up. In this offense that's still a relevant statistic, however the running backs get the ball. I think what Saturday showed more than anything is how capable our running backs are. Does that mean we're not going to throw the ball as we have? No. Does it mean that we're going to make any less emphasis on the throwing the football? No. But certainly a hair more balanced than maybe what we have been doing. If you look at the New Mexico game and the Colorado State game, those models are closer to our formula for success."
Q: You need to replace Daniel Marquardt and Nate Soelberg on defense. Who is going to replace them?
BM: "At Daniel Marquardt's position, Vince Feula has not practiced yet but is anticipated to play in the game. I anticipate either Vince or Manaia Brown playing the nose position this week. I haven't made a decision yet on which one; you might see both at that position as our depth has taken a hit up front. Kayle Buchanan is gaining strength daily, so he'll replace Nate Soelberg at the other corner position."
Q: What challenges does Notre Dame present on defense?
BM: "Notre Dame is similar to Boston College in terms of their approach. They're physical up front, they're physical at linebacker and relatively conservative in the secondary. But what they do is execute their plan very well. In most instances they tackle very well, they play with leverage and they make sure you drive the field. In most cases in college football, unless an offense is operating at a very high level, somewhere along the way there's a miscue that stops a drive, and Notre Dame takes that approach. They're not soft or passive in any way. They're physical and aggressive within their scheme and they play with great leverage. If I were to compare them to anyone at this point, Boston College would be a similar approach. They play mostly zone, more zone than man coverage."
Q: Do they play a lot of man or zone?
BM: "Mostly zone. More zone than man coverage, even though they'll be picking and choosing a few spots in man, but they're a zone-based defense."
Q: What type of defensive schemes can we see, especially considering Notre Dame's talented receivers and the stats they've posted in the last few games?
BM: "I think diversity is the best way to explain what we're going to need to do. They have a number of receivers who are 6-foot-5. I don't have any corners who are 6-foot-5. So playing with a mixture of determining when the quarterback throws it to decide the routes that we want to cover and then possibly having help over the top of each of those players is going to be something critical. I don't think you'll see many defense in between. You'll see those that are conservative in nature and playing with leverage and making sure that Notre Dame executes their plan. Then you'll see more of a dictatorial tempo where it's time for us to decide what they do, and there will be a contrast between those two. "
Q: I know there has been some concern in the past about the interpretation of holding calls. Has that been addressed with your team and do you know anything about the officiating crew this weekend?
BM: "You know, I don't. Even though I've been told, I can't tell you right now who it is. I was told in the summertime what the crew would be, and as it regards to replay. In terms of holding, it was a factor in the Boston College game that I've learned my lesson on in terms of preparing for the first game. Whether it applies now or not, I'm not certain as I've watched their games and the different crews that have gone in there, I haven't seen any calls that I would have assessed differently. I think regardless of crew in this particular instance we'd be on the same page because I've seen enough different crews in enough games. I think our initial point made to our offensive line was made and has been addressed to where the number of holding penalties goes down, and that was through our emphasis as well. So I'm not as concerned with that at this point."
Q: Is it appropriate or helpful to acknowledge the history and special stage your players will be on to appeal to their sense of competition?
BM: "Our team is very competitive as it stands now, regardless of where we play. We could go to the intramural field and line up and play. Certainly, (Notre Dame) is a neat environment. Certainly it's tradition-rich. Certainly this program is one of the best in the country right now. But our focus is still on us, regardless of whether it's Eastern Illinois, Notre Dame, New Mexico, Colorado State. Our focus is on our program and improving, and the competitive nature of our team will come forth no matter where we're playing."
Q: Can you give an overall assessment of the team at the halfway point of the season?
BM: "There are things daily that I didn't expect. But what I'm encouraged about at this point is the overcoming of instant and immediate adversity at the beginning of the year and through a staying-the-course mentality to the principles on which the program was based. Now it appears that those are manifesting themselves at a higher level on the field through execution. What needs to be better? Simply that: still getting better at what we do offensively, defensively and on special teams. I think our team is playing hard, I think they're playing physically, but we're not mistake free, we're not precision based yet. We're not to the point where I stand back and watch them from the sideline executing at a level that I think is remarkable. Ultimately this season is going to be determined step by step along the way and how much improvement we make from here on out week in and week out and day in and day out. I think that's reflective of the conference race as well. Still, the same as it was at the beginning of the year in this conference, there's a lot of parity. At the halfway point I think that's the exact same. Who's willing and who's able to make the most improvement day to day, week to week, and how they play on Saturdays is ultimately going to determine our success. That's what I'm hoping for because we have room to improve execution-wise."
Q: Will you be bareheaded on national TV?
BM: "I'll stay with the cap that's been worn the last two weeks. I feel more comfortable and it seems to be working."