Irish eyes focused on Y.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Rookie BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall will step out of a little puddle into an ocean today when his Cougars leave the comfortable confines of the Mountain West, where they've notched two straight wins, and play No. 9 Notre Dame on national TV.

The Cougars' visit to one of college football's most storied venues comes one week after the Fighting Irish lost to No. 1 USC here in a thrilling contest that went down to the final seconds.

Notre Dame has yet to win at home under new head coach Charlie Weis, but with fall break and no classes this past week, the Irish have put in extra time for the Cougars.

Notre Dame (4-2) and BYU (3-3, 2-2 MWC) kick off today at 12:30 p.m. The game will be televised on KSL, Ch. 5.

Mendenhall told reporters this week Notre Dame holds an advantage in almost every statistical advantage except passing offense and pass defense when compared to the Cougars, including a glaring mismatch with 6-foot-5 receivers going against his makeshift secondary.

"But I don't put as much stock as I once did in statistics," Mendenhall said.

His opening remarks to reporters? "Our players and staff are anxious to play Notre Dame."

Irish receivers are Maurice Stovall, 6-5, 222 pounds; Anthony Fasano, 6-5, 255; and Jeff Samardzija, 6-5, 216. All are seniors. The Cougar counter with 5-7, 157-pound junior transfer Justin Robinson, and with senior Nate Soelberg out, 6-1 sophomore Kayle Buchanan will get his first start of the season — if healthy.

The Cougars are no stranger to talented receivers. In wins over Colorado State and New Mexico, they faced Lobo Hank Baskett and Ram David Anderson, two of the top catchers in the country. Baskett is a 6-5 athlete and Anderson is one of the top route runners in the nation.

Because the Cougars defeated the Fighting Irish to start the 2004 seasons in Provo, the mystique of playing Notre Dame might not be as scary, but Mendenhall and his staff have no illusions — today's game will be the toughest challenge of the season, and they've tried to keep the Cougars focused all week.

"I think working them hard enough to where their focus has to be on the day-to-day. We have plenty to improve in our program. There are a lot of areas and a lot of individuals that can do better, myself included," Mendenhall said.