After a loss, hope remains for BYU football


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

PROVO — BYU suffered its first setback of the year, falling at UCLA 24-23. Normally, for teams outside of a Power 5 conference, a loss can virtually end any hope of making a big bowl game.

However, BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall expressed a high level of confidence in his team's ability to still have a special season on this week's "BYU Football with Bronco Mendenhall."

The Cougars' September schedule is a big reason.

"Part of the nature of being an independent is there's more at stake every game," Mendenhall said. "What's different this year is the nature of our first two wins against quality opponents in Nebraska and Boise State, and the way the UCLA game went. I think the first sign that an early loss isn't going to affect us that much is we only slid three spots in the polls. There are not many BYU teams to start the season 2-1 and still be ranked in the top 25. It's how we've played, and even though we did lose, the respect that we garnered by how we played. Every dream is probably still alive at this point."

BYU's ability to schedule big-time opponents is paying dividends — win or lose. The Cougars announced another quality matchup Tuesday with Oregon in 2022.

"We're being as aggressive as possible," Mendenhall said. "The simple philosophy is anyone who is a really good team, with a really big stage who will play us, we're interested. They (Oregon) seem to fit."

Not only is BYU playing good teams on the big stage, but the Cougars also being covered on national TV on the biggest channels.

"Tom (Holmoe) is usually tied directly with ESPN and its influence in scheduling," Mendenhall said. "Most of the time when a deal like this comes together, they have an interest. ESPN makes money on the best games with the most intriguing matchups, so rarely does a game like this come up without them having some part in it."

This Saturday's game at the Big House with Michigan is no different. For the second time in four weeks, BYU will play on ABC. Kickoff is set for 10 a.m. MT.

"I think what it's showing is if you play quality, exciting football, if you schedule well, and if you play well, then you'll earn those (national TV) slots," Mendenhall said. "They don't come easily; they're earned."

BYU kicker Trevor Samson. right, was the player guest for the Bronco Mendenhall Show with Greg Wrubell on KSL NewsRadio. (Courtesy photo: IMG College)
BYU kicker Trevor Samson. right, was the player guest for the Bronco Mendenhall Show with Greg Wrubell on KSL NewsRadio. (Courtesy photo: IMG College)

The player guest on the show, BYU placekicker Trevor Samson or "Lucky" if you believe his nickname, is no stranger to success. Samson has made 89 of 92 career kicks (PATs and field goals) at BYU, and he currently holds the all-time Cougar record for career field-goal percentage (89.5 percent).

"This same kind of thing happened to me in high school," Samson said. "We ended up going 12-1 and we lost our third or fourth game of the season. It kind of reminded us that we still had to work hard. I think that will happen with our team too. I have full confidence in our team to get the job done in this upcoming game."

After a heartbreaking defeat, the message is clear: There's still a lot to play for this year. Blake Dorton is a student at BYU studying broadcast journalism and French. Blake hopes to pursue a career in sports broadcasting following his graduation. Follow Blake on Twitter @BlakeDorton.

Related links

Most recent Sports stories

Related topics

SportsBYU Cougars
Blake Dorton

    ARE YOU GAME?

    From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast