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PROVO — Heading into his last home game of the season, BYU head football coach Bronco Mendenhall is determined to keep his team focused this week despite playing 0-11 Savannah State.
Mendenhall explained how the matchup with the Tigers came to be, saying that a bigger opponent was in place until a contract was broken late in the scheduling process, causing the Cougars' staff to scramble to find an opponent.
“We had an opponent scheduled, would’ve been a fantastic and intriguing matchup right now, and somewhere along the line all I got was word that that game will not happen,” explained Mendenhall.
The coach continued by explaining how ESPN stepped in and was a great resource in helping his team find an opponent. Despite the difficulties, Mendenhall recognizes this is part of the challenge of scheduling as an independent and knows that there may be times BYU’s schedule is weaker in November, whereas most college football teams' schedules are typically weaker in September.
2015’s schedule will not have the problem that this year’s November schedule has had. Mendenhall talked about the scheduling of Missouri and the exciting opponents that make up the schedule next season.
“There has never been a more challenging schedule in the history of BYU than what (2015) will be,” said Mendenhall. “That is the direction we’re going, that is the way the program is moving.”
So when facing a winless Savannah State before facing a Pac-12 opponent in California the next week, how does one keep the team focused? Mendenhall says that the focus of BYU needs to be on BYU and not the opponent. He explained that this game has been approached the same way by the players and the coaching staff and that this game needs to be a preparation game for the rest of the season.
“Our team wants to play really well, they want to finish really well, and all those things are possible for them, so that’s how they’ve approached it,” said Mendenhall.
Senior defensive back Skye PoVey was this week’s Firehouse Subs Firestarter of the Week. Povey explained his route to BYU from Snow College and shared that at one point in his time at BYU, doctors told him his career was over due to a bad stretch of continuous injuries to his foot and experiencing plantar fasciitis.
PoVey, who is currently leading the team in solo and total tackles, continues to impress Mendenhall, and the coach took time to praised PoVey for overcoming physical obstacles and finding a way to be a constant on the defensive side of the ball at both safety and cornerback.
“Each time I sit in with the defense to watch film, I usually make comments (like) Skye’s in the right place and he’s a good tackler,” said Mendenhall of PoVey.
PoVey is among 26 seniors who will be playing in LaVell Edwards Stadium for the last time on Saturday and is grateful for the opportunity he’s been given to play college football.
“I’ve always dreamed about playing college football, and every game I try to not take it for granted ’cause I know that not everyone gets to do it,” PoVey said as he reflected on his time at BYU.
Mendenhall spoke of his goals for Saturday, some of which include making memories for the seniors like PoVey, but also stressed that this isn’t the final game and there is still work to be done with a game against California and a bowl game following this week's game versus Savannah State.
“I would love it to be a great day for the seniors, but it’s not the end, and so it’s a unique balance,” he finished.
