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Cougars drawing on TCU experience to prepare during short week |
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JaredCowley | Tuesday, November 7, 2006, 7:07 am
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Jason Franchuk
DAILY HERALD
BYU head football coach Bronco Mendenhall said the agenda for practices will be the same from Monday to Wednesday this week as it was in September when the Cougars had to deal with a short week against then-nationally ranked Texas Christian.
Looking at Wyoming, Thursday’s 6 p.m. opponent at LaVell Edwards Stadium, the Cougars might be spending the next three days looking in the mirror. At least on defense, where the Cowboys also have a new-look 3-4 defense that emphasizes linebackers and has players playing exceedingly well.
“Hats off to their coaches,” BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae said. “They’ve put their players in better positions to win. They’ve been able to take advantage of their strengths. They’re playing with a lot of confidence right now.”
Similar to the Cougars? Yes, Mendenhall and Anae agreed. “I see a parallel there,” Anae said.
Wyoming is Mountain West Conference’s best team at stopping offenses, giving up 248 yards per game. The Cougars, who switched from a 3-3-5 scheme in the offseason and are drastically improved from a year ago, are fourth at 305. The teams are reversed on total offense (BYU first, Wyo fifth), which leaves them as the top two teams in the league record-wise. The Cowboys are 5-5 overall, 4-2 in league.
BYU (7-2, 5-0) returned from Fort Collins, Colo., Saturday night after a 24-3 win against Colorado State. The only difference this time was the team had to take a flight home before really getting down to work. Last time this situation came around, BYU dominated a bad Utah State team, then coaches headed right over to their offices and players took a short rest before settling into a three-day practice week.
Mendenhall praised his team’s practice Monday, saying the focus was strong. It’s a team that could be a little cocky, coming off six consecutive wins and a four-year first — a top-25 ranking in the Associated Press poll released Sunday as the Cougars took the last spot.
Anae called it a “good achievement” but said it wouldn’t affect his team’s preparation.
“In my mind it’s a starting point,” the second-year BYU coach and former player said of the ranking. “But none of it will diminish how we get ready for a very worthy opponent.”
Running back Curtis Brown, a senior, echoed the sentiment.
“We’ve seen teams get in the top 25 and then lose,” he said. “We don’t want to be one of those teams.”
Mendenhall said footage burned onto DVDs, to be analyzed by coaches and players, came from more recent games. Looking at recent action is perhaps the most important thing, except for situations where teams that played the Pokes may have tried similar schemes to what BYU may want to do.
Anae said the only difference he saw in his preparation from a typical Saturday game was that the overall game plan was being scaled down.
Wyoming rallied to beat one-win San Diego State at home last Saturday, 27-24. The Cowboys rallied from a 17-3 first-half deficit.
Plenty of good seats available: BYU is getting the word out that Thursday night’s game is far from sold out. About 10,000 tickets are left, according to school officials. The biggest concern for fans will probably be temperature. It’s supposed to be a high of 46 degrees and showers in the forecast with the 6 p.m. kickoff, according to the Weather Channel.
Jason Franchuk can be reached at
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