This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Boise, Idaho • It has been a long week in Provo after the BYU football team's losing streak hit three games with another fourth-quarter meltdown.

Fans have taken to message boards and social media to express their disgust with the coaching, the direction they perceive the program is heading and the way coach Bronco Mendenhall seemingly sidestepped his own accountability for the failures in post-game interviews.

The 10th-year coach didn't help his cause in some circles when he laughed off a question about "grumblings and rumblings" from fans after the 42-35 loss to Nevada in which 7,000 seats went unoccupied and droves left early when the Cougars went from a 28-13 halftime lead to a 42-28 deficit with around five minutes remaining.

Even former BYU players are complaining publicly. Standouts who played under Mendenhall, such as Jake Kuresa and Bryan Kehl, chimed in on sports talk radio stations to express concern about the downward spiral and offer reasons for the decline after that 4-0 start last month.

Mendenhall and the 4-3 Cougars aren't going to appear in one of those "Wanna Get Away" airline commercials any time soon, but perhaps they should.

And there are probably a lot better places to escape to than the blue turf at Boise State's Albertsons Stadium, but that's where struggling BYU finds itself on Friday (7 p.m.) in a nationally televised regional matchup. The Cougars will face a 5-2 Broncos team that is 11-0 in Friday night games at home.

The task looks almost insurmountable for an injury-racked team that is a shell of its former self — the Cougars are touchdown underdogs — and has given up 30 or more points in four straight games for the first time in the Mendenhall era, but the coach insisted his team is more hungry than ever for a breakthrough win.

"I actually saw quite a bit of improvement, despite the loss, and we are looking forward to playing again," Mendenhall said. "Good opponent, tough setting, but man, it is college football and [anything can happen]. So BYU and Boise State is a good matchup."

The Cougars are hoping to avoid their first four-game losing skid since 2010, when they lost to Air Force, Florida State, Nevada and Utah State. Next week, they will play at Middle Tennessee State.

Although the Cougars haven't been the same since Taysom Hill left the USU game with a fractured left leg, the offense under Christian Stewart has played well enough for the Cougars to get wins — aside from fourth-quarter turnovers that triggered he opposing teams' comebacks.

It is BYU's porous defense that has come under fire, and its lack of depth — which Mendenhall said was plentiful before the season started — exposed.

The Cougars are 117th in the country (of 125 FBS teams) in passing yards allowed, 290.6 ypg. They just haven't been able to replace the defensive stalwarts up the middle — Eathyn Manumaleuna, Uani Unga and Daniel Sorensen — who helped them rout Boise State 37-20 last year in Provo.

Boise State is 22nd in the country in total offense (485 ypg) and 25th in passing offense (291 ypg). In other words, it could be a long night for BYU's defense, which hopes to get safety and team captain Craig Bills back from a concussion. Another top defender, linebacker Alani Fua, is questionable.

Fua and fellow outside linebacker Mike Alisa both said this week that the younger players who have been forced to fill in for the injured stars need to spend more time in the film room and learn their assignments better. The Cougars also need to find a pass rush. Despite all the throwing against them, they are averaging just 1.86 sacks per game, 77th in the NCAA.

"We played three good teams, and they made big plays on us, and at the end of the day, it was us not executing our assignments well and guys being out of position at the wrong times," Alisa said.

That better change on Friday night, or another long week in Provo is on the horizon.

Twitter: @drewjay —

BYU at Boise State

O At Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho

Kickoff • Friday, 7 p.m.

TV • ESPN

Radio • 1160 AM, 102.7 FM