Mendenhall: Conference Play From Now On

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Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall

Opening Remarks

After a good victory versus Utah State, a victory that I think was hard-fought and I think our team was resilient. I think they played solid defense and it was just a good football game and another reason to play that game is that Utah State is an improved team and very capable. I think it was a great chance for the fans to have another good in-state game to rally around. Having said that, it’s just now conference play from now on for us. I know our players will be anxious to get started on their preparation for UNLV. There weren’t many games that I remember from a year ago, but I do remember the last play in the UNLV game with the ball being knocked down in the endzone and so I’m sure our players have a lot of respect for UNLV and the personnel they have returning and knowing that it seems the Rebels play with an increased kind of urgency at home. So all those things will play into our preparation and we’re looking forward to another good week. So that’s kind of our perspective where we are, what questions can I answer for you, if there are any today?

The last couple of games your fourth quarters have been a little flustered offensively, what is the cause of that and what are you doing to change that?

I don’t really know the cause of it to this point. It is interesting, just on the headsets during the game, our coaches are certainly aware of it – what’s the cause, I’m not certain, but maybe our opponent is doing a better job after halftime than what they have normally been doing. Possibly it could just be the lack of focus on our part or it could be a given player or two’s part.

Can you give an injury update on Matt Reynolds?

Matt Reynolds came back and is ok, but the biggest news, injury-wise, after going back and forth it was originally reported that McKay Jacobsen had a hamstring pull then as I was told it wasn’t a hamstring pull. After the MRI on Saturday they found out there is a pull and possibly four to six weeks is what they’re listing, so it is a significant pull. And interestingly, he did it during stretch. He wasn’t even running – he was just stretching and bending over. So it’s way up high, kind of at the origin part of the muscle. So again, after going back and forth, that’s what they have determined. That will probably be the biggest news. There were two concussions on the day: Steven Thomas and Tucker Lamb, both had head injuries so it will just be how long it will take them to pass protocol.

Is that the same hamstring from the Spring for McKay?

I didn’t ask. That’s a good question. I am not certain right now. I am positive it’s not the same point that was hurt before, but I can’t tell you right now if it’s the same leg or not, but it’s a different injury. And from what Kevin has mentioned, it is pretty rare for the mechanism to just be stretching for it to happen like that.

UNLV gave up 559 rushing yards to Nevada on Saturday. As a coach, have you ever had to experience something like that, and how do you keep your team focused?

The answer is yes, I have. The first game I was the defensive coordinator at New Mexico, going to play Air Force. I couldn’t have told you what they were doing, how to fix it and just hoping the game ended and it was a pretty helpless feeling. Interesting in watching that game – Nevada had a very good scheme and basically it was something that UNLV had a difficult time adjusting to and ended up guessing a lot of the time as to how to play similar to an option type of play and so assignment football led to a majority of those yards. When you consider the more relevant game that they will draw back to, is their game against Oregon State, who rushes the football well – and I think UNLV played that game very closely, losing right at the end. And so I think they will separate the two, even though it was an instate rivalry, which adds an extra sting to it. I think they’ll view it as more schematic than capability when they analyze it with their players. But what better way to get over it, to be back at home and one of the league favorites coming in to kind of re-establish yourself. Probably against a team they feel they can compete well with based on a year ago, so I bet that’s the way they will handle it. I can’t speak for their program, but that’s the way I would handle it.

Can you talk about 4-1 is probably acceptable starting the season, and can you talk about your satisfaction level with where the team is at right now?

We are 4-1 and given the reference point that I think any college football game is difficult to win, so I’m pleased with that, but certainly I see areas for improvement. If I were to give kind of a base line, I think we are a solid football team right now. I wouldn’t put us in the great category yet because we’re not playing great in all phases. I think we’re good and I think we’re solid and I think any given date we can play and compete with most teams in the country. But to be great, ball security will have to improve, possibly our third-down defense – third-and-long in particular, there has to be a few more of those stops that we make, and then I would say some of our return game – probably kick return and punt return could be improved. So if I am targeting areas that I would say could improve to go from good to great and help our program, those are probably the areas that I would target. But again from a reference point of 4-1 and from a reference point from what I think is a good and solid team, but too early to say great because I don’t think we’ve played great to this point collectively.

Robbie Buckner played well on Friday, can you assess his performance and also the depth he provides the secondary?

Robbie’s start was in relation to a mistake that Brian Logan had made, so Robbie played capable. Not necessarily with as much aggression and confidence – he played like a first start. But he certainly was active and he certainly was fast, he certainly showed athleticism and he certainly showed that he’s capable – now he just needs more experience. And so I was encouraged by the way he played, and going back to your question, he does give us depth. He was actually battling with Corby Easom for that backup spot, but Corby was also late for the walk-through as well, so that’s how it got to Robbie Buckner. So really you’re seeing three players there, which is probably more depth that you’ve had at that spot for a while. And then Brian played a little at the end of the game as you saw in the fourth quarter.

Can you speak to Max’s mentality, because you don’t want a quarterback with straight-checkout all the time, but you don’t want a true gun slinger who is taking too many risks. Part of what makes Max good is the ability to take some risks occasionally – where are you at with that right now?

I think it’s one of the delicate balances and Coach Doman does a really nice job handling Max in that his aggression and his competitive spirit is one of his strengths and one of the reasons we have won so many games with him at quarterback. It’s also one of the things if we’re remaining unchecked that could end up causing some extra yards or extra attempts for yards that possibly aren’t good decisions. As we end up going now into the conference play and working toward a conference championship, the decision making is more and more critical and so I certainly don’t want to take away his aggression as that is one of his strengths. But if you watch him scramble with the football it’s difficult to get him to slide. Those two things go hand-in-hand – Max is a physical, competitive player and in the heat of battle sometimes takes risks; which I don’t have any issues with as long as they are educated and calculated risks. We will continue to educate and I think that’s the only thing that we can do. To have any stronger hand in it than that I think it would actually carry over into what else he’s doing great right now, and I don’t want to do that right now.

Are you at all surprised with the criticism that Max is taking for the turnovers, despite the fact that it has only cost you one game?

I would have been surprised maybe in my first year as head coach at BYU, maybe the second. But at this point, the visibility of the program with the expectations, I think it will always be here. I think for the people in the most visible positions: head coach, quarterback, corner, offensive tackle – something like that, the positions that seem to give up or could be criticized easily by a normal person just by visibility, not necessarily a great fan in terms of education and understanding the broader scheme of things. But if you are to just look out and see where are the mistakes, the level of criticism usually matches the level of education, and the fans and people it comes from. I have learned not to take it personal and I’ve told Max to do the same and I think it’ll always be the case at BYU because of the visibility of the program.