When Mendenhall was hired four years ago, he took over a team that had experienced three straight losing seasons. At that time, he boldly stated that the program's goals are to win conference titles and be competitive on a national level. "Those are still the standards," Mendenhall said Saturday.

But expectations have grown exponentially since then due to the program's overall success since the 2006 season.

"A 10-3 season is a solid season for us," Mendenhall said. "I don't think you'll talk to any of our players that feel great about 10-3. I think you'll find that most of them are anxious to get back and improve ... The result that we gained was exactly as I coached it to be. I certainly expect higher standards for myself and will do everything I can to continue to move the program forward."

TCU, Utah and Arizona — the three teams that defeated BYU this season — each exploited and exposed the Cougars' weaknesses. "That was the problem when we played really good football teams," Jorgensen said. "When we played TCU, Utah and Arizona, our execution was really bad."

Offensively, BYU was hampered by sloppy, ragged play at times, as seen in the Las Vegas Bowl. Most glaring were the penalties and turnovers. For the season, the Cougars had 28 turnovers — 13 of those came in their three defeats.

Mendenhall said ball-security is one of the foundations of the program but failing to hold on to the ball will be emphasized more than ever in the off-season. "To get it driven home any clearer than what has happened this year, I don't think it can be," he said.

Jorgensen and senior safety David Tafuna admitted that changes need to be made in the way BYU plays defense, as the Cougars struggled against faster teams that employ a spread offense. Jorgensen said he has some ideas about what those changes might be, but declined to talk about those publicly. "That's something I'd have to sit down and discuss with coach before I do it in the media," he said.

Along with the disappointment, there's a bit of uncertainty surrounding the program. BYU's 2009 schedule has yet to be finalized, though athletic director Tom Holmoe said that should happen in the coming days. There's talk of a season-opener against Oklahoma in Dallas, which would shake up the Cougars' nonconference schedule and make it even tougher.

Also, there is speculation that a few juniors — Collie, Jorgensen and tight end Dennis Pitta — are considering forgoing their senior seasons for the NFL draft. Immediately after the Las Vegas Bowl, Collie said he wasn't thinking about the NFL.

During practice this past week in Las Vegas, Hall said he expected those teammates to return to Provo for 2009.

"From what I can gather, I think everybody is sticking around," Hall said. "Some guys were exploring their options to see what's out there for them, but BYU is a special place and I think they want to stick around as long as they can."

And try to erase the memories of a disappointing 10-3 season.

---

E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com