BYU Football with Bronco Mendenhall 11-13-13

PROVO — Coming off a tough 27-17 loss at Wisconsin last week, Bronco Mendenhall joined Greg Wrubell and Marc Lyons for his weekly show in front of a packed house at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Coach Mendenhall opened by sharing his feelings about the Wisconsin game by saying, "I've run the full gamut (of emotions) from being absolutely, fiercely angry, to disappointed, to heartbroken, to angry again, to a little depressed, to angry again, and now it's partly cloudy because I really believed and predicted to my staff and my team that we would go and be capable of winning the game."

He was especially disappointed "that an opportunity was missed and (that) we get 12 of these per year before the bowl game. There are some that are right there to take and the preparation and things set up exactly the way you would like it to. The fact that we didn't come away with one or two more drives. or stop one or two more drives with as small a margin of victory, it was beyond frustration."

Wisconsin is ranked #23 in the latest BCS ranking and Coach Mendenhall really likes the way that his team measured up against the Badgers. "I'm more convinced now more than ever after playing the game (that we can hang with them). I'm just disappointed that we weren't able to pull it off in that setting for this particular team. That team has been to the Rose Bowl three years in a row and they're a good football team. Where they'll finish in the national rankings, I don't know, but there just isn't that much a difference. One or two drives either way change that game. I'm more committed now than ever."

Despite the loss, the team remains encouraged that they were able to keep the game close. Coach Mendenhall acknowledged that, "it felt a lot like the Notre Dame game last year." He also talked about how "they were the exact team I thought they were, and the exact team we prepared for. In a game that's that close, one or two plays that had been practiced and prepared for that weren't executed was the difference, and that's the thing that bothered me most."

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Looking ahead to this week's game against Idaho State, Coach Mendenhall acknowledged how hard it's going to be saying good-bye to this senior class. "It's hard for me to imagine Spencer, Cody, Kyle, and others sitting in that locker room and that this is going to be it. It's tough for me to grasp. The appreciation I have for all the work these guys have put in is hard to express. I would love for this season and this game and more importantly how the next four go, to be reflective of the appreciation I have for them. Hopefully they'll see that in how I coach them and in how we prepare."

With this season being one of the toughest in BYU history, the Cougars are looking forward to the matchup with Idaho State. Coach Mendenhall talked about the philosophy of scheduling FCS opponents with their independent schedule. "It's a work in progress, trying to find as much balance in the schedule as possible, and trying to position those games between some that might have wear and tear, but also then add a regional flavor if possible to one of these (FCS) games."

The Cougars know that FCS teams aren't automatic wins with "tough games against Eastern Washington, Northern Iowa, and Weber State in recent seasons."

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For this week's Firehouse Fire Starter of the game, Coach Mendenhall picked his top wide receiver, Cody Hoffman. "He finally became unleashed towards the end of the game. He started to make a lot of plays and more could've been made if he was allowed to make them. He's hard to cover legally and illegally."

Hoffman has scored a touchdown in three of the Cougars last four games with a pass interference flag thrown on the play. "That's about the only way that you can cover him and even then, you probably can't consistently."

Hoffman now owns all the major BYU receiving records with 3,355 receiving yards, 32 touchdowns, and 239 catches. He is tied with Austin Collie for most career 100-yard receiving games with seventeen.

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Wednesday's player guest was Senior NT/DE Eathyn Manumaleuna. His coach had some very high praise for the senior who has been in the program since 2007.

"If I could choose one player to say what the program is about, it would be Eathyn," Mendenhall said. "Just the consistency of his life, of his work ethic, how resilient when he's been injured, the growth that he's had, the service he's provided, the academic work that he's done, the example he is on a daily basis, and the leadership he shows; Eathyn will be someone I consider a friend. This player-coach relationship, the minute the season is over, that's gone. He's someone I like to be around, and someone I would like for my kids to emulate. I've been really lucky to be around him that long."

Manumaleuna has played in 52 games and has the opportunity to play in 56 games by the time his career at BYU ends. He's probably most remembered for his 2007 Las Vegas Bowl game performance, where he blocked the game-winning field goal to clinch the victory for the Cougars. When asked about his career, he said, "I can remember my first game like it was yesterday, and 2007 was a long time ago."

Despite injuries and other setbacks in his career, Coach Mendenhall said Manumaleuna's defining attributes are "absolute consistency. He's truthful, honest, and what you see is what you get. I have zero worry about where he's going to be, what he's going to be doing, how he's going to show up and work, and on a day-to-day basis, he does exactly what he's supposed to do and he always has. He just shows up and does what he's supposed to do, and he's absolutely obedient.

When it comes to football, "he's the same whether it's Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Virginia, or Wisconsin. He's just a lot to handle unless you use two."

NFL scouts have been at BYU's practices and Coach Mendenhall acknowledged that Manumaleuna has "raised his stock by his play this year. 3-4 defensive ends fit where Eathyn is size-wise and that is where he's gaining NFL interest."

While it's been a long career, Manumaleuna said that he doesn't know what to expect for his last home game at LaVell Edwards Stadium. "It's kind of a bitter feeling being here this long and playing in front of a great fanbase. This year has been a year to remember."

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The BYU family experienced a loss today in the passing of former BYU RB Todd Christensen. Coach Mendenhall shared his thoughts on Christensen during the Q&A period Wednesday night, acknowledging that his brother Matt played with Todd here at BYU. "Todd was affiliated with BYU just by name. When you thought about him, you thought about BYU. He and his family represent BYU really, really well. He was really articulate, very educated, and very well spoken, but also, he wasn't afraid to do things his way. I really admire people that have the courage and faith to be who they are and that's what I think Todd was."

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When asked his keys to the game, Coach replied that he wants to see his team, "play in relation to how they intend to finish the season. Irregardless of the opponent, I want to see them compete, play, and execute in a manner that will help us send these seniors out on a great note."

After the Wisconsin game, the Cougars identified some areas of key improvement on both sides of the ball. "We have to be able to be more efficient not only running a lot of plays, but the yards we get per-play. I think that has to continue to increase, we have to be able to beat man-coverage at a higher level. We have to get Taysom back unleashed from where he was a week ago. Defensively, we have to be better on 3rd down. It's just not to the level I would expect it."

Finally, Coach Mendenhall shared his feelings on the month of November and what he hopes for his team in its final four games.

"First from a big picture perspective, we have four games left and the very best we can do is win 10 games this season. That is something I would love for our seniors to have, and for our team to have accomplished. That would be a remarkable finish, and the games and teams we would have to beat would be a feather in our cap for the program and would register on the national scene. It would easily lead to a top 25 finish if it happens.

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Reggie Lewis is a KSL Newsradio BYU intern.

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