Cougars face 'slow and steady' Badgers

Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen was in the mid-90s a high school coach in Park City, out of the college game--until he got a phone call from Bronco Mendenhall, then the co-defensive coordinator at Northern Arizona.

Mendenhall needed a defensive line coach, and he called Andersen, who accepted the post and later became an assistant head coach with the Lumberjacks, before moving on to the University of Utah as an assistant. A long stint with the Utes (as defensive line coach and DC), and a pit-stop at Southern Utah (as head coach) led eventually to the head post at Utah State, where he served for four seasons before taking the Wisconsin job last December.

On Monday in Madison, Andersen said that at the time Mendenhall reached out, "I had really nowhere to go. I didn't have an ‘in' in college football at that point. I was hoping I could get back in at some point."

"So, I owe Bronco a lot for that phone call."

Of their relationship, Andersen said "we were good friends for a number of years. In the last few years it's definitely grown since my time at Utah State. We've become close coaching friends. We text back and forth quite a bit. I have great respect for him."

Mendenhall was asked about his relationship with Andersen after his team's Monday practice, and said "it has been really--it was really good. As soon as he left (Utah), it changed, and he was much more open and normal, actually--in terms of public relations and our friendship and then we recruited his son, and that was a great relationship, so we've gotten to know each other well, and there is mutual respect and admiration."

"It just took him changing schools."

Now that Andersen is in Madison, and Mendenhall comes calling with the Cougars on Saturday, the two defensive-minded coaches are once again pitted against one another, for the 10th consecutive season, between Andersen's time as Utah's defensive coordinator, USU's head man, and now, as the Badgers' bench boss.

"He's qualified (for with Wisconsin job)," Mendenhall said on Monday. "He did a really nice job with Utah state, and did a nice job at Utah as the coordinator. He deserved (the Wisconsin post), and he's done a nice job with it already. It doesn't surprise me."

"He has coached them to be tough, he has coached them to be physical, and I see some things of what he likes to do, defensively, already. Offensively, they're very similar to what they were prior to (the new staff) arriving."

Wisconsin is currently 10th in FBS rush offense, 18th in total offense, 20th in scoring offense, 5th in rush defense, 5th in scoring defense, and 6th in total defense. At 6-2, the Badgers are ranked 21st in the AP Top 25, 22nd in the Coaches' poll and 24th in the latest BCS Standings. Wisconsin is on a 28-game home-field, non-conference win streak that extends over ten years; it is the second-longest such streak in the FBS.

BYU, meantime, is also 6-2 and receiving votes in both major polls, knocking on the door of the Top 25. BYU's offense is ranked 14th in rushing, 12th in total yardage and in the top 50 in scoring. The BYU defense is 27th in points allowed and 16th in yards per play allowed.

While the Cougars run more plays per game than any other team in the country, Wisconsin is one of the slowest. BYU's 89.8 snaps per game dwarf the Badgers' 68.1 plays-per-game pace.

"They are slow and steady in terms of their tempo," Mendenhall says. "They love to run the football, and they love to take as much time as possible. They like to throw play-action pass and are pretty volatile that way. There's really not much that we're going to be doing to control their tempo, other then to play well (defensively) on 3rd down and get off the field."

Andersen was asked about BYU's up-tempo attack and said that it is up to his defenders--and the officials--to make sure the Cougars aren't running his guys around, either unnecessarily or unfairly.

"The only way you can dictate (tempo) on defense is to be sound in your alignments," Andersen said on Monday, "and get the calls to the kids so you don't look unorganized pre-snap or when the ball is snapped. You'll make sure you're doing your best to get the kids in position."

"The officials in the Big Ten do an unbelievable job controlling pace or controlling tempo. If you sub and try to go fast (without allowing defensive substitutions), they're not going to let you. I have not seen one mistake this year with that in the Big Ten in games that we've been involved in. That's been a huge positive.

"But the offense will dictate what they dictate. The one way we can dictate tempo and dictate pace is to do what we do on offense, and do it well: run the ball, be physical up front and put points on the board when given the opportunity and then play great special teams."

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Mendenhall and his players are looking forward to the opportunity that Saturday's game provides, as it positions BYU on a national platform (ESPN) against a nationally-ranked foe with designs on a BCS bowl bid.

"It's a quality opponent on the road, (and a) Top 25 team. I believe we're knocking on the door of that as well, so this will be a great chance to prove for either team, where we stand."

