There will be more BYU coaches on the field for Saturday's kickoff against Boston College, according to coach Bronco Mendenhall.

Coaches in the booth will be Lance Reynolds and receiver and special teams coach Patrick Higgins. Only one defensive coach, cornerback coach Brian Mitchell, will be in the booth. Mendenhall said he likes to coach on the sidelines, and so does offensive coordinator Robert Anae.

"We like to look in the eyes of players and see things happening in a game from the sidelines and be there to work on the players," Mendenhall said.

Mendenhall praised Reynolds as the most experienced coach in the booth and a guy who makes quick adjustments. Anae will call all the offensive plays.

HITTING SOMEBODY ELSE: Defensive end Manaia Brown says he is ready and so is the defense — ready to hit somebody besides their teammates. "We're sick of seeing the same ugly faces; it's time to see different ugly faces."

TEXAS TECH TWEAKED: Mendenhall said there are differences between Texas Tech and the offense installed by Anae, former line coach for the Raiders. First, BYU will deploy two-back sets where the Raiders used primarily one. The use of the back at Texas Tech calls for a small, quick, scatback-type athlete; BYU will use bigger backs in Curtis Brown and Fahu Tahi, both solid receivers and blockers. Third, BYU will deploy the tight end more extensively than the Red Raiders.

NINE-LINEBACKER DEFENSE: Mendenhall told reporters Wednesday he had nine linebackers capable of playing on any given down, and the Cougar defense may see all nine play during the course of a game.

"Depending on the need and the formation, we could use more than three at a time, based on their abilities," Mendenhall said.

Those linebackers include starters Cameron Jensen, Paul Walkenhorst and Justin Luettgerodt.

They will be backed by Aaron Wagner, Gary Lovely, Bryan Kehl, Richard Nehring, Markell Staffieri, Dan Bates, Justin Williams and Matt Ah You — if healthy.

ROOKIE COACH NERVES? Mendenhall said he's just as nervous as he usually is as a defensive coordinator before a first game, but as head coach, he's got added concerns in his Daytimer book.

"I'm talking now about the preparation model for practice for our team — for today, Thursday and Friday, our run-through. Are our meeting schedules on time? How do I manage making sure somebody is in the locker room I don't want in the locker room? Are the tickets being handled correctly? Where are the players going to park? How will we get the buses from here to there? Most of it's delegated; they all reflect on how you prepare. Now, instead of getting one unit ready, now I'm responsible for all of it."

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E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com