Crowton knows Irish well

PROVO — BYU's head coach isn't going to be starry-eyed, and Gary Crowton doesn't expect his players to be either when the Cougars visit Notre Dame on Saturday.

As a coach at Boston College, Crowton experienced a win and a loss on the home turf of the legendary Fighting Irish in South Bend, Ind. The win was an exciting victory that went to the wire as Crowton's Eagles marched down the field and kicked the winning field goal in the closing seconds to defeat the then-No. 1 ranked Golden Domers.

"The first game (the loss) the crowd wasn't really into it, but in the second game it was loud and our center couldn't even hear the signals from the quarterback," Crowton said. "But I expect our players to handle it.

They did a great job when we played USC in the Coliseum earlier this season."

Crowton's angle this weekend is to get the Cougars to play hard and finish the season strong. "I just want us to get better and be in a position to improve and compete. We'll have basically the same tough schedule next year, and we're going to have to be better and improve. I've told our players and coaches we're going to be accountable and we need to get better. We're going to improve by getting better players and improving the ones we have in the program right now. "

The coach has returned several defensive starters and backups to coverage on special teams to help with kick and punt duties. These include Bryant Atkinson, Aaron Francisco, Brandon Heaney, Jernaro Gilford and maybe defensive end Brady Poppinga.

Crowton has also worked on the turnover issue, which has marred the season.

When asked about this issue, which has included 25 turnovers — many resulting in opponent scores, Crowton said he's hesitant to comment because it might be the kiss of death.

"Let's say I'm optimistic," he said.

"The biggest problem has come from our quarterbacks, and we've worked on making them accountable. Matt's (Berry) problem is impact of that hand, and John Beck struggled when, with his inexperience, he didn't see blitzes and got in trouble trying to make plays. But John is out of it now, and we've worked on drills to help concentrate on holding onto the ball. We've got strip drills with our defense all the time."

For Berry, Saturday's weather could be a factor with his hand. Against Boise State in a snowstorm two weeks ago, the sophomore could not grip the ball. His three interceptions — one for a touchdown — proved costly, and he made an exit leading to Beck's broken-hand play.