Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
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Calling his team's 54-10 loss to Utah "as heavy as it could have been," Bronco Mendenhall discussed the need to look back and learn from mistakes during his weekly radio show from LaVell Edwards Stadium.
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"I was very disappointed," Mendenhall said. "I expected to go through four quarters of another classic BYU-Utah rivalry. I did not coach the team in a manner to have them play that way. And I'm responsible for that. If you want to be a national-caliber team week in and week out, how many games will you win if you turn it over seven times? There are way too many things to correct and to fix (for a coach) to say that you're not looking back."
"That heaviness—-the great opportunities that come with leadership—-is amazing. The burden that comes from leadership when you claim it, as I do and should, is hard. I couldn't wait to go back to work and get better."
"I care about these players," Mendenhall continued. "I care about how hard they work. I care about this institution and I care about its representation of our faith. I care about when so many people see a game on ESPN, I want them to see the best version of us. That was not it, and I'm responsible for that."
"So this game had a ton of value. There are too many teachable moments to help our team move forward."
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Last night's show also featured guest appearances by assistant coach Kelly Poppinga and current BYU cornerback Preston Hadley. You can hear the entire broadcast by clicking on the "play" button in the "Cougar Cuts" box to the left.
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In the midst of major changes to college football through conference realignment, Coach Mendenhall spoke favorably of BYU's current independence, but referenced the rumors of BYU's speculative position as a possible mover:
"I love the symbolic part of independence with ourselves, Notre Dame, Army, and Navy. We are schools that have something significant besides academics and sports, that have another purpose. If we had the same access as others to the BCS system, I wouldn't consider (moving) at all."
"At some point, though, I don't want to be on the outside looking in. I want to coach this team this year to a respectable level where the conferences are saying, ‘We've got to have them.' If it came down to that and if college football is moving that way, you have to consider (joining a conference) to get access at the highest stage so that you don't have to go undefeated to get access to BCS games."
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When asked about his role as a tactician, Mendenhall offered a unique viewpoint towards strategy. "The X's and O's capture me in terms of putting players in the position to have success. There's nothing that I like better than watching the film of players succeeding and making plays and I love helping design things that put players in a position to have success. They work so hard. The X's and O's aspect of the game for me isn't driven by scoring potential or limiting points, even though that's critical to the win. I love designing it to give each player their best chance for success."
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Speaking about the importance of football in relation to the of his family, the coach explained that there is a lot of overlap between the two. "My wife and I consider ourselves the coach of the team," he explained. "Many of the things that are said to her when she drops off the kids in the parking lot are the same things that are said to me coming out of the stadium. Those things hurt and go to the core, and they're even said to my kids."
"We are in this as a family. And so my wife and my kids are all supportive in defending (BYU football) and being unified and locking arms in this cause. There's not much separation because football, family, and faith… they almost are circles that overlap."
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