BYU football notebook: BYU preparing for stormy conditions against Idaho

PROVO — All season long, BYU has been blessed with nearly ideal weather conditions every week.

That's about to change dramatically Saturday.

Snow showers and temperatures in the 30s are expected when the Cougars host Idaho, a game that kicks off at 8:15 p.m.

"I don't think you can have a football season without one cold football game," said offensive coordinator Brandon Doman. "If we don't have one on Saturday, we're going to miss it (in coming weeks) because we'll be down in San Jose and at New Mexico (State), then a bowl game (in San Diego), where it's not cold. I think it will be kind of nice to get a cold breeze through the stadium and our fans will have to sit through some cold temperatures. It will be good for everybody."

Coach Bronco Mendenhall said he wasn't aware that inclement weather was coming until his wife, Holly, told him about it this week.

"She said it's supposed to be cold," he said. "Holly told me because she has family traveling, not because of our game. That shows you where her priorities are."

Not that cold weather bothers Mendenhall.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "We're going to play. I'm usually in bed at 8, so if I'm going to be up, we might as well play a game."

At the same time, Mendenhall can empathize with Cougar fans that will brave freezing temperatures.

"I think the late start, and as cold as it will be, I think the ones that are Cougar blue deep in their heart will be there," he said. "I'll applaud them."

The cold and snow could impact play-calling, Doman said.

"It depends on if it's wet or not. Cold is not a big deal, but if it's wet, then that changes the way you have to approach the game."

TRIP TO PULLMAN IN 2019: BYU announced Wednesday that it will play at Virginia instead of traveling to Washington State next season.

The change was made at WSU's request.

On Thursday, Washington State athletic director Bill Moos said the second game of the home-and-home series with BYU will be played in 2019, when the two teams will meet in Pullman.

Meanwhile, Washington State has replaced BYU with Southern Utah on its 2013 schedule.

THE SERIES: BYU and Idaho have played four times, with the series tied at 2-2 after the Cougars' 42-7 victory over the Vandals last year in Provo.

The three previous games were played in the 1950s, with Idaho winning two of those games. The Vandals beat the Cougars in 1954, 7-0, and 1955, 49-6.