No more Rebel reveling? Cougars want to end UNLV's Provo win streak

PROVO — Bronco Mendenhall wants losing home football games to be a thing of the past.

He'll get no better opportunity to set the record straight than today's league game with UNLV, a team that has a two-game win streak in Provo.

Failing in LaVell Edwards Stadium was a regular occurrence with Mendenhall's former boss, Gary Crowton, whose coaching record included those losses to the Rebels in 2002 and 2004. A lowlight of those UNLV losses include a combined nine Cougar turnovers.

The Cougars (4-2, 2-0) are undefeated (3-0) at home heading into today's 1 p.m. homecoming kickoff with the Rebels (1-5, 0-2). The game will be televised live on The mtn, and can be viewed over Internet streaming feeds available at www.byucougars.com.

Home losses. Well, they stink.

"It seems like a long time ago," Mendenhall said this week of losses to UNLV in Provo. "I'm not sure the record or that situation is relevant now. What I can attest to is that there was a lack of consistency in the program. We didn't perform, regardless of playing at home or away."

UNLV may be just the answer to make it 4-0 this year in Provo. The Rebels are on a seven-game conference losing streak.

Since taking over the BYU reins, Mendenhall says his squad is completely different from the 2002 and 2004 teams that could not protect the home field and finished with losing records.

"Certainly, those things have been addressed at a higher level," Mendenhall said. "This team is more focused. We've asked them to claim more and invest in a higher level of ownership. Our players are certainly aware that we have lost to UNLV at home twice. They brought that to my attention early last week."

Senior running back Curtis Brown told reporters this week the Cougars have been humbled since the 2002 and 2004 losses.

"It was a time we were kind of going through the motions," Brown said. "But this is a different football team. Our expectations are higher and we have more players who are stepping up and making plays."

Today's matchup features a Rebel team coached by former Utah offensive coordinator Mike Sanford, and he's running the offense made famous by Urban Meyer at Utah.