Mendenhall says BYU is 'on track'

PROVO — So, how does BYU's preparation to open the season against Arizona compare to a year ago?

Head coach Bronco Mendenhall said the comparison is hard to make as he formally closed fall practice and started to put in a plan for Arizona on Wednesday.

"But what I can say," said the third-year coach, "is players came into camp in a higher state of readiness both in condition and confidence. Their execution early in camp, even with younger players, was higher, and I think they've sustained execution and workload more consistently than any of the other teams including last year," said Mendenhall.

What the 2007 team lacks is game experience, and they'll get a dose of that against Arizona, starting with sophomore quarterback Max Hall.

"There's going to have to be some experience and some lessons learned through experience for this team to really come together and move forward. But everything I hoped to accomplish as camp closes — I feel we're on track."

The Cougars open the season Sept. 1 against Arizona in LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Hall hasn't played a down of Division I football, but he's been an intense understudy, spending time at ASU and BYU as a scout quarterback and last year, when he was ineligible to play, he took in BYU's 11-2 season from the home press box with coaches Brandon Doman and Lance Reynolds. With Mendenhall giving Hall far more reps in fall practice than any other quarterback in years, Cougar coaches hope his exposure will go a long way in preparing him for battle against the Wildcats.

"I'm optimistic," said Mendenhall, who said the volume of plays thrown at Hall since last January may not replace a full season of experience, but it has been managed with the purpose to getting him ready for action.

Mendenhall would not compare 2006 with 2007 but pointed out BYU's losses to Arizona and Boston College made his 2006 a much better football team because of lessons learned. Those lessons directly led to that club going undefeated the rest of the season.

"This team will have learning experiences just like that team did. I'm not saying there will be losses, but they will shape this team the same. We've done all we can during fall camp, and now the games will determine where we'll go. They're looking forward to the games, looking forward to the lessons to be learned."