Great expectations: BYU wants to remain on top

PROVO — BYU hasn't had the blessing of defending a conference football championship since 2002 when the Cougars failed, tumbling to a seventh-place finish and 5-7 record. The focus of fall camp, which begins Saturday, is that this time around even more is expected than defense of a Mountain West title.

Head coach Bronco Mendenhall expects the Cougar offense and defense to perform at a higher level than a year ago, and his players will be even more devoted to his philosophies and standards on and off the field.

Could that mean making a bigger splash than 2006 when the Cougars finished 11-2 with a 10-game win streak?

Maybe. But generally speaking, Mendenhall, the third-year coach who was granted a raise and contract extension earlier this week, wants the big picture digested by his Cougars this season.

"I've heard often the past year we had a great team, we had a great season," said Mendenhall. "As I've shared with many, I haven't heard very often that we have a great program. A great program comes with sustainability, it comes with consistency."

Those are goals Mendenhall hopes the Cougars wade into this season, which begins with the opener Sept. 1 against Arizona in LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Mendenhall said since walking off the field with a win over Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl, he expects his team has taken the task at hand seriously during off-season conditioning.

"We're not allowed to take roll, we're not even allowed to have the conditioning coach report back on who was there (during the summer), but players frequently come by the office and share their optimism and say somebody is looking good," Mendenhall said. "They just seem excited. They're carrying themselves with a confidence and an air. I like what I've seen.

"I'm anxious to access their state of readiness and physical preparedness on Saturday to see if that matches the way they're carrying themselves."

The Cougars enter camp far more prepared to operate a 3-4 defensive front installed a year ago. The big question mark is who will replace field corner Justin Robinson. It is expected the other corner, Ben Criddle, will have recovered from foot surgery last December.

A year ago, the Cougars' front three consisted of inexperienced freshmen, adjusting to the new scheme. This year, honors candidate Jan Jorgensen joins Ian Dulan on the ends and, along with Russell Tialavea, who saw plenty of action in 2006, give the Cougars a trio of sophomores eager to improve.