This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
How did the BYU Cougars celebrate the birthdays of LaVell Edwards and Steve Young today? With a news conference, of course. But those former BYU greats weren't mentioned, even if LaVell is 80 today and the former 49er, Young, is 49. Coach Bronco Mendenhall's weekly Monday morning news conference was rather low key, and not real newsy. Recapping the SDSU win, Mendenhall said it was "fun to see the players have a chance to smile again." He stressed that the team will continue to work hard and that "this is just the beginning." The Cougars face TCU, a four-touchdown favorite, in Fort Worth on Saturday, but Mendenhall said the focus will remain on improvement, with not much acknowledgement regarding the opponent, as usual. More odds and ends: * Commenting for the first time on last week's announcement that BYU and Utah will play in September the next two years, Mendenhall said he would still prefer a November matchup, but realizes that may never happen again. He said playing the Utes on the Friday before general conference is an "intriguing idea" to him, and would be preferable to playing in September. * Mendenhall said the emphasis on the running game, as it was against SDSU, might not continue. He basically made it sound like the Cougars knew they could run on the Aztecs, aren't sure if they can do the same against TCU and future opponents. * About the only injury Mendenhall mentioned Monday is that nose tackle Eathyn Manumaleuna has some shoulder issues. Manumaleuna played sparingly Saturday; Jordan Richardson played nose tackle for all but nine or so plays. * Mendenhall did not know how former BYU quarterback Max Hall played on Sunday until he was told by Brett Pyne as the two walked down the hall to the news conference. "It's an awesome thing" that Hall led the Cardinals to a win in his first start, the coach said. Time to head over to the Marriott Center for the BYU women's basketball media day. I will have more later.