"They're a very physical team and they don't quit. Those guys work hard. They trust one another and they're well-coached. We just know that we have to take every opportunity on offense to score because we know they're going to hold on to the ball for a lot of time. They control the clock very well."

Air Force freshman quarterback Tim Jefferson has won all five games in which he's started, and he's proven to be effective as both a runner and a passer.

"When Air Force scores the most points, it's when their play-action is working very well in complement to their running game," Mendenhall said. While, historically, BYU has defended the Air Force offense well, only four defensive players have extensive experience against the triple-option.

"It takes you a quarter to get used to the speed of the game with Air Force," senior linebacker David Nixon said. "You hope to hold on for dear life for those first couple of drives and try to dominate from there.

"It's a whole different ballgame this week. As a team captain, it's something I've got to help these (less-experienced) guys understand. I tell them, 'You think this is fast out here (at practice), just wait until you have to deal with those guys — that's all they do for a living.'

"As always, the (BYU) coaches bring in a good scheme. I'm confident that we'll play great ball."

Nixon said BYU's defense is improving every week.

"We have gotten better," he said. "We faced some good competition in Colorado State and UNLV. They showed some weaknesses in us. But then each week we've bounced right back. The past couple of weeks, we struggled with containing the run on the outside. This past week against San Diego State, they got nothing outside. That was a huge positive."

Cougars on the air

No. 16 BYU (9-1, 5-1) at Air Force (8-2, 5-1)

Today, 1:30 p.m., Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs
TV: CBS C
Radio: 1160 AM, 102.7 FM
Live game blogs: deseretnews.com/blogs

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E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com