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In conjunction with coach Bronco Mendenhall's regular Monday press briefing today, BYU passed out the game notes for Saturday's matchup with Fresno State of the Mountain West Conference at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

The notes says BYU is "expected to honor 17 players playing in their final home games of their careers" on Saturday, but does not list the 17 seniors as has been done in the past.

Why is that worth mentioning?

Because it would possibly show what BYU thinks quarterback Taysom Hill is going to do next. Will he return and play next year? Will he transfer to another school and use the graduate-transfer rule to be immediately eligible? Will he make himself available to the NFL draft?

I asked Mendenhall if he knows if Hill has made a decision yet, and whether they will honor Hill before the game and give him a senior blanket.

"Not yet," Mendenhall said. "The best case scenario for Taysom is we might award two [blankets]. When in doubt, we will award extras. So if we are not sure what someone is going to do, then we will give them one, and if they want to come back … they don't have to give it back. They can keep that one and we will give them another one."

In other words, those who want Hill to return shouldn't be dismayed if they see him get a blanket on Saturday.

"We are not talking until the end of the year," Mendenhall reiterated when asked if he's spoken to Hill about the decision.

I asked Mitch Mathews if he has had any indication what Hill might do. He shook his head.

"I wish I knew," Mathews said. "Everyone wishes they could be in his head and find out, even me, one of his good buddies. I have just let him be himself in that aspect, just let him think on his own because I don't know what his situation is."

My takeaway from today's press briefing is that the Cougars are having an awfully difficult time letting go of Saturday's loss to Missouri and turning their attention to 3-7 Fresno State. If it wasn't BYU, I probably would have used the term "hangover" in my description of today's proceedings. That's the focus of this story for tomorrow's newspaper.

"Regarding the game, man, that was a tough one," Mendenhall said in his opening comments. "I thought we had a great chance and really believed we would win the game all the way to the very end. My opinion hasn't changed much. Man, we played hard and our team really wanted to win that game.

One extra turnover, and a couple critical penalties. That basically was the difference in the game. I met with our team this morning, watched the film, and had a team meeting, and we are on to our next game. Fresno State comes in. I spent an extra amount of time watching this past game, so we just barely started in on Fresno."

Mendenhall described the team's mood as "mad" and "frustrated" and said he feels the same way.

"I am not very good moving forward until I get complete closure, and watch it a couple of times. And the staff has maybe seen it too many times with me. But sometimes the biggest lessons and the most valuable ones are the ones that come when you don't win. It had been a while since we hadn't won. And I don't like it very much."

Not much news out of Mendenhall's presser today, but here are a few tidbits:

* Mendenhall said he will appeal the targeting call that got linebacker Sae Tautu kicked out of the game in the second half. Per NCAA rules, Tautu must sit out the first half of Saturday's game unless the call is overturned by the CFO West, the officiating organization that governs BYU. CFO West officials worked the game on the field, while SEC officials were in the replay booth.

* Mendenhall said he is "hopeful" that receiver Terenn Houk (concussion) will play this week. "With each concussion, protocol takes a little bit longer, and the standards are more stringent, as they should be. So, we are hopeful," he said.

* The coach said the offensive line is "healthy" and all the starters are "capable and ready now" of playing this week.

* Mendenhall said Micah Hannemann suffered a concussion and cornerback Michael Davis "has a rib injury" of some sort. "And so at this point I am not sure what their status is," he said.

* BYU spokesperson Brett Pyne said OL Brad Wilcox suffered a sprained ankle that doesn't appear to be serious; Also, fullback Tola'i Ho Ching has a hand injury that may or may not require surgery. Still to be determined.

* Mendenhall said left-footer Corey Edwards has won the kickoff duties from Austin Brasher after out-performing Brasher in practice last week. Brasher struggled against SJSU, while Mendenhall said Edwards "did a nice job" against Mizzou, although he couldn't get his kickoffs to the end zone. "So those two will compete again this week, and maybe through the rest of the season," Mendenhall said.

* Bronco wore an Arizona Cardinals hoodie, one of those with camouflage on it. "We have kind of a new tradition," he said. "All the guys that are playing for an NFL team that came from BYU, when the scouts show up, it is usually a subtle request that I would like to represent your team for the guys who are there. So they hooked me up with the special military edition of the Cardinals thing. But I didn't watch any football [on Sunday]."

Couple more comments from Mendenhall today:

On why the running game has struggled:

"That's a good question. I am not sure. I have a theory. The theory would be that we were shorthanded against San Jose. I think that might have had some influence. And then we got our players back and Missouri is pretty good up front. So that might have had an impact. But our execution and determination and finish and assignments in general isn't as sharp as what it was early, and we need it to be.

And so one of the main priorities as we look forward to finishing the season and improving is targeting that area.

Adam Hine did not look fully ready. And that was an overestimation on our part maybe of what his status was.

Algie [Brown] and Francis [Bernard] are running hard. So I like them. But we need to do a better job of blocking and targeting. That's the best answer I can give."

On Tanner Mangum having to take on more with no running game and whether that is burdening him too much:

"I don't see it weighing on him, but I think he understands it. I think he is taking on more and handling it well, just as the game plays out and kinda knowing that. It is not ideal. We would certainly like to be more balanced. We would certainly like to have the defenses have to be more honest than what they are. And with that I think will come more points because with the points we are scoring right now, it just means that every game will be close.

We would like to see more points generated, and that usually comes through balance."

On the team's defensive effort and what they need to improve on:

"Overall, I think we put a strong performance together, other than there was a P.I. call in the end zone, and a targeting play that led to a touchdown. And so that all happened. And we had an assignment mistake on a slip screen that went for about 50 yards. So all three of those things were on the same drive.

And then we needed to hold Missouri to a field goal. They got the ball on the 16 after a turnover and we had a great chance to hold them to a field goal, and didn't. We were close, but yeah — maybe one score too many, is what a couple mistakes led to there.

They played hard, they played physical. Third down. Third and short. On third down they converted six or seven three and lesses. And that allowed them to play more plays. I think I talked about that after the game."

On his impressions of Fresno State:

"So, we are familiar with their coaches from the University of Utah and from Air Force. It is certainly not an issue of scheme. They have good schemes and good strategies, which really everyone does. It is college football. So sometimes you kinda hope to turn on the film and say, oh, they don't know what they are doing. But that just doesn't happen. So schemes and strategies are good. Consistency is usually the difference in teams that are winning a lot and not winning. So I would say consistency right now."

On how Bronson Kaufusi compars to other defenders he's had:

"Oh man, Bronson, that was one of the best games I have seen a defensive player play. I mean, he was all over the place, and he played so hard, and tried with every thing he had to win that game. He was making plays down field, up field and sideways. He is so versatile.

And then in the meantime he is encouraging his teammates and is so optimistic. He is everything that I would want in a BYU football player, and I've had great players that struggled with the standards here, and I have had guys that have lived the standards but struggled on the field, and he is great in all circumstances. He's the perfect BYU player."