BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said he breathes a sigh of relief every time the Air Force game is in his rear-view mirror. Minutes after the Cougars beat Washington on Saturday, Mendenhall was talking to the players about getting ready for Air Force. Is Mendenhall making too much out of Air Force, having never lost to the Falcons? Not this year. AFA has a fantastic quarterback (Tim Jefferson), some outstanding skill position players (such as Park City's Jared Tew, a running back), and maybe the best secondary in the conference if Reggie Rembert is able to play. Besides, Mendenhall will never forget his first encounter with Air Force. "The first experience I had in defending Air Force, as the coordinator at New Mexico, I think we gave up 50 or 60 points, something like that. And not only did I not know what they were doing, I didn't know how they were doing it. I didn't know why they were doing it, and spent an entire summer after that trying to learn more about defending the option. So there was kind of a significant emotional experience at the beginning that has made me appreciate what Air Force does, with whom they do it with, and why. I am not saying that is the reason we are having some success, but it has developed into kind of a passion of mine, from a pretty miserable first experience about 12 years ago...maybe 10 years ago. "But I like the type of players we have. You have to be smart to play Air Force. You have to be physical to play Air Force, and you have to be consistent. And if you are able to do those three things, you have a chance. Doesn't mean you will have success, but you have a chance."———————————- Morning links to pass your way: * Here's my look at BYU's final tour of the MWC, which obviously begins Saturday at Air Force. Are MWC teams salivating for their final shot at the Cougars? * Here's my notebook, with a lead about the inside linebacker situation. It didn't make the newspaper due to some space limitations, but can be found online. * Tribune columnists Kurt Kragthorpe and Gordon Monson had a little fun with BYU's rotating quarterbacks system in this piece. Yes, they rotated writing paragraphs for one column. * Finally, here's a story from Colorado Springs that basically says BYU and Air Force won't be playing in the near future due to AFA's already crowded nonconference schedule which includes annual games against Army and Navy.