Howell: Cougars won't settle for 'just a bowl game'


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PROVO — The Cougars are looking at their 10th straight bowl game after securing their sixth win against UNLV. However, Miami is still a month away, and defensive coordinator Nick Howell says there are still two regular season games to play, and the team isn’t content with just going to a bowl game.

“I would say that we are not satisfied,” Howell said. “It’s good that we’re gong to a bowl game. We’ll be satisfied when we win this week, and if we win the next week and if we win our bowl game, that’ll bring some satisfaction. But to say just ‘yeah, we’re gong to the bowl game, we got six wins’… if we stay satisfied with that, I don’t thank that’s a good deal.

"But there could be some satisfaction out there from fighting through this thing and doing our best the next couple weeks," he added.

This week, BYU welcomes FCS opponent Savannah State. The Tigers have yet to win a game all season, but Howell said he wants to see guys playing just as hard in preparation for this week’s game as they would any other.

“I saw guys fired up and playing with their hearts,” Howell said. “At this point of the season, and during a game week when people are telling them that it doesn’t mean anything, to me that shows character. You find out who really is all the way in, and who loves the game by the way they practice.”

Saturday’s game will be the last one the Cougars play at LaVell Edwards Stadium this season. And for the 26 seniors on the team, it will be the last time they ever play in front of a home crowd at BYU. Seniors Craig Bills and Alani Fua both missed time this season due to injury, but both say they’re going to make the most of their last game in Provo.

“It’s business as usual, but I mean definitely I’ve kept it in mind that this will be my last game (at LES) and it will hopefully be something special and something to remember,” Bills said.

Fua says one of his favorite moments in his career was his pick-6 against Georgia Tech in 2012, but that some of his most memorable moments at BYU happened off the field with his teammates.

“I think memorable moments would be just hanging out with the guys really, just my brothers in the locker room and just getting to know guys on a very personal level,” Fua said. “I think that’s the main thing that I’m going to take away from all this … just the friendships.” Sydney is a KSL sports radio intern. You can follow her on twitter @sydneykayc

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Sydney Carlson

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