BYU problems start at the top


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PROVO — Bronco Mendenhall’s glory days as the BYU football coach have slipped away, to the point of becoming a distant memory.

This year began with high hopes of a special season that would finally catapult BYU into season-long relevance and culminate in a major bowl game. But here we are again, well before the sport heats up, looking at more disappointment for the Cougars.

For the fifth consecutive year, with one possible exception of a 10-3 record padded by a soft schedule in 2011, the program has fallen far short of expectations. Frustration is rampant among the fan base, with some bombarding sports radio shows demanding a coaching change or more accountability.

The anger is justified.

A promising 4-0 start has given way to a three-game losing streak. With a trip to Boise State still ahead, BYU could end up going winless in October. There’s also a four-game losing streak to Utah, two losses to Utah State in five years and the humbling designation as being the only Division I team Virginia beat last season.

“Are there grumblings and rumbling?” asked Mendenhall, joking in response to a reporter’s question during his weekly media session. “I think just with the way this generation loves social media, you can get access to anything you want. You can find grumblings and rumblings and if you look hard, maybe you can find positives. But they happen all the time.”


The system is phenomenal. The execution is lacking.

–Bronco Mendenhall


While it seems unlikely — and undeserving — that BYU would replace Mendenhall after this season, he would be well-served to make changes, at least from a cosmetic standpoint. To begin, change the public approach.

Shortly after his team’s loss to Nevada, Mendenhall went before the media to rationalize BYU’s second consecutive defeat to a Mountain West team. In doing so, the explanation came off as finger-pointing.

“The system is phenomenal,” he said. “The execution is lacking.”

In other words, blame the players. Even if Mendenhall didn’t mean it that way, which most likely is the case, it was easy to interpret it as such.

In fairness, injuries have decimated BYU, which has been without several starters, including quarterback Taysom Hill. But those same reserves were good enough to build up a 14-point lead in each of the last two losses.

Contrast Mendenhall’s quote with Kyle Whittingham’s assessment when asked about the many passes that Utah’s receivers have dropped this season. Rather than call out individual players, Whittingham stopped short of including everybody but the trainers and equipment managers.

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“We got to put the ball in better spots sometimes,” he said. “We’ve got to pass protect better sometimes. We’ve got to call better plays sometimes. It’s a combination of things. We’re not pointing the finger at one guy, any one group. If anywhere, point the finger at me. I’m the guy who’s got to try to get it solved.”

Same goes for Stanford coach David Shaw, whose team has sputtered significantly on offense this season. Shaw is holding himself accountable.

“I’ve done a poor job of structuring our offense,” he said.

Ultimately, the head coach is responsible for his entire football program. If the execution is lacking, it falls on the coach and his staff to remedy it.

Everyone involved with BYU football also would be wise to tone down the rhetoric. Henceforth, put a gag order on all talk of a special season, national championships and any other reference that hypes of expectations.

It seems like every off season is the same, with the Cougars on the verge of a significant breakthrough. It’s time to take a more low-key approach, leaving outsiders to proclaim the potential greatness that is to come.

BYU football deserves to be included with the other programs that comprise the Power 5 conferences. Good or bad, the Cougars need to let their play speak for itself.

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