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Provo • BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall admitted Monday that he's usually asleep when 9:30 p.m. rolls around, partly because he likes to get to the football offices around 5 a.m. on regular working days.
That means he will have a problem on his hands this Friday, because the Cougars' game at San Jose State is not scheduled to begin until 8:30 p.m. PT, which will be 9:30 p.m. in Utah. The game will be televised by the CBS Sports Network, which has a contract with the Mountain West Conference, the league to which SJSU belongs, and obviously picked the late-night kickoff time.
CBSSN will televise the Rice-at-UTEP game, which kicks off at 6 p.m. MT, prior to the BYU-SJSU game.
Mendenhall said he doesn't know yet how coaches will make sure the players are ready for the late-night affair, especially since BYU practices in the morning. But he does know why they are playing late.
"It is just the next clear indicator of who really controls college football, and that's television," he said. "[Saying that] will probably get me in trouble, I'm sure. But exposure is a huge thing. All of us [coaches] want it, and most of us, as much as we grumble about it, would rather have it than not."
Mendenhall acknowledged that BYU has a TV contract with ESPN that allows that network to set its home-game starting times, most of which are not favorable. He finds it "interesting" that schools that belong to conferences also express concern over less-than-ideal kickoff times.
"I would make them a trade for the TV package they have, money-wise, if they want to worry about start times," he said.
The three players BYU made available at Monday's nes briefing — receiver Mitch Mathews, linebacker Fred Warner and quarterback Tanner Mangum — don't seem to be as concerned about the starting time as their coach.
"I actually like the night games," Warner said. "I think it is a funner atmosphere when it is dark out and there are lots of fans and stuff. The lights are on. But anytime that we are playing [is fun]. "
Although players have to be at the football offices by 6 a.m. most days for meetings, weightlifting sessions and practice, Warner said it was tougher traveling across the country and playing Michigan early than it ever is playing late. Mangum concurred.
"Once the game starts, you don't even realize what time it is," Mangum said. "Yeah, it kind of tests your patience throughout the day, having to wait, because you are ready to go play. You are anxious. But come game time, you are just out there playing.
"You don't even think about what time it is. Regardless, the energy will be there. We will be ready to play, to come out firing."
Mendenhall said the worst part of late-night kickoffs is finding things for assistant coaches to do while they sit at the hotel and wait for the bus to leave.
Players adapt much better, and some even get some studying in, he believes.
"You have walkthroughs and meetings, but usually I am more concerned about the coaches because on game day coaches are usually more panicky or over-reactionary to what they are teaching their players, and they make something bigger than it really is, and they are chasing down things that are less likely to happen, so I really try to keep coaches away from the guys as much as possible," he said. "But when you have the entire day, what do you do? I don't know. We occupy it as best we can, but there is no good answer — at least that I have found yet."
Having identified from their self-scout last week that their tackling has been subpar, and knowing that SJSU features one of the country's top running backs in Tyler Ervin (144.9 ypg.), the Cougars held a padded practice on Monday.
"It was a physical day, for sure," Warner said.
On the injury front, Mangum said he's almost completely healed from the hamstring pull he suffered against East Carolina on Oct. 10.
Mendenhall said running back Adam Hine (ankle) "is back for sure and the rest I would put in the hopeful category."
That group includes offensive linemen Ryker Mathews, Kyle Johnson and Ului Lapuaho and running back Riley Burt (hamstring). Reporting back from trainer Steve Pincock, a football spokesperson said Mathews and Burt are in the "probable" category, while Johnson and Lapuaho are doubtful.
Twitter: @drewjay —
BYU at San Jose State
P Friday, 9:30 p.m.
CBS Sports Network