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During Tuesday afternoon's post-practice interview session at BYU's indoor facility, head coach Bronco Mendenhall covered many subjects ranging from the quarterback situation to his thoughts on upcoming opponent Oregon State, but the hot topic was conference realignment.
You can hear Mendenhall's remarks and post-practice interviews with players Riley Nelson, Cody Hoffman and Michael Alisa in "Cougar Cuts" to the left.
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"The only thing that I've recommended (to athletic director Tom Holmoe) is access to the top tier bowl games, and that's the BCS system," said Mendenhall. "If joining a conference would allow us that then I would prefer that over independence. We got to get access."
Mendenhall voiced satisfaction with BYU's current state of independence but acknowledged that BCS access takes precedence. "If we had a conference invitation (without greater access to the BCS as an independent) then my recommendation would be to take it."
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With so many conference realignment rumors, it is sometimes overlooked that there remain games to play, and BYU plays Saturday, in Corvallis.
"We had a really good Tuesday," Mendenhall said. "I think we're gaining some momentum."
Bronco likes the way his defense has played so far this season but is looking for cleaner play. "We gave up two third downs (conversions) against San Jose State by penalty, so I'd like to see us play cleaner on third down."
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The quarterback situation wasn't talked about as much as it was leading up to the San Jose State game. The only sign Mendenhall gave media members was that whichever quarterback produces on the field, will play. Practice repetitions indicate that Riley Nelson will be given the ball first on Saturday.
"I just want a quarterback who wins games," said sophomore receiver Cody Hoffman. "They're both great quarterbacks. I just want a winner, someone who will lead the team to victories."
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The game versus Oregon State has special meaning for Hoffman. Corvallis is roughly five hours away from Hoffman's hometown of Crescent City, Calif. Hoffman said that 200 friends and family will make the drive to watch him play the team that after BYU recruited him the most in high school.
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During the recent three-game winning streak several players have stepped up and played pivotal roles in helping the cougars get key victories. Hoffman was the star against Central Florida and Riley Nelson shined in the second half against Utah State.
Who was the stand-out player during the San Jose State game? Michael Alisa. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry on 16 carries, eight yards short of the 100 yard mark.
"I wasn't expecting that many carries," said Alisa. "They told me they were gonna give me some opportunities early on in the game and if I did well, they'd give me a few more."
Coach Mendenhall was non-committal when asked how the reps would be divided between the running backs. "Good question," he said quickly. "Not sure yet."
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The majority of the quarterback reps in practice this week have been going to Nelson. "I get to run more plays and throw the ball more," Nelson admitted when describing how practice has changed for him in the last two weeks.
Earlier in the day Oregon State redshirt freshman Scott Crichton made a few comments indicating he would anticipate encountering Nelson if he tried to run the football. When told about the comments Nelson responded "Good; he sounds like a football player."
The Cougars could easily be distracted by the deceiving nature of the Beavers' 1-4 record, or by the rumors that are constantly changing on the conference expansion front, but they remain focused on the task at hand Saturday.
"We know it's going to be a battle," insisted Nelson. "It's probably going to be decided by a touchdown or less and we're ready for that battle."
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