After month-long homestand, Cougars eager to hit road at San Jose State

(Ravell Call/Deseret News)


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PROVO — It's been nine days since BYU football played a game, and 38 days since the Cougars have traveled outside the state of Utah for a college football game.

So Friday night's late-night showdown at San Jose State will be a little different, even aside from the 8:30 p.m. PST kickoff from Spartan Stadium.

BYU linebacker Fred Warner, a native of San Marcos, California, is looking forward to it.

"I actually like night games," Warner said after practice Monday. "I think it's a more fun atmosphere when it's dark out, the fans are out, and the lights are on. Any time we are playing is good; it's just tough to travel across the country. But it should be fun."

BYU won all four of its home games in the month of October, capped off by a 70-6 blowout of winless FCS foe Wagner, to improve to 6-2 on the year and earn the program's 11th-straight bowl-eligible season. But playing for a distinction in the Hawaii Bowl or Las Vegas Bowl is the least of the Cougars' concerns, with a Spartan squad that includes running back Tyler Ervin, who has rushed for 1,159 yards and 12 touchdowns on 193 carries.

BYU won't play again at LaVell Edwards Stadium until Nov. 21 against Fresno State. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall said he'd like the team to finish undefeated in its home slate — but there is plenty of work to be done in the back-to-back road contests that begin Friday night in northern California.

"The teams we play on the road are all great challenges," he said. "We have a chance for a great finish and a lot of wins. There's still plenty to play for."

The Cougars are 30-6 in the month of November under Mendenhall, but also only 6-10 all-time against San Jose State, which comes into the game at 4-4 and 3-2 in Mountain West play.

Photo: Ravell Call, Deseret News
Photo: Ravell Call, Deseret News

Still, BYU's opening month of the year — when it played three of its first four games on the road at Nebraska, UCLA and Michigan — has prepared the team for the travels ahead.

"That preparation will definitely come into play," BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum said. "It doesn't change our mindset or our game plan, regardless of where we are playing. We just have to go out and execute our game plan.

"Those games in a hostile environment with a loud crowd against us prepared us, so we are a little bit used to it now. Now we just have to go out and execute our game plan."

The biggest challenge of Friday night's game that will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network at 9:30 p.m. MST may be Mendenhall and his staff trying to manage the players' time at the team hotel and in meetings and walk-throughs.

"You hope to get an early evening or mid-evening start, but for 9:30 our time, you'll wake up later. Knowing they are on a schedule now to be up at 5, that throws them off," Mendenhall said. "Coaches are usually more over-reactionary to what they are teaching the players and make things bigger than they usually are. I try to keep the coaches away from the guys as much as possible. But when you have the entire day, it's hard to do.

"We occupy it as best we can, but there's no good answer that I've found yet."

HINE SET TO RETURN — Mendenhall also gave a brief injury reassessment following the bye week during Monday's moment with the local media.

Running back Adam Hine is expected to return against San Jose State, and the head coach added he is "hopeful" the rest of the injured starters — notably those along the offensive line — are also in the mix by Friday.

"I know Adam Hine is back for sure. The rest I would put in the ‘hopeful' category," he said. "I can't answer anything more specific than that."

Hine is BYU's No. 2 running back in total yards gained despite only playing in four games. The senior 312 yards and two touchdowns on 54 carries, trailing only six-game starter Algie Brown.

But that doesn't necessarily mean he will be at the rate of his former workload against the Spartans.

"He'll work his way in, but I think it will take he and us a little time to find out exactly where he is," Mendenhall said of Hine. "His role will be defined once he is in the game, and we'll see what that looks like."

'SUNSHINE' MATHEWS — Wide receiver Mitch Mathews talked at length about his latest Halloween costume, a nod to sports film classic 'Remember the Titans' that caught the attention of ESPN and other prominent football outlets.

"It was pretty cool," said Mathews, who portrayed Ronnie "Sunshine" Bass in a group photo. "We did something similar last year with ‘Sandlot' characters, where we had the most well-known picture from that movie and recreated it. We thought we had to top it this year, and I think we did."

Click the video above to for highlights of the BYU football group costume, and click the audio in the "Cougar Cuts" section below to hear interviews with Mendenhall, Mathews, Mangum and Warner.

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