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BYU finalized its 2016 football schedule last week, adding Southern Utah University, and released it to the public.

Then coach Bronco Mendenhall got a text message from his wife, Holly. She wasn't happy.

"My wife said it is awful," Mendenhall said Monday at his weekly press briefing. "She texted me and said, 'this is awful.' I just thought I'd share that."

Presumably, Holly Mendenhall meant that the schedule is awfully difficult. It includes games against Arizona, Utah, UCLA, West Virginia, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Toledo, Boise State, Cincinnati and Utah State. The only gimmes are UMass and SUU.

"I think we are sending a clear message: we are not going to sit around," Bronco Mendenhall said regarding the schedule. "We are being as aggressive as we can, and we are showing that this year, and certainly we have shown it again for next year. And so I could use your help emailing my wife — she knows enough about football now, and just says, 'what are you doing?' I guess I should consult her in advance now."

Some are calling it the best schedule BYU has ever faced, but the reality is that won't be fully known until after the season. For instance, the Cougars' four games in September this year — Nebraska, Boise State, UCLA and Michigan — were supposed to be perilous, but through two months all of those teams have at least two losses.

A loyal reader pointed out recently that in 2004 BYU faced a schedule that included three teams that finished the regular season undefeated and ranked in the top 10 in the Sagarin Ratings: Boise State, Utah and USC. The Cougars also played Notre Dame and Stanford that year, in addition to its usual MWC foes.

The Cougars have fully turned their attention to San Jose State, and the name they continually brought up Monday was that of Spartans running back Tyler Ervin. He's already rushed for 1,159 yards this season, in eight games.

Mendenhall conducted a padded practice on Monday, which included plenty of tackling, precisely for that reason. It could be said that the best running back on the team this year is Squally Canada, a transfer from Washington State who is sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules. Canada just happens to be from the San Jose area (Milpitas, Calif.).

"We have a really good running back on our scout team — Squally Canada — a transfer from Washington State. And he is very difficult to get our hands on, and he runs physical and he runs hard and he is fast. So the very best way [to prepare to tackle Irvin] is just by the looks you get in practice, and Squally does a really good job. We are lucky he is with us," Mendenhall said.

Mendenhall said that BYU used the past two weeks to get several guys healthy. He said running back Adam Hine (ankle) is back for sure and should play against SJSU.

"The rest I would put in the hopeful category," Mendenhall said, adding that he couldn't give any specifics regarding the health of offensive linemen Ului Lapuaho, Ryker Mathews, Kyle Johnson or running back Riley Burt.

Later, a BYU football spokesperson, after conferring with trainer Steve Pincock, said Burt and Mathews are "probable" for the game, while Lapuaho and Johnson are "doubtful" and have much less of a chance of playing.

Mendenhall said he's not sure yet how much Hine will play. While he was away, the Cougars discovered freshman Francis Bernard is pretty good. So is Burt, a converted defensive back.

"He will work his way in," Mendenhall said. "I think it is going to take all of us — he and all of us — a little time to find out exactly where he is. Practice is one thing. Seeing him in a game is something else, so his role will kinda be defined once he is in a game and we see what that looks like."

Mendenhall said last week that they would do a lot of self-scouting during the bye week. What did they learn?

"Oh, learned a lot," he said. "Not much that I am going to reveal here today. But it is just fun. Week in and week out, there is not much time to step back and look at the big picture of a team. Man, hardly remember the first games. But there were some things that were more successful and some things that we are continuing to do that weren't as successful. And so the key is just to reframe now moving forward of only to do things that have established themselves as consistent producers and get rid of the things that have been inconsistent, or fix what has been inconsistent about them. And sometimes personnel; a player or two may have played better or worse than what you think at the time. So there might be a little shuffle here or there. Is that vague enough for you?"