Dungy has admirer in Mendenhall
As coaches work their way through the ranks, they typically pick up bits and pieces from others they come in contact with.
LaVell Edwards is an obvious source of inspiration for BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall.
But Mendenhall said another coach he has admired from afar is Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts.
The choice makes sense considering the qualities Mendenhall values beyond just the X's and O's of the game.
"It seems like his demeanor is one of poise and it seems like he's respectful to his players and is professional and compassionate towards his team," Mendenhall said. "It seems like he has a strong moral code of principles that he lives by and that his teams are reflective of that by the way they play."
Dungy, whose team is the reigning Super Bowl champion, recently released his memoir, "Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life," which reached No. 1 on the New York Times' bestseller list.
Mendenhall said he has not yet read the book, but would like to in the future.
****
Searching for more film:
BYU begins its preparations for Arizona today with the coaching staff reviewing notes and game film.
But in a highly unusual scenario, the Cougars will have to expand their search for film to many other schools for their first four opponents.
Arizona, UCLA, Tulsa and Air Force each hired new coordinators or head coaches for this season.
- Arizona's offense is being direct by Sonny Dykes, an architect of Texas Tech's prolific pass-heavy attack.
- UCLA hired new offensive coordinator Jay Norvell, who spent the last three seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Nebraska.
- Tulsa hired head coach Todd Graham to replace Steve Kragthorpe. Graham was the head coach at Rice University last season, although he did spend the three years prior as the defensive coordinator at Tulsa.
- Air Force hired Troy Calhoun to replace Fisher DeBerry, and Calhoun plans to add a passing element to Air Force's offense to complement it's famed triple-option attack.
****
Hungry campers:
Ever wonder what it takes to feed a football team during camp?
Legends Grill Executive Chef Wayne Griffin gave us the inside scoop on just how much food is required to satisfy BYU’s hunger.
With as much energy as the players are burning each day, the caloric intake would make a Weight Watchers counselor faint.
Griffin said he uses 150 pounds of protein for each meal - typically lunch and/or dinner. The choices include chicken, turkey, pork, beef, King Crab legs, salmon and baby back ribs.
The team is also provided with multiple selections of salads and toppings to make sure they eat their vegetables.
And no meal would be complete without deserts like ice cream, cheesecake and assorted varieties of pies.
Griffin said it takes he and his staff nearly 10 hours to prepare each meal while the team needs only a few minutes to devour every bite.
****
Criddle fills pages:
Some of you may have read my story in Tuesday's paper on BYU cornerback Ben Criddle. But one story is not possibly enough to squeeze in all the interesting facts about the self-professed Renaissance man. You would need to write a novel to cover it all.
Here are some of the extras I left in my notebook:
- The nickname Criddle has been given by his family is Teenie.
- Criddle's competitive spirit was evident from a young age, and sometimes got out of control.
He once threw a ball at an official in basketball after she called a foul on him and was kicked out of the game, and as a catcher in Little League, he punched a baserunner who had knocked down his first baseman.
"Luckily I have been able to revert all that negative energy into a good thing and try my best to beat the crap out of someone but stay within the rules," he said.
- Criddle's father Michael said his son never cared what anyone thought about him. Ben became a trendsetter in high school when he started wearing pajamas and wool slippers to school every day.
- One of eight children, Criddle was the one who caused his mother Leah the most angst because of his tendency to sneak off and not come home until late at night.
"My wife said if we would have had more than one of Ben, it would be the end of her because he was just always disappearing. She would have to call the police and the fire department to try to find him."
- When Criddle first started getting some attention in fall camp last year, his older brother Mike went on the BYU message boards and posted things like, "Who is this white boy walk-on trying to play corner? He’s not any good."
Once BYU fans started coming to Ben's defense, Mike finally came clean and revealed his true identity.
****
View from opposing sidelines:
- ARIZONA: BYU's return coverage team better be ready for a challenge. Arizona sophomore kick returner Devin Ross issued a proclamation, :I plan on returning one kick for a touchdown every game," Ross told the Tucson Citizen.
- UCLA: Backup quarterback Patrick Cowan will miss several weeks after suffering a partially torn hamstring in his left leg on Monday, according to reports out of Los Angeles.
Former BYU recruit Ben Olson remains the starter while McLeod Bethel-Thompson, a walk-on, will be the backup quarterback when UCLA opens at Stanford on Sept. 1.
****
Basketball update:
The men's basketball team has been a scoring machine during its French excursion. The Cougars improved to 3-0 after defeating Saint Etienne, a Pro B level team, 92-73 on Tuesday night in Lyon.
Sophomore Jonathan Tavernari hit six 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 28 points while junior Trent Plaisted recorded his third straight double-double with 26 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Junior Lee Cummard had a team-leading 10 assists and nearly recorded a triple-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
BYU is averaging 90.3 points per game on the trip.
Maybe BYU coach Dave Rose should convince some French players to consider attending fellow Mountain West Conference schools.
****
Tracking other Cougar sports:
- The BYU men's and women's cross country teams were picked to win the MWC championship in a vote by conference coaches. The BYU men collected 25 points to outdistance Air Force (20) while the women received 63 points to top Colorado State (55).
- The No. 17 BYU women's volleyball team opens the season this weekend at the Hawkeye Challenge at the University of Iowa. The Cougars play Marquette on Friday night and host Iowa on Saturday night.
Both matches will begin at 7 p.m. (CT) and can be heard live on BYU Radio.
