Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
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Tonight's the night: the season debut of the "Bronco Mendenhall Show" from Ken Garff Ford in American Fork (exit 276 off I-15). The coach will join Marc Lyons and me from 7:00-8:00pm, with the good people from Iceberg Drive-Inn on hand ahead of the show to feed the fans...for free!
The shows have become increasingly popular, so you may want to get there early to guarantee yourself a seat. We plan once again to have a live microphone in the crowd to allow questions for Bronco.
For a list of show locations for the remainder of the season, go to the "Bronco Mendenhall Show" page in the "BYU Sports Menu".
See you tonight at 7:00!
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Don't forget about KSL Newsradio's "Cougar-Sooner Showdown Special" this Friday from 12:00-1:00pm, originating from our broadcast booth at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX.
Marc Lyons will join me as we visit with BYU AD Tom Holmoe, Cowboys front office man Brett Daniels, and Stadium Manager Jack Hill. We'll also hear from Dallas-area native McKay Jacobson (who's already been inside the new stadium). The show is designed to give multiple perspectives on the "spectacle" of the season-opener, with the "chalk talk" reserved for our pregame coverage on gameday.
By the way, one of our featured guests during Saturday's "Cougar Countdown Show" will be former BYU and NFL tight end Chad Lewis, who was on the only other BYU team to play (and beat) Oklahoma, back in the 1994 Copper Bowl. Pregame host Andrew Adams will also have a conversation with OU head man Bob Stoops, while longtime Sooner broadcaster Bob Barry joins the pregame show as well.
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"Kicked to the Curb"
Only ten of FBS 119 teams made fewer field goals than Oklahoma's eight (8/13) in 2008. BYU saw only 11 field goals go through the uprights last season (11/17).
Of course, both teams excelled at getting into the end zone on offense, so field goals were almost an afterthought. The Cougars scored 56 offensive touchdowns (three TDs on defense), while Sooners put up a mind-boggling 96 offensive touchdowns (two TDs on defense, one on special teams). On the year, OU was 1st in scoring offense, and BYU was 26th.
By the way, in 2007, BYU was 10/15 on three-pointers, so we can't say Mitch Payne is suffering from field goal fatigue. BYU's record low in field goal makes and attempts came in 1980, when the Cougars were 6/8. That season, BYU led the nation in scoring offense, with 74 offensive touchdowns.
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Hoops note: Jonathan Tavernari played 15 minutes and scored nine points as Brazil moved within one win of securing a semifinals berth at the Tournament of the Americas--and with it, a spot in next summer's World Basketball Championship in Turkey.
Tavernari (3/8fg, 2/2 ft) also added a rebound, an assist and a steal in Thursday's 92-61 win over Mexico in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
You can watch video highlights of Brazil's win, including a JT three-pointer and behind-the-back pass, by clicking the video link on the recap page from one of Brazil's top sports websites.
Later this morning (11:30am MT), Tavernari and undefeated Brazil play Canada and former Ute Tyler Kepkay; a win locks Brazil into the final four, and all four semifinalists qualify for Turkey.
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