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Provo • Funny, what a couple of wins — even if they were against inferior opponents — will do for a team's morale.

Three weeks ago, after a devastating 55-30 loss at Boise State, gloom and doom surrounded coach Bronco Mendenhall's BYU football team. The football offices could have passed for a mortuary lobby.

But convincing wins over Middle Tennessee State and UNLV have restored some of the confidence and swagger missing in the month of October. Players say they saw Mendenhall smiling after Saturday's 42-23 win over UNLV, and again Monday morning before team meetings.

Mendenhall even walked away from Monday's press briefing singing a tune. OK, he was trying to belt ou his alma mater's fight song, after being asked about his high school, American Fork, facing Bingham on Friday in the Utah 5A state championship football game. But you get the point.

"It's fun to come to practice again, be around the guys again," said linebacker Mike Alisa, one of 26 seniors who will be honored Saturday in the home finale against Savannah State. BYU will present the traditional senior blankets to the players before the game, a good move considering that many fans are expected to leave well before the end of the game, given the quality of the opponent.

"It is similar to maybe [playing] Idaho State from whenever that was, last year or the year before," said Mendenhall. "We will make the best of it."

Mendenhall seems resigned to the attendance situation — an announced crowd of 53,622 attended last week's game, and fewer than half that remained to the end. With rain and more cold temperatures in the forecast this weekend, the smallest crowd since Gary Crowton was the coach is expected.

"As much as it hurts to not see the stadium full, the thought of being at home, with HD [television], and maybe a cup of hot cocoa, sounds pretty good," he said.

The coach even resorted to some gallows humor, responding to a reporter's question about the mishandled kickoff and two muffed punts against UNLV by asking if anyone there could catch a kick.

Receiver Jordan Leslie, defensive back Skye PoVey and Alisa acknowledged that the temptation this week will be to start preparing for the regular-season finale at Cal on Nov. 29 (kickoff time for that game probably won't be announced until next Monday), but don't believe it will happen, or take away focus on the game at hand.

"I am anxious to see how much we can improve our team this week, in preparation for the other games that we have, not only this week," Mendenhall said. "If we don't, it will be a waste of time. And we will need it."

Alisa said the team wants to give loyal fans a reward for showing up by playing its best all-around game of the season.

"We are going to have to work hard to make sure it is just like any other week," Alisa said. "I think it might be easy for guys to look at their record and see that this isn't the best team we have faced this year and maybe take them lightly. But I think it will come down to leadership to make sure guys get after it and don't take them lightly."

PoVey, another senior, said he plays to watch as much film of 0-11 Savannah State than he did for Texas, Virginia or Boise State.

"The big thing is just getting better each week," PoVey said. "It is a good time to get hot, and try to go in with some momentum into the Cal game."

Twitter: @drewjay —

Savannah State at BYU

O Saturday, 1 p.m. TV • BYUtv