BYU Sports

Here they are -- coach Bronco Mendenhall's postgame remarks after the Cougars beat Air Force 38-21 on Saturday. Sorry about the delay:

Opening Statement:

“ I really thought our team played well today. They executed very well, they played very physically, they were excited to play the football game.
I think they controlled the momentum, really, from start to finish, against a team that is and was playing very well with a lot of heart, and won’t quit.
I thought our program really did a nice job in preparation and moving forward today.”

Q-Did you like your team’s emotion level?

“I really liked it. I am not sure if it was tangible to those watching the game, but on the sideline it was, and they were really pulling for each other. Offense to defense, defense to offense. Any good play was being celebrated, and there was a passion to play the game today that was evident to me, and that in and of itself, possibly, that could have come from a teachable moment last week, and  I think we made an emphasis of it. And rather than it being false, I think they took it to heart.”


Q-Why were you able to throw the ball on that defense so well?

“Their defense is very, very good. They play hard, with tough kids. And they are coordinated very well.
Every defense has flaws. It really comes down to execution vs. execution. We thought if we could protect our quarterback today that we would have a chance if the routes could develop long enough that they could get open.
And then if we could take advantage of some things through their pressures and get the ball quickly that might deter it.
Nothing against Air Force, it was just simply our execution in the protection scheme I thought was the critical part of the game -- something we worked really hard on.”


Q-Was using Harvey Unga a big part of the game plan?

“It was, and again with Harvey healthy through the first half, we knew we would have a half to use him. And that’s about how it worked out, and gave us the balance we were hopeful for. And then the game then became managed a little bit different in the second half, but I really liked, as you can see, when Harvey is healthy, and we can run and throw the football, I think we have a very prolific and difficult to stop offense.”

Q-What are your thoughts on Unga breaking the school’s rushing record?

“I couldn’t be more proud of him. His durability is exceptional. His ability to block, catch the football and run it is something that sometimes gets overlooked. He gets a lot of attention for his rushing yards, but what else he does for our team is really impressive.
And it is fun to watch the tandem of Manase and Harvey working together, and that’s kind of the way I view them this year, and have viewed them over the past. They work really, really well together. So although Harvey was the one receiving the attention, when Manase is in there with him, it is a good combination.”

Q-Are you concerned that referees took away two TDs?

“Hard to understand, and I know the officials do the very best they can, and it is what it is. And I think they did the best they could, and unfortunately both those calls went against us.”

Q-When was last time you had an “unfair tactic” called on your team?

“I don’t remember -- ever. None that I remember.”

Q-Does the team feed off Max Hall’s energy and emotion?

“I think the team feeds off leadership, period. And what I and we as a football team are working hard to [get to] is to make sure it is not only one player. And Harvey running for a first down, there’s no reason that can’t ignite a football team as much as Max throwing a nice throw, Dennis making a critical catch, our defense making a nice play.
Those things to me are all when leadership can be spread, and I think we are more effective when we do that. It is a lot for any one player to handle to say, ‘you are responsible for igniting our team. But the more visible the leader, usually the more impact, and I am trying to diffuse that as much as possible, and just have our team carry it, and Max is doing a fantastic job.
Max did a great job, and he was having a lot of fun. He was smiling most of the game, which is a great position to be in.”

Q-Why did you go for the TD on 4th-and-2 after the unfair tactics penalty?

“I don’t really interfere with the call. We were moving the ball very effectively, and I thought we would score a touchdown. Obviously, I was wrong, but I kind of wanted our offense, with the momentum they carried down there, I thought they deserved a chance to try to put it in.
It probably wasn’t the smartest thing in managing the game in terms of points, but I thought they deserved a shot to try to put it in the end zone.”

Q-What of the turnovers you caused early in the game?

“I think turnovers, when you consider that Air Force had only turned it over 7 times the entire year, I think that No. 1, the turnovers were forced through hard hits and hard tackles, and etc. Then we had a stretch in the second half where they were able to come up with some, but the intensity and the physical nature of how we were playing caused most of the turnovers, and I think we overwhelmed them with the momentum, and with the physical play with execution in the first half. I think that’s what caused them.”

