This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Dallas • Regardless of what happens here Friday in the Armed Forces Bowl, BYU football players and coaches are going to say their first season as a football independent was a successful one.
That much was evident after hearing comments from coach Bronco Mendenhall and senior captains Matt Reynolds and Jameson Frazier at Thursday's annual pre-bowl news conference and luncheon in Fort Worth.
But deep down, there's a sense that the 10 a.m. game against Tulsa at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on SMU's campus in Dallas really is going to determine whether 2011 was a beauty or a bust.
Why else would the 9-3 Cougars be talking about getting to 10 wins for the fifth time in the past six years so much? And why do they keep talking about proving the critics wrong who say the only team they've defeated that ended the season with a winning record was Utah State?
ESPN will televise nationally the first meeting since 2007 between BYU and 8-4 Tulsa, and prognosticators are split on which team will emerge victorious. The Cougars were slight favorites early, but more folks have sided with Tulsa as the game has grown closer.
"Our team has a chance to win 10 games and finish in the top 25 again," Mendenhall said Thursday. "Very few teams have been able to do that as consistently as we have.
"But we also know that this particular game, against this particular opponent, will be difficult."
Later, the coach acknowledged the importance of reaching the 10-win plateau.
"That puts you among the nation's elite, which is what our program strives to do. And I am not sure if any of our critics or skeptics, if they will even acknowledge that. I think we will have to do it 10 years in a row. Then maybe we will wear them down. But that's OK. To me, it would be significant."
Having lost all four of its games to teams that were ranked in the top 10 at the time they played them, Tulsa's players and coaches are drawing on similar motivation.
"We're specifically very pleased to be playing BYU," said Tulsa coach Bill Blankenship. "We think this is an opportunity for us to match up against a team with national notoriety, a team that's been a consistent winner."
For BYU, this one is about validation, even though quarterback Riley Nelson seems to be the only Cougar who will utter that word. Now that the Cougars are not in a conference, the 50-pound Armed Forces Bowl trophy — made from elements obtained on the battlefields of Iraq such as tank and helicopter parts — is the only trophy available for BYU's capture.
"If we aren't able to get 10 wins, I would still view it as a successful season, but falling just short of what I would have hoped for this season," Mendenhall allowed, after some prodding. "So a lot rides on it. Again, it is a chance to continue to improve our program. That's why it has such value to me."
Also on the line for BYU in the program's 30th bowl game is a chance to win its third straight bowl game for the first time, having fallen short in three previous opportunities.
"Mostly, we are looking at this game as a way to finish off a good season," Reynolds said. "Obviously, 10 wins is a lot of wins and a good season. But our focus is what coach Mendenhall has talked about: reaching our potential, playing the best we can, and sending the seniors off in a good way."
The Cougars seem to believe that they will be able to score on a Tulsa defense that allows 420 yards and 27 points a game. The onus will be on the BYU defense to slow down Tulsa quarterback G.J. Kinne and his vast assortment of weapons such as receivers Bryan Burnham and running back Ja'Terian Douglas.
"Yeah, [BYU's defense will be tested] because we have lost to some really good teams, and Tulsa is a really good team right now," said Frazier, a linebacker. "We want to be able to play with and beat really good teams. So I think this will be a really good opportunity to see what we can do and play a really good team."
And, in a nutshell, get some validation.
Twitter: @drewjay —
BYU vs. Tulsa
P At Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas
Kickoff • 10 a.m. MST
TV • ESPN
Radio • 1160 AM, 102.7 FM
Records • BYU 9-3, Tulsa 8-4
Series history • BYU leads, 6-1
Last meeting • Tulsa, 55-47 (2007)
About the Cougars • They are trying to win their third straight bowl game for the first time in school history, having failed in three previous opportunities. ... They will likely be without second-leading rusher Mike Alisa, who is questionable with a sprained ankle. ... They are 0-2 in Texas this season, with losses to Texas and TCU. ... They are 4-2 in bowl games under coach Bronco Mendenhall.
About the Golden Hurricane • They will wear specially designed helmets to honor the armed forces, with the scripted Tulsa lettering in camouflage green on a gold background ... They are led by quarterback G.J. Kinne, who has a passer efficiency rating of 147.66 and has thrown 25 touchdown passes. ... Linebacker Curnelius Arnick has made 142 tackles this season. ... RB Ja'Terian Douglas has rushed for 884 yards and four touchdowns.