BYU football: Y. knows there's work to be done

"My sentiment now is, there's nothing left to say. All the things we've said equal BYU football. From this point on, that's all that will be said. Not that we can't grow and improve, but I think all those things I've tried to educate so thoroughly why and who we are that it really defines our program," Mendenhall said.

"We do want to raise the bar on a continual basis. We are after perfection in our lives. We do want to be bound together like brothers. So I'm not sure there will be a need for another theme for a campaign, so to speak. There will be constant reinforcement of those themes within the program to the players."

Here are a variety of other topics Mendenhall addressed:

• Manase Tonga's status: Tonga, a running back who was ruled academically ineligible last summer and was sidelined for the 2008 season, is currently taking a full load of courses at Utah Valley University.

"If he passes those courses and does well, he'll return to our program in the spring," Mendenhall said.

• Returning missionaries: Wide receiver McKay Jacobson, who turned in an impressive freshman season in 2006, is one of four returned missionaries who rejoined the program this month.

"McKay is so eager to be back and anxious to participate," Mendenhall said. "He wants to contribute."

Other returned missionaries who are back in the program are tight end Mike Muehlmann, offensive lineman Braden Hansen and Malosi Te'o, a running back from Hawaii who originally signed with UNLV out of high school.

During the summer, another wave of missionaries will return, including defensive back Robbie Bucker, running back Mike Hague, defensive lineman Romney Fuga, offensive linemen Houston Reynolds and Famika Anae, and wide receiver Marcus Matthews.

• Defensive perspective: The Cougars struggled with spread offenses directed by accurate quarterbacks this season. While Mendenhall acknowledged there must be improvement, he said there are no plans to alter the defensive scheme.

"The biggest change that needs to happen is simply the level of preparation that a given team puts in to execute at critical moments," he said.

"The biggest difference between (the Cougars' 2007 defense and their 2008 defense) goes back to the same point — simply execution. Can there be places on the defense that can be more athletic or need personnel upgrades? There are some of those. The biggest difference in general, though, is the execution of the defense, with every player doing exactly what they're supposed to do at the very highest level they can do it. That's through preparation and then the responsibility shifts to do what they're supposed to do in those critical moments."

A year ago, Mendenhall announced Jaime Hill's promotion to defensive coordinator, though Mendenhall continued calling the defensive plays.