Mendenhall praises defense for putting pressure on Rams

PROVO — Ever since it allowed TCU to score 51 points a few weeks ago, the BYU defense had been maligned for giving up big plays and big points to opponents.

Now the defense deserves credit for its role in the Cougars' 24-14 victory over Colorado State last Saturday. BYU (3-3 overall, 2-2 in the Mountain West Conference) turned in its best defensive performance of the season — against what had been the league's top-rated offense, which had been averaging 430 yards per game. The Rams mustered a mere 311 yards and scored only two touchdowns against BYU.

"(The defense) executed the plan we asked them to execute," said coach Bronco Mendenhall, who also serves as defensive coordinator. "They got pressure when they needed to and I was proud of them."

The Cougar 'D' will need another strong effort this week as BYU travels to Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish dropped a 34-31 heartbreaker to No. 1 Southern California on Saturday.

BYU managed to get to CSU quarterback Justin Holland, sacking him four times. Holland had been sacked only three times in his previous five games.

Running back Kyle Bell, who had gained 604 yards this season, gained only 36 on nine attempts.

Meanwhile, the BYU secondary, which has been hampered all year by injuries and inexperience, faced another big challenge. In recent weeks, the Cougars have gone up against outstanding wide receivers — TCU's Cory Rodgers, San Diego State's Jeff Webb, New Mexico's Hank Baskett and, on Saturday, CSU's David Anderson.

BYU contained Anderson, who torched the Cougars last year to the tune of 12 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown. This time, Anderson caught five passes for 54 yards.

"He had a big game against us last year and nobody wanted that to happen again, so we had a chip on our shoulder," said cornerback Justin Robinson.

"The secondary did a great job," said linebacker Cameron Jensen. "He's a great player. To limit him the way we did, I credit that to the pressure up front as well."

BYU is expected to be without the services of cornerback Nate Soelberg the remainder of the season. Soelberg, who had been playing the last few weeks with a cast on his right arm, broke his left arm against CSU.

Near the end of the game, the BYU defense forced a key turnover as Johnny Walker caught a pass but fumbled on a tackle by Bryan Kehl. The ball was recovered by David Tafuna.