Q-Was getting Dennis Pitta involved early a point of emphasis?

“That’s just the way it worked out. No plays were designed specifically for Dennis, to take advantage of this or that. It was just simply that if they played coverage a certain way, he was going to be open. And so Max did a really nice job of just identifying him and finding him.”

Q-What are your thoughts on Max’s wins record?

“It says a lot about Max. I can’t really comment or worry about what anyone else thinks of him. I am glad I am the coach, and I am glad he’s the quarterback, and I am glad I have had a  chance to work with him the last three years. What he has accomplished hasn’t been easy, if you look at the number of wins, period.
And maybe he will be appreciated more -- I think he is appreciated by most, now -- but maybe he will be appreciated more after he’s gone. But right now I sure think he does an exceptional job.”

Q-What do you think about the play of Andrew Rich today?

“Andrew Rich and Scotty Johnson, I will mention them together. There is probably not a spot on their uniforms that don’t have grass stains on it. Those two are just playing phenomenally for us defensively.
I thought we defended the option very, very well today. I thought we managed the points very well. We got a chance to get some young players in at the end. But our two safeties made a lot of football plays, not only against the run, but against the pass, and had to concentrate in play action.
And really if your safeties against the option, and then concentrate well through play action, then you will manage the points, and that’s what they did.
Andrew Rich was our leading tackler going in. Great story for a young man who walked on to our program, turning down other scholarship offers. But he plays with his heart, and I am glad he is here.”


Q-Why was Brett Denney the leading tackler for BYU?

“They might have targeted Brett, rather than Jan, I couldn’t tell you. But based on alignment, option football and defending, it is all about numbers, and so if the numbers are even, sometimes they want to go to the boundary rather than the field, sometimes the quarterback might be more comfortable pitching right handed or left handed, etc., so all those things could have contributed.
But in the same breath that I have mentioned Scott and Andrew Rich, I would mentioned Jan and Brett. I mean, it seems like those guys have been here forever. And they are so durable, they are really good players.”

Q-What can you use from this to get ready for Utah?

“Just pulling together, playing as a team, and supporting one another. That to me, without so much attention on what anyone else thinks, pulling for each other, supporting each other, and focusing on our preparation I think allowed us to play very well today.
The more they think about other things besides that, they lessen our chances to play good football.”

Q-Will it be easy to maintain this energy and excitement for another week?

“Maintaining that level is difficult through the course of 12 weeks is difficult, certainly. I think the  nature of next week’s game, there is almost an inherent emotion that comes with it anyway.
Usually it is trying to tone it down if you can, because the players are so excited.
Maybe if it was another conference opponent, or just another game, along the way somewhere, game six, game seven, game five, it might be hard to continue it.
But I think with the end in sight here, and with the last game, and then a bowl game coming, I think that would be easier.”

The all-important BCS standings aren’t due to come out for a couple hours yet, but the Cougars have moved up in both the AP Poll and the USA Today/Coaches Poll.
BYU is all the way up to No. 15 in the coaches poll (part of the BCS formula) after being ranked No. 18 last week before it pounded Air Force 38-21 on Saturday.
TCU remained No. 4 and Utah moved up to No. 19 (from No. 23) in the coaches poll.
In the AP poll, the Cougars climbed just one spot and are now at No. 18.
The Utes are No. 22 (from No. 23) and TCU remained at No. 4 in the AP Poll.

