This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

It is easy to come up with the BYU football player most affected by Bronco Mendenhall's decision to leave BYU for Virginia.

It is quarterback Tanner Mangum, the freshman from Eagle, Idaho, who basically led the Cougars to a 9-3 season when starter Taysom Hill went down with a season-ending injury for the third time in four years.

That's especially true now that news is out that offensive coordinator Robert Anae and quarterbacks coach Jason Beck will follow Bronco to Charlottesville.

My report for Friday's newspaper includes lot of comments from Mangum about how the Cougars will prepare for the bowl game knowing the entire offensive staff is outta here on Dec. 20.

I also asked Mangum today (Thursday) how much thought he has given to the new coach, that new coach's offensive philosophies, etc.

"Hardly any [thought] at all, to be honest," he said. "We are doing a really good job, as a team, of just staying focused on this game. And I think that starts with the seniors, the guys who have been here. Their excitement, their energy, is kind of contagious. There is a buzz in the locker room, because we are excited for this game. We are excited to play Utah in a bowl, excited to end the season strong. So we are not worried about what will happen as far as coaching is concerned.

As for me, I am not worried. I trust the process. I trust that when that time comes, everything will take care of itself. For right now, I am just worried about the things I can control, and that's just my effort and my dedication to be prepared for the game."

Mangum said the bowl game, and the opponent (Utah), is helping the players keep their minds off the pending coaching changes.

"Yeah, I think it does, just because if we didn't have this bowl game coming up, I think we would be more worried about the coaching situation," he said. "But because we have this big game coming up, that is keeping us focused. That's keeping us determined, and none of us want to worry about something we really don't have a lot of control over.

It is a waste of energy, a waste of time. So we are just trying to do our best to stay focused. We are doing a good job of it. There is good energy at practice, good energy in the locker room, everyone is excited and ready to go."

Mangum said the players will all lean on each other the next 10 days to get through the disappointment of seeing coaches who recruited them move on.

"I think it is a team effort," he said. "I think I am just trying to follow the examples of the seniors, the guys who have been here. I don't necessarily think it is just on me. We all know the importance of this game, the importance of the bowl. We all know that it is a tough situation not having those coaches. Everyone knows that.

For me, there is no use in getting down. There is no use in worrying about things that are out of our control. I try to stay positive, stay happy, and keep working hard for this game. Everybody is doing that. It is not just me. It is the kind of thing that has defined our team throughout the season, the relentless drive to keep going, keep fighting. That hasn't changed."

A few more comments today from Terenn Houk, Graham Rowley and Remington Peck:

Houk on what it was like when coach Robert Anae said he was leaving:

"It was hard, but it was just another thing we had to deal with, just like how Bronco surprised us with telling us he was leaving. It is just another thing we have to swallow and just move on with and move forward from."

Houk on coach Guy Holliday's future:

"Coach Anae, when he announced that he was leaving, he stressed that if the other coaches wanted to tell us, they could, but not to ask them. So we don't know anything yet. It kinda sucks. But we just have to focus on Utah."

Rem Peck on coach Anae's announcement:

"It was actually real emotional. You don't see coach Anae like that very often. So it was cool to see how much he cares, not only about the players, but about this place. You can tell he is sad, but he had to do what is best for his family. None of us can fault him for that."

Peck on the position coaches leaving and how they've handled it:

"To be honest, as players, we haven't been told, as far as the position coaches. So we just know coach Anae. I think as soon as Virginia announces their staff, or we hear, it will be a little different. But as far as now, none of the position coaches have told us if they are gone or not. And I think it is good at this point, because we want to prepare for this game the best that we have all year, and I feel like maybe if everything was announced, it would be harder to do that."

Rowley on what practices have been like:

"It has been really good. Today was our second practice. Yesterday and today were really productive. It has been nine or 10 days since we practiced. It was nice to get back in the motions. I forgot a few things, but they came back within minutes. I think it has been really good and it is only going to get better from now. We are all positive and we really want this."

Rowley on how the team has dealt with coaching change:

"In my opinion, I feel like we've done really well. There are a lot of distractions in the media, things like that. But what we are focusing on is this game. Everything else we can worry about after. And Utah is a good team and we have to prepare the best we can. We need everybody to be 100 percent focused for that, and not worry about our coaching situation and things like that. I feel like we've handled that very well — as good as we can, and hopefully we can retain that this week and next week."