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BYU players voted on their captains for this season, and the four Cougars selected are as follows:
LB Bryan Kehl
LB Kelly Poppinga
WR Matt Allen
OL Sete Aulai
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All four are seniors, and two of the four are transfers to BYU (Poppinga--Utah State, and Aulai--JC).
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I'm sure it has escaped everyone's attention, but the season opener with Arizona is a week from today.
Fast Facts:
In 7 of the last 8 seasons, BYU's first offensive play of the season has been a pass.
Arizona has won 6 consecutive home openers, but has lost 5 consecutive road openers.
Since 1972, BYU has opened the season at home only 14 times (9-5). BYU is 5-1 in its last 6 when opening the season at home (loss: Boston College in 2005).
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Matt Allen has had a bone stimulator hard at work beneath the wrap on his injured hand. The training staff are doing all they can to have Allen and his fractured finger ready to go on game day, but suffice it to say, all of those reps Bryce Mahuika took as an outside receiver during camp may end up coming in handy (no pun intended) sooner than later.
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Broadcast News: With the season about to get underway, that means another season of the "Bronco Mendenhall Show" is about to hit the airwaves. I am happy to announce that the Utah County Ken Garff Dealers are our new partners, and the new "Home of the Bronco Mendenhall Show."
Each Wednesday night at 7:00pm, Bronco will join Marc Lyons and me at one of the four Utah County Ken Garff Dealers for his weekly one-hour show, while I will be on hand at the dealership from 5:00-8:00pm on those nights.
This week, the show will originate from the Ken Garff Porsche/Audi/Volkswagen dealer at 195 East University Parkway in Orem. Those familiar with the area will know that three of the Garff stores are more or less next to one another on University Parkway. Keep checking in with "Cougar Tracks" to get the weekly location for the show.
I am looking forward to seeing lots of Cougar Football fans out to the show each week. We at KSL and the Garff Dealers are looking to make the show a fun experience for everyone on hand--Marc and I always enjoy talking football with the coach, and the fans. Once again, you can join the show giving us a call, or an e-mail (cougarradio@ksl.com). We may also set it up to let you ask Bronco a question live at the dealership.
See you all Wednesday at 7:00pm, at Ken Garff Porsche/Audi/Volksagen on University Parkway!
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Hoops notes...
The Cougars trip to France was beneficial--even though up to half the players on this year's team were not available. In no particular order:
Gavin McGregor showed he can be counted on in the post--for more than just token minutes. Jonathan Tavernari showed he is ready to pick up the scoring slack created by Keena Young's departure. Lee Cummard showed he will fill up a boxscore, and be an even better rebounder. Sam Burgess showed he can fill his role as shot-maker, and tough senior leader. Ben Murdock showed he will indeed compete for the starting point guard position this fall. Chris Miles showed great determination, but also showed how hard it is to pick up where you left off, only two weeks after returning from an LDS mission. Trent Plaisted showed he will look to be more versatile this season out on the floor, but that his most reliable contributions will once again come down low. And Chase Ulicny showed up, and did what the coaches asked him to do--put in some minutes at the point as part of an 8-man roster.
It will be interesting to see what develops at the point guard position, between Murdock, Lamont Morgan, and even guys like Nick Martineau and Matt Pinegar. While Jimmer Fredette could play some point, he's a "2" guard on this team.
Assuming Jonathan Tavernari assumes a spot at the "3," the wings appear to be in great shape, with JT, Cummard, Burgess, and newcomers Fredette, Rose and Loyd in the mix.
Up front, the addition of Cris Collinsworth will leave coaches with a bevy of options. Returners Plaisted, Ivanovic and now McGregor and Miles give BYU 4 guys around 6'10" and 6'11" who can contribute inside, while the versatile Collinsworth (6'9") can also step out and shoot. The fact Collinsworth was a high school point guard before his growth spurt has left him with exemplary ball-handling skills, and he is simply going to be a special player for the Cougars. Miles, it should be noted, has already demonstrated a solid high-post presence, both shooting and passing. Plan on 6'11" freshman James Anderson redshirting.
In short, fall practice is going to be an intriguing affair--I'm already excited about seeing how this particular team takes shape.
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