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By DOUG ALDEN AP Sports Writer
PROVO, Utah (AP) -- It's been seven years since Brigham Young opened the season on the road. It's been even longer since the Cougars opened with a victory away from home.
BYU visits Arizona on Saturday night in the opener for both schools, which are trying for their first winning season in years. After almost a month of practices, coach Bronco Mendenhall said he has assessed his team just about every way possible.
About the only thing left is to see how well the Cougars play in a game.
"You know what I know at this point, and we'll both know more after Saturday," Mendenhall said Wednesday.
He said the Cougars are still a pass-first team, although running backs Curtis Brown and Fui Vakapuna will get their share of carries and keep the Wildcats from focusing only on quarterback John Beck and his receivers.
"Balance is still the key. Who carries the ball isn't as important to me as how much and in what manner. We consider ourselves a passing-first football team," Mendenhall said. "When we won five of six last year, that was because of balance. We've learned that over one year and we expect to continue with that approach."
One change from last season is on defense. Mendenhall has turned to a 3-4 scheme -- adding a linebacker and taking a spot out of the secondary, which was spread thin last season. Most of the defensive backs who struggled last year are back, but the coach expects they improved with the sometimes-painful experience.
"I like the direction. I like the use of personnel and like the scheme emphasis within our current talent base. That part allows me to rest well at night," Mendenhall said. "How they'll execute and how well they'll perform on Saturday, then we'll know more."
BYU hasn't opened a season on the road since 1999, a 29-3 loss to Florida State. The last season-opening victory outside of Provo was 1994, when the Cougars beat Hawaii 13-12.
With an experienced senior at quarterback, BYU fans expect more than last year's 6-6 record, which was an improvement over 2004 but not the way Mendenhall wanted to start his career as a head coach.
"It's not a burden. It's not something to back from. I think it's a sign of optimism of hope and confidence," Mendenhall said.
BYU closed last season with a 35-28 loss to California in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Cougars are hoping to make a better impression Saturday against Arizona, another Pac-10 team, which has gone 3-8 the last two seasons under coach Mike Stoops.
BYU is 27-54-1 against Pac-10 members, including eight victories against the Wildcats. But the Cougars have lost four straight against Pac-10 teams since beating Cal in 2001.
Mendenhall said the Mountain West "will be viewed inferior" compared to some other conferences until its schools consistently beat teams from the Pac-10, Big 12 and Big Ten.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-08-30-06 1657MDT
