Bronco returns to fired-up mode

Bronco Mendenhall has changed during his tenure at BYU.

He came with fire, rode it to success and trusted his system would continue without his initial hands-on approach. It didn't. And now he's re-entered the practice field and sidelines as an active coach with coordinator responsibilities for play calls and game plans, placing himself in the middle of the fray today when the Cougars host San Diego State.

When Mendenhall first came to BYU as defensive coordinator under Gary Crowton, he brought a tenacity and mind-set to the field that quickly spread through a BYU defense that had just lost half a recruiting class to off-field issues.

The pillar of his system was to find gutty overachievers, many of them walk-ons, and ride their competitive spirit into intense, effort-driven performances.

Mendenhall stepped back about 30 months ago.

Since Mendenhall let go of the reins as defensive coordinator two seasons ago, he's transitioned into a successful CEO, creating myriad modules for behavior, established leadership councils, priorities for academics and personal growth and an active community service program that includes Friday firesides locally and out of state. These have all been very successful while BYU also won a lot of football games.

Until this season.

It is interesting to see Mendenhall return to his roots this week after firing DC Jaime Hill. Aside from being a head coach, he's returned to the trenches. Will it help BYU win? We shall see.

With this move, Mendenhall has returned to the furnace of what got him involved in coaching in the first place: Looking in the eyes of players and making a difference in the heat of a practice and intensity of a game.

Remember his early days when he relished the warrior spirit? I remember Mendenhall used to do a drill where he created a circle and had two players of comparable size square off, one trying to throw the other out of the hoop, while players yelled them on like a rooster fight or Sumo wrestling.

Where he used to love to ask his team to be fighters as the Sons of Helaman in the Book of Mormon, recently they've played like Daughters of Dorothy.

It will be fun to see how this may transition come today against San Diego State in LaVell Edwards Stadium.

At least in the practice setting, reports coming out of the closed sessions describe a significant change in both the setting and emotion of BYU players. On Monday, he told reporters he wanted to interject himself into practice and get to the heart and soul of his players.