Funny, what a little emotion and passion can bring when one football team is clearly better than another.
Playing with fire not seen in last week’s win at New Mexico, the Cougars strolled past Air Force 38-21 in a game that really wasn’t that close.
Aside from being penalized seven times for 75 yards (AFA was penalized twice) and seeing Max Hall throw two interceptions, the Cougars were close to flawless in the win.
They improved to 9-2, and pretty much assured themselves a trip to either the Las Vegas Bowl or the Poinsettia Bowl.
After the game, several players were asked about next week’s Utah game, but they were all hush-hush, saying they would discuss the Utes on Monday.
“I would prefer not to talk about Utah yet,” said Andrew Rich, after causing a fumble and intercepting two passes.
So, we will wait until Monday for that. The Cougars said they will spend the rest of the weekend savoring this win. And well they should.
They beat a pretty good AFA team, one that  hadn’t given up more than 20 points in regulation in one game all season.
The Cougars also had two touchdowns called back -- and failed to score on both of those possessions, or it could have been worse for the Falcons.
“I really thought our team played well today,” coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “They played very physically. They were excited to play and they controlled the momentum from start to finish. I thought our program really did a nice job in preparation and moving forward today.”

Hello from windy LaVell Edwards Stadium.
It’s about an hour before game time, and every flag in the stadium is flapping hard in the breeze. The wind is blowing from the North.
Temperature is 42 degrees, but with wind chill factor, it feels much colder than that.
Coach Bronco Mendenhall was asked several times this week how the weather could effect the game, and each time he shrugged it off and said the best-prepared team will win, regardless of the conditions.
But I have to think a windy day favors a running team, such as Air Force. Then again, the wind might completely take away the Falcons’ ability to throw the ball at all.
So who knows?
What is not known is how effective BYU running back Harvey Unga will be today. Unga is said to be a “game-time decision,” but I will be stunned if he doesn’t play.
As far as the wind goes, I’ve been watching Mitch Payne attempt some field goals with the wind at his back, and he’s drilled all of them.

BYU basketball coach Dave Rose picked up his 100th win late Friday night, becoming the fastest coach in school history to get to 100 wins, as the Cougars blasted Hawaii 83-65 in Honolulu.
Jimmer Fredette scored 20 points and Jonathan Tavernari added 17 in the easy win.
The Cougars shot 56 percent from the field and committed just 10 turnovers, a season low.
Freshman Tyler Haws got his first career start and added 12 points, while Michael Loyd came off the bench with two big three-pointers to aid the Cougars’ cause.

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What better way to show some appreciation for Rose’s 100th win than by donating a toy to one of Rose’s favorite causes?
Here’s a news release about how that can be done:

Donations Now Being Collected For Children with Cancer Christmas Party

PROVO, Utah (Nov. 18, 2009) As the Christmas holidays approach, the Little Heroes Foundation in partnership with the Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation, announce opportunities for the community to donate to their annual Christmas party for families who have children with cancer. 

Those wishing to participate in the event can drop off unwrapped toys at Far West Bank locations in Orem, Provo, Payson, Salem and at Springville’s Main Street branch. Deseret First Credit Union is also providing drop off locations at all three of their branches in Utah County. The 2009 Christmas party and the distribution of the toys will take place next month. 

Monetary donations can be sent to the Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation, 56 East 100 South, Orem, Utah 84058.

Founded by Mac Boyter, a cancer survivor who saw the needs of a family with a child battling cancer around the Christmas season, Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation (CCCF) was formed in 1998.  CCCF has since provided assistance to approximately 250 families.

BYU’s men’s basketball team and head coach Dave Rose has been involved with the Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation and the annual Christmas party for the past 11 years. This year’s event will be particularly close to Rose, who himself was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  BYU team members help distribute the toys to the children at the party.

Little Heroes Founder, Travis Hansen first became involved with CCCF while playing for Coach Rose. Inspired in part by what he learned during his experiences with CCCF, Travis founded Little Heroes Foundation (LHF) while playing professional basketball in Russia.

The LHF is involved in projects that create a better world by inspiring the hero within to make a positive impact in the lives of individuals. Little Heroes Foundation is pleased to partner with the Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation in carrying out an inspiring service opportunity to benefit families in our community. 

Toys can be dropped off until Dec. 12th, while the monetary donations can be made through the end of the month of December.