Practice ideas working for BYU

BRONCO MENDENHALL CHOSE a practice model that fits his team's personality.

He's molded and tweaked it over the years, balancing the need for physical contact and aggression with the safety net of preventing serious injury, thereby depleting his roster in players/positions he cannot afford to lose.

Mendenhall gambled that the "trust" capital he "believes" he has in his players outweighs the need for them to prove it in pads during August or during sessions leading up to game day.

Many coaches at talent-laden BCS schools have rosters so deep that competition for playing time is incredible. So, they let them battle it out on the field and, if somebody goes down, it's like "Oh, well, it's settled."

Mendenhall can't afford to step in that puddle. I remember when he used to have a sumo ring and have two similar sized guys go gladiator. But when a guy got hurt, he never did it again.

Mendenhall told reporters this week he is pleased how his team has handled his conservative approach. It's one where he has centered practice on position mastery and execution instead of bumps and bruises. He said that on game days, he's seen pent-up aggression unleashed against opponents at a level that's left him smiling — he lives for that.

Sure enough, through three games this season, the body count of injury timeouts,

where trainers scurry onto the field to tend to either unconscious, dazed or broken-down players is completely in BYU's favor. Probably a dozen to two.

Linebacker Vic So'oto broke his foot at Washington.

"It was freaky, he didn't get hit but just stepped wrong," said defensive captain Jan Jorgensen.

The other key injury, to wide receiver Michael Reed, came against UCLA, a mild knee injury that he will return from as early as two weeks from now.

Inside linebackers coach Paul Tidwell says when he grades films, he still encourages his guys to play more physical. But the approach has done two things — made them more hungry for the games, and prevented them from beating up one another.

"It doesn't mean we don't have depth, I just think it's smart not to get guys injured," Tidwell said.

The approach, according to defensive coordinator Jaime Hill, shadows what is done by NFL teams.