"Going to Wisconsin and playing there gives us a great opportunity to make noise on the national level," said BYU quarterback Taysom Hill on Monday. "They're ranked in the Top 25; they've been a known program throughout the country. It'll give us an opportunity to go into a hostile environment and show what we can do against a very good opponent."

BYU's last non-conference road win over a ranked opponent came on Sept. 20, 1997, when the Cougars defeated 14th/17th-ranked Arizona State, 13-10.

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The Wisconsin run game is prolific, ranked second nationally at 6.7 yards/carry. Running backs Melvin Gordon (134.2 rush yards per game) and James White (100.5) make the Badgers one of only two teams with two ground-gainers averaging 100+ yards per game on the ground. The other happens to be BYU, with Taysom Hill (105.1) and Jamaal Williams (104.7).

Wisconsin leads the country in runs from scrimmage of 50+ yards (8), 60+ yards (6) and 70+ yards (5), and in total have recorded 65 runs of 10+ yards from scrimmage (BYU, which averages more plays and runs per game, has actually busted off 71 such runs this season).

"It's just who they are," says Mendenhall of the Badgers' ground-heavy attack.

"I feel like this will be the perfect week to play (Wisconsin), because I like to play the run," said linebacker Manoa Pikula on Monday. "I feel like it's a pretty big opportunity, although I try not to stress about it."

"They're known for their rushing," added linebacker Tyler Beck," "but that's something we always have on our minds: stop the run. They're playing into our strength, and we'll see how this goes."

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With BYU lining up to face a Big Ten team for the first time since the 1993 Holiday Bowl v. Ohio State, and for only the second time ever in a Big Ten Stadium* (BYU visited Wisconsin in 1980), Mendenhall said he'd like to see his program face that league's teams more frequently.

Already, additional games with Wisconsin, and games with Nebraska and Michigan are on future schedules.

"It's a great fit," said Mendenhall about the BYU-Big Ten meetings. "I like the (conference's) focus on academics, and I like the match-up."

"I'd like to schedule more and more of the Big Ten teams."

"We're excited as a team, and as a defense especially," said fellow backer Spencer Hadley, looking ahead to Saturday. "Any time you go into a place that's storied, a big-time college atmosphere, we get excited to play and show what we can do. It's going to be a physical game, a good opponent, and if you can't get excited with that, then get out of here."

*BYU played at Penn State in 1991, but the Nittany Lions were not yet a football member of the Big Ten. Penn State's first season of Big Ten football competition was 1993.

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BYU learned last week that receiver/punt returner JD Falslev and inside linebacker Austen Jorgensen would be lost due to injury and surgery--Falslev for up to a month, and Jorgensen for the season.

Mendenhall told me Monday evening that it's likely that Falslev's small-slot receiver spot would be filled by a "tight end-type" player, while receivers Skyler Ridley and Cody Hoffman are leading candidates to take over on the punt-return team.

As for Jorgensen's spot at linebacker, Mendenhall said Teu Kautai would technically be the fourth inside backer, but he's comfortable with the three-man rotation of Uani Unga, Tyler Beck and Pikula inside, with Kyle Van Noy, Spencer Hadley and Alani Fua outside.

"Manoa has really played well," Mendenhall says, "so we think we have three real quality players at inside backer, then at outside backer with Kyle, Spencer and Alani, that's about what we have--six to handle the (four) spots."

Of Fua, who can also be used as a nickel back, the coach said "he's doing a really nice job. He's fast, he's athletic, and he could play safety real easy."

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Hill, on losing Falslev: "Obviously, it's going to hurt to not have him; he's one of our captains. Anytime you lose somebody like that, it's gonna hurt. We've made a few shifts and we've made a few adjustments and we'll be ready to go; hopefully we can get JD back within the next couple weeks."

Mendenhall, on Falslev breaking his hand in a fall while on the wave-machine 'FlowRider' at Provo Beach Resort during last week's team activity: "I thought it was a great activity and could have happened...falling down in the snow or something. I wouldn't change anything. I feel bad that it happened, but after riding maybe 30 waves, sometimes that happens when you get on a board."

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BYU plays at Wisconsin this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. MST. Pregame coverage on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM starts that day at 11:30 a.m. A special edition of "Cougar Sports Saturday," live from Camp Randall Stadium, starts that day at 9:00 a.m.

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You can hear post-practice interviews with Mendenhall, Hill, Pikula, Hadley, Beck and receiver Skyler Ridley, in "Cougar Cuts," top left.

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