BYU football: Cougars hope Vegas experience will help

PROVO — Both BYU and Arizona begin practicing today in preparation for their Dec. 20 showdown in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Since finishing the regular-season with a loss at Utah, the Cougars have not held a full-scale practice, though they have been participating in conditioning drills and weightlifting sessions. This week, they've also done some 7-on-7 drills.

The Wildcats (7-5), meanwhile, are elated and relieved to be playing in the Las Vegas Bowl, having dealt with the uncertainty of coach Mike Stoops' job status this season. By beating Arizona State last weekend, Arizona clinched its first bowl berth in a decade.

"I think the coaches were feeling a lot of pressure from the fans and the media. The players were feeling the heat from the coaches. I thought we handled it well," Stoops told the Arizona Republic.

"You have defining moments in all seasons and lifetimes of programs. This was a defining moment for us. We tried not to make it that way, but let's face it, it was. We tried to stay cool, calm and collected, but it got pretty hot under the collar."

Both teams will fly to Las Vegas on Dec. 16 and hold practices the following day. BYU will be headquartered at the Planet Hollywood, just like last year, while Arizona will stay at the Venetian.

Stoops is hoping his team won't be complacent now that it has qualified for postseason play.

"The worst thing you can do is just be happy to be in a bowl game," he said. "You go in there and don't play well."

"No one on our team has ever been in a bowl game," Wildcat quarterback Willie Tuitama said. "This is our first time. We hear our coaches telling stories about bowl games they've been to, so we're definitely excited to be here.

"BYU is a great team — a top-20 team. We're looking forward to coming out here and having a good time and playing some good football."

BYU linebacker David Nixon said his team may have a bit of an edge over Arizona because it is accustomed to playing in the Las Vegas Bowl.

"We have experience at bowl games. We know how to prepare for them. Our formula for success has been pretty good the last two years," Nixon said.

"(Arizona) might be rolling in there just to be there, kind of like coach (Bronco) Mendenhall's first year, when we went 6-6. We were just happy to be there.