BYU using bye week to get healthy for remainder of season


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PROVO — It's been a long eight weeks of the college football season, and many BYU players and coach Bronco Mendenhall appreciate the upcoming bye week.

"Bye weeks are always good," Bronson Kaufusi said. "Especially at this point after playing eight games. It is going to be useful for us to rejuvenate our bodies. It is going to be huge."

An extra week of rest is coming at a perfect time for BYU after seeing many players go down with injuries over the past eight games.

Adam Hine is hopeful to return next week against San Jose State after suffering an ankle injury. Tanner Mangum seems to be gaining confidence despite his hamstring injury, stating he's about 80 percent right now.

But tight end Bryan Sampson had surgery on a high ankle sprain and appears to be out for the season, joining Garrett Juergens and Rhett Sandlin as done for the year. Remington Peck, a 6-foor-4, 270-pound defensive end, will replace Sampson. Tight end is Peck's original position from high school and Mendenhall said he feels comfortable playing him there.

"He did a really nice job. We wanted him to get about 30 plays on offense and I think he got about 20 on defense." Mendenhall said, "And that's about what it will be like for the rest of the year."

Mendenhall said he was unsure about other players' injuries and their status.

"Were hopeful a lot of guys will be back for San Jose. To ask me now and say 'Who is coming back?' I don't know yet," Mendenhall said. "In fact, next Monday I still might not know, by next Thursday probably. We are hopeful we can take a healthy team there."

Algie Brown, who ran into the cannon placed in the northeast part of the end zone after scoring a touchdown on Saturday, appeared to suffer a worse injury than originally thought. But an announcement came that he suffered a contusion to his shin and a few lacerations. One of the Cougars' top running backs this season, Brown is expected to return in a week against San Jose State.

Wagner linebacker Nick Menocal (17) tackles BYU wide receiver Trey Dye (6) during a football game at the LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. BYU won 70-6. (Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
Wagner linebacker Nick Menocal (17) tackles BYU wide receiver Trey Dye (6) during a football game at the LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. BYU won 70-6. (Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)

Mendenhall also hopes that the extra time will help Mangum take another leap at QB.

"There are a lot of things that we have shelved because of his inexperience," Mendenhall said. "But now there are a few ideas and concepts that we are going to expand that I think are going to be valuable down the road."

Mendenhall said another important part of a bye week is to analyze strengths and weaknesses of the team as a whole.

"We would like to get a great self-scout analysis to find out what has worked for us and what hasn't," he said. "Sometimes you have theories and ideas throughout the season but it is hard to have enough time to really research it. So I would love to have that done."

And what will Mendenhall do with a free weekend?

"I would love to say I have Saturday off, but our personnel coordinator has me recruiting on Saturday," Mendenhall said. "So somehow I have to blend that with family time and Halloween."

Either way it is going to be a week focused on more film work and more rest for the Cougars.

"Having a week to evaluate everything is going to be critical for us," Kaufusi said. "I will probably go work out, watch some film, maybe go fishing or golfing or something like that."

Listen to audio from Monday's post-practice media session from coach Mendenhall, Kaufusi, WR David Kessler and LB Austin Heder in the "Cougar Cuts" section below.

Tanner is a student at Brigham Young University studying Business Management. He is from the great northwest of Portland, Oregon. He hopes to find a profession that combines his passion of sports broadcasting and marketing.

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