BYU Sports

As was expected after a bye week, BYU’s football news conference Monday morning was rather uneventful and lacking in any news of much significance.
Coach Bronco Mendenhall did   say that receiver McKay Jacobson has been cleared and will definitely play against Wyoming on Saturday, after missing the last four games with a hamstring pull.
Mendenhall opened by saying the bye week helped the Cougars increase their health -- both their physical well-being and their mental well-being. He said there was a lot of “self-analysis” and that coaches and players alike got a “little bit of a head start” preparing for Wyoming.
Bronco said he visited with the team’s senior leadership to get their thoughts on what can be done to improve and put the 38-7 loss to TCU behind the team.
The coach said their will be “no radical changes” after the big loss, and noted that consistency has been the hallmark of the program.
He said there will be no personnel changes on the depth chart, but said some starters could get less playing time and some backups could get more.

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Mendenhall said his wife, Holly, watched more college football on television over the weekend than he did. After they took their three sons trick-or-treating on Halloween night, Holly watched football on television while “I was helping the boys barter their candy,” Mendenhall said.
Asked if things will be different this year after the TCU loss than they were last year, the coach said this year’s team “is more resolved, more determined” and “fun to be around.”
Having watched a lot of film of Wyoming already, Mendenhall said the Cowboys’ defense is playing well and that he likes their defensive schemes and strategy.
He called Wyoming’s offense “very innovative” and said new coach Dave Christensen has  brought a lot of unique ideas with him from Missouri, where he was the offensive coordinator.
Having been the MWC’s most-hunted team the past few years, Mendenhall said the Cougars are looking forward to being hunters the last four games of the season.

Well, we’re back in the saddle again after a little time off during BYU’s bye weekend.
It’s about time to head over to coach Bronco Mendenhall’s Monday news conference.
This afternoon's football practice will be closed to the media, but it still looks like a busy day for those of us to cover BYU sports; BYU’s basketball team will hold some media availability after its practice tonight in the Marriott Center.
The team will play its first exhibition game on Thursday against Trinity Western (7 p.m.).
The regular season begins Friday, Nov. 13 against Bradley, part of the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge.

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The Mountain West Conference just released its Players of the Week.
Utah running back Eddie Wide is the Offensive Player of the Week, while Utah defensive end Koa Misi is the Defensive Player of the Week.
The Special Teams Player of the week is San Diego State’s Brian Stahovich.
It is the first weekly honor for all three players.

The Cougars are back in the rankings.
BYU is No. 25 in both the AP Top 25 poll and the USA Today/Coaches poll released earlier today.
BYU fell out of both rankings last week after falling 38-7 to TCU. The Cougars had a bye over the weekend, and will play at Wyoming on Saturday.
Utah is No. 17 in the AP poll and No. 16 in the coaches poll, after being ranked No. 19 in both last week.
The BCS standings come out later tonight.
TCU is No. 6 in the AP and No. 4 in the coaches poll, while Boise State is No. 5 in both.

Happy Halloween, everyone.
There will be no tricks or treats for the Cougar football team today, though, as BYU has a bye this weekend.
Coach Bronco Mendenhall gave the players the weekend off, while most of the coaches are out recruiting. With most of the 2010 scholarships already spoken for, Mendenhall said coaches are looking for 2011 prospects and keeping tabs on players who have already committed.
Found a few interesting stories about former, current and future Cougar gridders while surfing the Web this morning.
Here’s a story about how former Cougar Austin Collie is bringing his hometown buddies to Indianapolis this weekend to watch Sunday’s Colts-49ers game.
Here’s a story about BYU freshman receiver Cody Hoffman, who is redshirting this season. Hoffman’s hometown paper in northern California says he is doing well adjusting to Provo and college life.
Finally, the Los Angeles Daily News looks at Collin Keoshian, a senior at Santa Clarita Christian Academy in California who has committed to BYU.

The first major college basketball preseason poll came out today, and BYU is not ranked.
The ESPN/USA Today poll has Kansas at the top, followed by Michigan State and Texas.
Those fights the Jayhawks hoopsters got into with their football counterparts at the school apparently impressed the voters, as Kansas got 27 first-place votes.
No Mountain West Conference teams are ranked.
BYU received some votes (16) and would be 40th if the rankings extended that far. Utah State, the Cougars’ Dec. 2 opponent in Logan, also received some votes (three).