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Provo • Bronco Mendenhall says he learned a lot of different things about his BYU football team after it eked out a 14-13 win over Ole Miss on Saturday in a defense-filled season opener.

But the primary thing he took away from a win he called "one of the most gratifying" of his tenure is this: The Cougars will have to play a whole lot better offensively if they hope to win this Saturday (5 p.m., ESPN) in front of 101,000-plus fans in Austin, Texas.

The Cougars begin their long-awaited three-game series with the Longhorns at Royal-Memorial Stadium with plenty of question marks — like, what happened to those supposed playmaking receivers? — after winning their opener for the fifth straight year.

"You said it yourself, right back into the fire," said BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy, when asked about this week's game. "We are happy to do it. Mendenhall signed us up for it, and we are ready for it."

Texas also has plenty of concerns, after breaking away from Rice for a 34-9 win Saturday after leading just 13-9 in the second half.

The Longhorns were forced to use an array of gadget plays to push away from the pesky Owls but still racked up 506 yards of offense. The Cougars had just 316 yards Saturday but held Ole Miss to just 208.

"You always kind of think you know where your team is," Mendenhall said. "But once you play you have a lot better idea. So I hope to make a big improvement into Week Two. And we are going to need to."

Obviously, the Cougars will have to spend precious practice time preparing for some Texas trickery, but at least this week they can focus on one quarterback. Garrett Gilbert completed 13 of 23 passes for 239 yards with a touchdown against Rice, primarily hooking up with sophomore wideout Mike Davis, who had three catches for 115 yards.

Rice put up just 224 yards and, like Ole Miss, couldn't get into the end zone on offense. The Owls kicked three field goals.

Although BYU's offense didn't score until the fourth quarter, Mendenhall said it wasn't as bad as it may have appeared. The Cougars had just one three-and-out possession, meaning that the trouble wasn't starting drives, it was finishing them.

"There will be many things to point out in terms of what we can do better," Mendenhall said. "Sometimes it is good just to find a way to win the game. And that's what happened today. I was proud of our team for doing that. ... But our execution can improve, and needs to improve, going into Week Two." —

Saturday's game

P BYU at Texas, 5 p.m. MDT, TV • ESPN2