The Cougars have been down this road before.

Like last year.

Humiliated, exploited, exposed, whipped, criticized and knocked down. It all happened a year ago in Fort Worth, Texas. It was repeated in Rice-Eccles Stadium while actually playing for a piece of the title. Then came Las Vegas and Arizona's final nail.

The feelings surfacing after Saturday's TCU loss are familiar to these guys.

Question is, how will this group handle it now they've waved goodbye to a national ranking, their credibility account all but drained? Today, it's back to work as usual sans an actual game to prepare for this Saturday because of a bye week.

Leaders like Max Hall, Dennis Pitta and Jan Jorgensen now find themselves working harder to prop everyone up for the last four games.

That's a tough spot.

What doesn't work, experts will tell you, is to panic. Players can't panic and neither should coaches. You can't suddenly become a more conditioned team by sweating more in practice or the weight room the end of October. You can't dig into a gunny sack and, presto, miraculously come out with more talent.

IQs of coaches don't change because they spend another two or three hours looking at film. But the same brain matter can scheme better and counter punch more effectively in game and out.

You are what you are; you just do what you do better.

Rocco Mediate can't hit it farther than Tiger Woods, but he hits it straight and almost beat him at Torrey Pines. Tom Watson is no young buck, but he was one chip shot from whipping a field of flat bellies in the British Open.

The best example of a team making the most of what it had was 24 years ago last Saturday when lowly UTEP beat No. 7 BYU 23-16 in El Paso. Bill Yung sprung a 2-9 defensive alignment at LaVell Edwards. It was UTEP's 14th win in 11 seasons.

Stuff happens.

For the Cougars, how they're built remains the same this Halloween week as Columbus Day and Labor Day. They may change costumes, but can't transform who they. But whatever role they play, from princess to goblin, they can stage it better and spread some makeup around on blemishes. That might be good enough to trick someone, if their sleight of hand is executed more efficiently.

This BYU team made horrendously untimely penalties last weekend. That's correctable.

A four-man pass rush worked the O-line. That might be solved now Jerry Hughes is back in Texas.

Getting faked out on double moves by receivers for the second game in row in zone coverage is an agenda item addressable because it will resurface again at Wyoming in two weeks.