PROVO -- Head football coach Bronco Mendenhall addresses the media at his weekly press conference about the upcoming Thursday night football game against Wyoming.
Opening Comments:
"We're excited to play. There is a different sense to this Thursday than the last Thursday we had a game against TCU. It almost seems this comes at a good time even though there is a lack of time to prepare. Our team is eager to play and our coaches our eager for our team to play again. There is an optimism regarding the game and how we will play. I understand and acknowledge how important the game is. Wyoming is a very good football team and currently in second in our league. They play with confidence, with heart and are certainly a physical team. We look forward to doing our best against them Thursday night."
Q: McKay had a 100-yard receiving game last week and it was only the second time this season a receiver has had over 100 yards in one game. How in your approach to having a balanced attack do you not worry about getting players those stats?
BM: "It's reflective of a core approach on our team. I'm not sure any player or coach really cares about what statistics that they have. We do have certain marks that we are after and are diligent to pursue those marks. In terms of having those 100-yard receiving games and 100-yard rushing games those are marks that don't disappoint us if we don't meet them. Those marks are just tangible team to look back at afterwards. The team looks at their given role to help the team win. I've been thankful that the team doesn't look for those marks and that this year I haven't had to deal with players wanting this many touches or this many catchers or this many plays. That's been quite a burden to not have that on my shoulders and be able to focus on winning. This team is not about the individual but about the scheme that is played and contributing in their assigned roles."
Q: Can you update us on the injuries of the team?
BM: "we've been as healthy as we've been. We are the same as we were going into CSU other than Rey Feinga. I thought he was going to play against CSU but trainers told me that he wasn't ready at that point. He is ready for this week. Mike Hague sustained a bond bruise so if you see him in practice that is what happened to him. He could be possible to play Thursday night and that happened in a kickoff cover drill. There are a few minor ankle sprains. I feel confident that everyone else will be ready to play on Thursday night."
Q: Your offense is execution based. Is the philosophy still the same this late in the season with film being out for other teams to look at?
BM: "Routes maybe jumped and formations maybe defended to run plays but it is still an execution based offense. If you look at the CSU tape I thought our offense played well. CSU intercepted a ball in the endzone and one of our touchdowns was taken away, however, there was a little bit of man coverage at times, a little bit more risk was taken because of the execution part of our offense. We'll probably see more risk trickle in because teams know we're going to move the ball and score. However, and I'll stay true to do this, it's not teams knowing what is coming it's our team's execution beating their team's execution. It's the same on offense and the same on defense."
Q: At the beginning of the year the D-line was a question mark. Can you talk about how they've improved over the course of the season?
BM: "Their playing a great role collectively in the defensive 11. I couldn't separate the secondary, the linebackers and the d-line and tell you which group is performing the best. The linebackers receive the most recognition because they're the featured players in this scheme. They're statistics will show that they are having the best season but that is not necessarily the case because the front is used to free up the linebackers so they can make the play. The secondary is being used to maintain leads and we play them conservatively at times without giving up a lot of first downs on third down conversions. The entire group is playing well, solidly and consistently. I would describe it like that."
Q: Last year you talked about the rotation with players being five or six plays at a time. Has that been the case this year or have there been any changes?
BM: "Coach Kafusi handles that based on the weeks practice. He assesses the help of each player and he sees who has been working the hardest. There has been a slightly different role for each player as the game goes on and that is judged by how they're practicing. Coach Kafusi does a nice job of keeping the finger on the pulse of those kids and rewarding those that are willing to step up. Hala and Jan are now playing some 30 plays at a time. Other younger players will still come in for five or six plays at a time. Their roles are growing and are getting more plays in chunks as they continue to work."
Q: There is a possibility of some weather issues on Thursday night, will that affect the team at all?
BM: "I don't really tend to address it with them. They're willing to play in whatever circumstances there are. I was asked just a moment ago what type game I expected and I don't like to predict if it will be cold, windy or snowy, but they will probably have an affect on what offenses will do. By now teams are who they are and to deviate much from that, especially on a short week, is not a necessary. We're not prepared to alter it much because there is not that much time."
Q: Talk about the Wyoming pass defense and what makes them one of the best in the nation?
