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Offensive coaches and players took their turns talking to the media today as the Cougars continued preparations for Monday's Miami Beach Bowl (noon, ESPN) against Memphis. It was also BYU's last practice of the year in Provo; The Cougars will board a charter flight Wednesday morning bound for Florida.

The school also pays for players' wives to travel to bowl games, but the wives won't join them this year until Friday.

I asked tight end Devin Mahina how that change is going over with the wives this year, but he couldn't say. Mahina is married, but his family is moving back to Southern California and has to be out of its apartment by the 20th, so his wife Lindsay won't be making the bowl trip this year as she packs boxes, etc. and gets ready to move.

Mahina isn't a big talker, but he's been around since Methuselah, it seems, and always has some interesting things to say. He believes the bowl game means a lot to this year's senior class, and says preparation has been intense. Offensive coordinator Robert Anae seconded those thoughts — more on that later — and also talked a bit today.

As for Mahina, not only is he preparing for the game, he is trying to put together both the fireside before the game and the worship service on Sunday (Sacrament meeting) in Miami. That's been his assignment all season — lining up speakers and music for the religious services the team has before games.

When he walked up to the media pack today, Anae told us all we got one question each.

Then he dropped some of the best quotes of the season when he was asked about the team's readiness and preparation for the bowl game this year.

Here's a sample:

On what he learned last year in bowl prep that can help this year:

"I do believe that our seniors have taken it a little more personal than our senior group the year before," he said.

On whether the guys are motivated to win:

"They do show signs that they are very interested in the outcome of the game," he said.

On how he has grown as an offensive coordinator:

"I have grown. I am way too overweight. As an offensive coordinator I have grown in all the wrong directions," he said.