Camp Mendenhall opens as Y. starts spring drills

PROVO — As he fielded questions from reporters, running back Curtis Brown was still trying to catch his breath.

After BYU's first spring football practice on Monday afternoon, every player participated in physical conditioning drills — including pull-ups — in a process that resembled a Marine boot camp.

That's life at Camp Mendenhall.

It was the Cougars' first official practice under new head coach Bronco Mendenhall, and his stamp on the team was unmistakable from the start. Whereas the last couple of seasons only the defensive players sprinted in and out of drills, this time, the offensive players were sprinting, too.

It's all part of Mendenhall's rigorous, one-mindset, one-focus approach. Since mid-December, when he replaced Gary Crowton, he's been stressing hard work, unity, accountability, consistency, and, oh yeah, a return to winning.

Apparently, it's rubbing off on his players.

"Coach Mendenhall demands a lot from us," Beck said. "He sets the bar each day with a high standard and expects us to reach it. To reach it, we definitely have to have a high level of intensity. I'm so happy right now for the team because things are heading in the right direction. Coach Mendenhall is doing a great job. The players are all very intense in all the workouts. I'm just excited because we're getting better as a team. And when you're better as a team, you're going to win games and that's the fun part of football."

In the wake of three straight losing seasons, winning would be a welcomed change in Provo.

"It's good to be back out here. It's good to be in a helmet, playing with the team again, headed in a new direction," Brown said. "The only direction we're looking is up. It was a great day. The coaches have prepared us well. We're still working out the kinks, but for the first day, it's pretty good."

Cougar players say there is a different feeling around the program this year.

"The change was needed, and it's a great change," quarterback Matt Berry said of the program's new leadership. "You can see it in the way guys carry themselves."

"I think we have a better understanding of this program," Brown said. "The last couple of years, we didn't really know the tradition of BYU. This year, Coach Mendenhall has emphasized all the tradition that BYU stands for. When we come out here every day, we realize that we're not only representing ourselves, but everybody else who came before us."