BM: "there statistics say they are number one in most categories. I think they are confident and play with confidence. They have enough pressure to keep opponents off balance. They play the run well enough to predict when passes are coming. They are doing a nice job collectively. The have a great player at secondary in the safety, but what impresses the most to me is their play collectively as a unit. They're playing hard, with confidence and with heart and that is the bet way I can describe it to you."
Q: What similarities and differences do you see in playing back-to-back the two best defenses in the conference and how has last week's game helped?
BM: "Last weeks experience will help us to know that you can't just show up to a stadium and score 40 points. Opponents in our conference don't intend to make it and easy and won't give us anything. What we have done prior to what we do on that day has no relevance. In terms in similarities of the two defenses CSU was confident and physical. They made it difficult to run the football. We didn't have the high level of runs at 12 to 15 yards at a time. They weren't afraid to mix in some pressure to. Wyoming is more pressure based and theirs is a zone pressure, not a man pressure. Statistically Wyoming is the better of the two if you value the statistical part of it."
Q: BYU has won the time of possession battle every game but one. Do you like the approach of driving the football rather than the quick strike?
BM: "there hasn't been a change in the offensive structure. Teams are starting to play our plays better. When you get the volume of film that we have scouts become a lot more necessary and teams now with the amount of the computer information they have are able to predict what you might do. That leads to another positive thing and that is if teams know what the plays are and time and again we are still moving the football, which is a great advantage to us. We were scoring faster and larger chunks earlier but now we are still scoring and moving the football and it is taking longer. All those things are positives and it reflects on the consistency of what we are trying to establish in the program."
Q: Do you appreciate the situation of having the next two games at home where you might be able to accomplish some things?
BM: "I'm appreciative of that chance. My hope is the fans are excited for it as much as we are. Our focus is on the game. There will be landmarks that come along the way and the more people that we can include in those landmarks the better and maybe there will be a brief moment of celebration with the crowd and then we'll move forward. So we'll ask the fans to celebrate as the teams celebrate but the more the better."
Q: Is it asking too much for the offense to be 100% or perfect?
BM: "I can't think of a better standard whether it is realistic or not. It's been framed to where our players can think they can do that. I don't want to accept any standard underneath that. Any play that is not positive yardage or any third down that is not converted I think they view it as being underachieved. This program deals with setting expectations and I don't intend to ask these players to do anything less than to aspire to be perfect."
Q: What do you expect to see offensively from Wyoming and talk a little bit about their freshman QB?
BM: "They'll stay their course. They're gaining confidence and without putting words into their mouth I think they believe they'll have to run to the football well enough to keep us off balance. The quarterback manages the game well. Their passing game is first-down oriented. Not on first down but to gain first down. There is not a lot of risk in terms of the throws he is asked to make. He is accurate and mobile and appears that he is gaining momentum. I think they will be a team that wants to run the football, get first downs and score some points by using the clock as much as possible to keep the ball away from our offense."
Q: Wyoming was picked to finish last. Can you speak about the job Joe Glenn has done?
BM: "I don't think any of the coaches thought that was going to happen that was there. We've seen what Wyoming is capable of and despite the turnovers last year they would have been capable of doing the same thing. None of us expected them to be last and in second at this point and battling to the end. That's what we've all prepared for and it's been no surprise to our team."
Q: How significant is it to be back in the top 25?
BM: "I think it's more relevant to a national respect and national exposure. I mentioned it briefly to our team on Monday where we were. Addressed simply that this is a mark that has come along the way but if we don't play well this week, the next week or the next week then we won't have that mark any longer. We don't intend to focus on those marks. I appreciate the respect and recognition, but certainly that is not our focus."
Q: Tell us about John Beck being 50 yards away from passing Jim McMahon for second place on BYU's all-time passing list?
BM: "I think it's phenomenal. What's more impressive is the growth as a player and a person that has happened along the way in the pass three years. If you put John Beck the player today on the field and compared him to how he was three years ago there has been an amazing transformation. It's come step by step by step and has been all hard earned through diligence. It has been much like the growth of the program and I see a lot parallels between the two. My hope is both components, John and the team, continue to play and improve."