****
9 Days Until Kickoff
LaVell Edwards is an obvious source of inspiration for BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall.
But Mendenhall said another coach he has admired from afar is Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts.
The choice makes sense considering the qualities Mendenhall values beyond just the X's and O's of the game.
"It seems like his demeanor is one of poise and it seems like he's respectful to his players and is professional and compassionate towards his team," Mendenhall said. "It seems like he has a strong moral code of principles that he lives by and that his teams are reflective of that by the way they play."
Dungy, whose team is the reigning Super Bowl champion, recently released his memoir, "Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life," which reached No. 1 on the New York Times' bestseller list.
Mendenhall said he has not yet read the book, but would like to in the future.
****
Searching for more film:
BYU begins its preparations for Arizona today with the coaching staff reviewing notes and game film.
But in a highly unusual scenario, the Cougars will have to expand their search for film to many other schools for their first four opponents.
Arizona, UCLA, Tulsa and Air Force each hired new coordinators or head coaches for this season.
- Arizona's offense is being direct by Sonny Dykes, an architect of Texas Tech's prolific pass-heavy attack.
- UCLA hired new offensive coordinator Jay Norvell, who spent the last three seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Nebraska.
- Tulsa hired head coach Todd Graham to replace Steve Kragthorpe. Graham was the head coach at Rice University last season, although he did spend the three years prior as the defensive coordinator at Tulsa.
- Air Force hired Troy Calhoun to replace Fisher DeBerry, and Calhoun plans to add a passing element to Air Force's offense to complement it's famed triple-option attack.
****
Hungry campers:
Ever wonder what it takes to feed a football team during camp?
Legends Grill Executive Chef Wayne Griffin gave us the inside scoop on just how much food is required to satisfy BYU’s hunger.
With as much energy as the players are burning each day, the caloric intake would make a Weight Watchers counselor faint.
Griffin said he uses 150 pounds of protein for each meal - typically lunch and/or dinner. The choices include chicken, turkey, pork, beef, King Crab legs, salmon and baby back ribs.
The team is also provided with multiple selections of salads and toppings to make sure they eat their vegetables.
And no meal would be complete without deserts like ice cream, cheesecake and assorted varieties of pies.
Griffin said it takes he and his staff nearly 10 hours to prepare each meal while the team needs only a few minutes to devour every bite.
****
Criddle fills pages:
Some of you may have read my story in Tuesday's paper on BYU cornerback Ben Criddle. But one story is not possibly enough to squeeze in all the interesting facts about the self-professed Renaissance man. You would need to write a novel to cover it all.
Here are some of the extras I left in my notebook:
- The nickname Criddle has been given by his family is Teenie.
- Criddle's competitive spirit was evident from a young age, and sometimes got out of control.
He once threw a ball at an official in basketball after she called a foul on him and was kicked out of the game, and as a catcher in Little League, he punched a baserunner who had knocked down his first baseman.
"Luckily I have been able to revert all that negative energy into a good thing and try my best to beat the crap out of someone but stay within the rules," he said.
- Criddle's father Michael said his son never cared what anyone thought about him. Ben became a trendsetter in high school when he started wearing pajamas and wool slippers to school every day.
- One of eight children, Criddle was the one who caused his mother Leah the most angst because of his tendency to sneak off and not come home until late at night.
"My wife said if we would have had more than one of Ben, it would be the end of her because he was just always disappearing. She would have to call the police and the fire department to try to find him."
- When Criddle first started getting some attention in fall camp last year, his older brother Mike went on the BYU message boards and posted things like, "Who is this white boy walk-on trying to play corner? He’s not any good."
Once BYU fans started coming to Ben's defense, Mike finally came clean and revealed his true identity.
****
View from opposing sidelines:
- ARIZONA: BYU's return coverage team better be ready for a challenge. Arizona sophomore kick returner Devin Ross issued a proclamation, :I plan on returning one kick for a touchdown every game," Ross told the Tucson Citizen.
- UCLA: Backup quarterback Patrick Cowan will miss several weeks after suffering a partially torn hamstring in his left leg on Monday, according to reports out of Los Angeles.
Former BYU recruit Ben Olson remains the starter while McLeod Bethel-Thompson, a walk-on, will be the backup quarterback when UCLA opens at Stanford on Sept. 1.
****
Basketball update:
The men's basketball team has been a scoring machine during its French excursion. The Cougars improved to 3-0 after defeating Saint Etienne, a Pro B level team, 92-73 on Tuesday night in Lyon.
Sophomore Jonathan Tavernari hit six 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 28 points while junior Trent Plaisted recorded his third straight double-double with 26 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Junior Lee Cummard had a team-leading 10 assists and nearly recorded a triple-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
BYU is averaging 90.3 points per game on the trip.
Maybe BYU coach Dave Rose should convince some French players to consider attending fellow Mountain West Conference schools.
****
Tracking other Cougar sports:
- The BYU men's and women's cross country teams were picked to win the MWC championship in a vote by conference coaches. The BYU men collected 25 points to outdistance Air Force (20) while the women received 63 points to top Colorado State (55).
- The No. 17 BYU women's volleyball team opens the season this weekend at the Hawkeye Challenge at the University of Iowa. The Cougars play Marquette on Friday night and host Iowa on Saturday night.
Both matches will begin at 7 p.m. (CT) and can be heard live on BYU Radio.
****
9 Days Until Kickoff
11:37 AM
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