BYU football: Cougars wary of being bitten by upset bug
Coming off a bye, confident Cougars eager to play again
When the No. 8 Cougars (4-0) visit Utah State (1-3) tonight, the task is to extend their 14-game winning streak and avoid becoming one of those upset victims.
A handful of teams ranked in the top 10 fell a week ago, and BYU benefited, jumping into the top 10 for the first time in seven years. The key now, the Cougars say, is staying there.
"That's the way college football is nowadays. You can't come out lackadaisical in any given week, no matter who you play," said quarterback Max Hall. "You've got to be ready to play.
"Utah State is going to want to play us tough. It's at their place. It's going to be a fun atmosphere and a fun game to play, but we've got to make sure that we're not lazy or not precise in our execution after a bye week."
The Cougars, who have outscored their last two opponents by a combined score of 103-0, are hoping there are no ill-effects from not playing last weekend.
"What's great about our football team is we've picked up where we left off," said wide receiver Austin Collie. "The bye week was a benefit to us. Some of our guys were a little bit banged up. Now that they're recovered and we've been able to get back on track."
But coach Bronco Men- denhall is confident about how his players will perform.
"I'm not concerned and I think we've managed the bye week well," he said. "I think the players are eager. That doesn't mean they might not be perfectly sharp to begin with. But what we sacrifice in being sharp, we'll gain in health, self-scout and all of the things that we did (during the bye week). The game will manifest itself as it needs to by the time it's over. It might not be perfect on either side, but, again, there's eight weeks to play still."
The Aggies are also coming off of a bye and they drilled Idaho, 42-17, in their last game. USU's offense is improving, Mendenhall said.
"I like watching their offense. They are imaginative, they're creative and they have good athletes," he said. "As they're gaining momentum, which I believe was the case in their victory over Idaho, there have been stretches against any and all their opponents where they have looked effective.
"I think consistency is what they're probably hoping for. Can they capture that identity and have it translate for longer periods of time from beginning to end?
"Coach Guy is a good football coach and their defenses are always sound," Mendenhall continued. "They have played some unique offenses to this point and have given up some points. But I don't think it's a structural thing. They have played against some talented teams. Where they've really made some improvement is on the offensive side of the ball and what they're doing in using the talent they have. I've been impressed."
Recent comments
hey Rhino Whiney.
Don't the Utes play USU. You're logic is pathetic…
Spud Man | Oct. 3, 2008 at 11:38 p.m.
After tonights game you Zoobs should stop braging. You won but all…
ProvoUte | Oct. 3, 2008 at 9:58 p.m.
Utah's win was fine and dandy. I'm sick of all the downplaying from…
Red Man | Oct. 3, 2008 at 5:32 p.m.
