Monday Media Session

QUOTES

Bronco Mendenhall

I was really happy with the way our team handled last week. They practiced really well. They remained consistent and focused and they played exactly how I would have liked them to, especially in the first half when the players that received most of our time to this point in the season were playing. I think it was a great chance to see a few possible young players emerge as well in the second half. Now, we’ll get some much needed rest, recovery, healing and a fairly light week in terms of the bye and then back to work in terms of San Jose State preparation. Thursday we will shift our focus to that game. And then we have a Friday night game with more exposure and another great chance to move forward.

On what the team wants to accomplish during the bye week:

First of all we want to get healthy. Second, we would like to get a self-scout analysis of what's worked for us and what hasn't. Sometimes you have theories and ideas but during the season it’s hard enough to have enough time to research it. So I’d love to have that done. And then we want to give the players more of a chance to get some schooling done, and then move forward.

On standouts:

From a defensive perspective Jordan Preator did a nice job, so he’s re-emerging. Even though he has been back and eligible for a couple of weeks, it has taken a little bit of time. But I like the way he played. Kesni Tausinga did a nice job up front. Moses Kaumatule is establishing himself as a player that can get some more time. Offensively, a couple of receivers did a nice job. Josh Weeks: we liked what he did. Trey Dye: we liked what he did. We liked what Akile Davis did as well. Two young freshman offensive linemen did a great job in Jacob Jimenez and JJ Nwigwe. Both those guys did a really good job.

On seeing the young players get an opportunity:

It’s awesome. It’s really fun. Because we see it in practice and he does all those things and he works really hard. And [David Kessler] is out there catching passes. And Jake Ziolkowski lays out and catches one. And then on the scout team we’ve been seeing Josh Weeks and Akile Davis doing their stuff, and Koy Detmer throwing the ball to them. So it’s fun now to have others see what we’re seeing. There’s reason for optimism in the program. Not only for this year, but for the future. We’ve been recruiting well.

DL Bronson Kaufusi

What to get out of the bye week:

The main thing is to get healthy. Everyone is a little bumped up, so being able to use every day to our advantage is going to be key for us.

Seeing guys on the scout team play against Wagner:

I love it because every single person on the team has a role and everyone puts in work. On game day not everyone gets to play, so having that opportunity for those guys that don’t get to play every single Saturday is awesome. It was cool to see a lot of guys have the opportunity to play and make the most of it.

Biggest inspiration this year:

It’s the guys next to me. This year is different from others. Everyone was here during the summer and to see them put in the hard work and guys pulling for each other, it’s nice to see guys step up. Being able to play for the guys next to me is my inspiration.

On the big games coming up:

Being able to play in-state teams will always motivate you. Big name teams are motivating too. On the defense we just want to improve right now. Having a week to evaluate and see what we can do is critical for us.

Looking forward on the defense:

There are a lot of ways we can improve. One of them is our run game. We can always improve there. Everyone has a role on the run. Being able to execute is vital for us moving forward.

WR David Kessler

On his first touchdown:

It was pretty awesome. My first catch ever was the catch before that. I was pretty bummed I didn’t have more room to take it further, but it was great. I was just hoping that the ref gave me the touchdown. When I looked back at him, he looked kind of confused. Then I hoped that they counted it as a forward pass because it was Beau’s first touchdown too.

How he got on the team:

I’m a walk-on. I walked on in August right before the 2013 season. It was a grind. I was on the scout team the entire year. I slowly climbed my way up, just working. In high school I talked to some of the older coaches. I tried out before my mission and Coach Higgins told me I could play spring ball, but I wanted to go on my mission. When I got back, Coach Higgins wasn’t here.

Tryouts:

I came to the tryout just for fun. My little brother, before his mission, he played quarterback at the University of Utah for a year, so I’d go out and throw with him. I came to the tryout and Coach Holliday picked me up. I wasn’t expecting anything out of it. I just went to have fun.

Deciding on BYU:

I came here because I wanted to go to school here. My brother played baseball here. I just felt like it was the place for me. I didn’t decide I wanted to come here until my senior year of high school.

Spreading the wealth to receivers:

If you’re open, Tanner is going to find you. You have to gain his trust. If during the week you are messing around and doing something stupid, he might not think of you as much pre-snap. But if you’ve had a good week of practice, he will do whatever it takes.

LB Austin Heder

Defensive takeaways:

Defensively, we had a great plan going into the week of focusing on us. We game planned a little, but mostly we consolidated our call sheet to things we did the best and what we wanted to work on. That was the main focus for us: we wanted to focus on us. It was our best game execution-wise. A lot of guys got time, but for the starters and the ones that needed reps, we feel like we got a lot better on running stuff that we need to be a lot better on.

It’s always fun to see the younger guys and the scout team guys make plays in front of the home crowd. And it is nice for the starters to get rest.

Bye week:

We have the same approach that we need to focus on us. We have emphasized stopping the run. Today we went over each margin of the top-25 defense that we want to be. We are really close to being in the top 25 in a lot of those categories. San Jose State has a really good running back. That will be a good challenge for us. Stopping the run and being more consistent on the early downs is definitely our focus.

Tackling:

We have a physical defense and we’ve worked on tackling big time, and that’s improved. It’s about gap responsibility at this point and guys being in the right place and being able to execute that. What’s nice about not having pads on is that it’s all about hands and your feet. Being in the right positions and using hands to get off blocks is what ultimately makes that tackle. That’s definitely the focus and what is nice about having a bye week.

His role:

It’s been a tough fall for me. I had a great spring. I pulled my hamstring the second day of fall camp and pulled it again two weeks later trying to come back. The leadership role I’ve been asked to carry behind the scenes is something I do enjoy a lot. I’m passionate about BYU football. I want our defense to be the best in the nation and I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen. If my body will let me, eventually I’ll get back to my best form. We have a tight-knit group. It’s fun to learn with the seniors and grow.