Comments about ‘BYU football notebook: Cougars are staying the course’

"If I saw a need to change, I would. But until then, we'll just keep winning games and hopefully competing for conference championships and playing postseason."

Consistency earned two losses

I like Bronco and I think he's a fantastic coach and the right guy for BYU...

... but I'm getting sick of the word "execution"!

I know right?

Bronco said, No one is harder on the program than myself... and I see no need to change.\

Well if football is 5th on the priority list for the football coach...

I think it's interesting to see several quotes from BYU players in several articles and their concern about the weather. Think that's where they should be focused?

The Cowboys are licking their chops right now.

you do not change a thing!

Signed excited Ute Fan

Looks like another 48-24 win for the Utes!

38-9 huh? Not bad.

But I'll talk 37-10 with a BCS Sugar Bowl victory and a number 2 finish any day of the week.

"We probably are more thorough in our analysis week-to-week than any program, certainly than I've been a part of and maybe more than any other. I don't think anyone can be harder on our program than myself. If I saw a need to change, I would. But until then, we'll just keep winning games and hopefully competing for conference championships and playing postseason."

Not what I was looking for but really should not be surprised about.

Ok, TCU is a top ten team and Utah is better coached.

Settling for third place again and going to Las Vegas or the smurf bowl would be consistent.

Oh, by the way. How is that "having fun thing going for BYU this year? Seriously, TCU coach Patterson said he likes playing with a chip on his shoulder and gets his players to do the same thing on game day. Utah does similar things and wins big games including bowl games.

Can playing without emotion really be fun?

Please know that I dont want false excitement or traditional BYU hype but Oklahoma or UCLA game enthusiasum would be great.

Staying the course in principle, is generally a good thing. Just check out all the businesses this year during the recession that have "stayed the course" many have failed because they weren't prone to change. And change is what is needed. Not in coaching personnel, but in approach and practice and, oops, execution...
I think TCU has BYUs number and they will destroy BYU every year until BYU changes their approach to that team. Look at UNLV with the mens BB team! UNLV can't lose to BYU--it happens every year.. Both squads need to approach every game from now on with swagger and the thought that they are the best and PROVE it on the field.

"we going to change when we're having the success and as long as I feel like we're improving and moving forward, then I don't intend, really, any radical changes."

Key word when your having success.... your not so make the change Bronco, beating terrible football teams every year and losing to good ones isnt success. We go 10-2 or 9-3 every year because we only play 2-3 good teams a yr. Make a change get a new O and D coordinator, what a sad yr this is. I hope we lose dramatically one fore time so Bronco will be forced to admit that "27 little mistakes" made VS FSU were never found or fixed. What a joke.

At half time, why should he change anything after getting "Spanked" at home by FSU and TCU? Why change when it's far easier to just lower your expectations?

...we'll just keep winning games and hopefully competing for conference championships and playing post season...

no doubts that:
1) BYU will keep winning games but not big games
2) BYU will compete for conference championships until TCU or Utah game
3) BYU will play in the post season --Las Vegas bowl requires only 6 wins

so...questions for Bronco:
1) Can you/BYU win big games?
2) Can you/BYU win the conference now that both TCU and Utah are consistently good?
3) Do you think you can take BYU to a BCS bowl? (not asking for winning one just yet)

SoCalUtahFan

Nothing like settling for status quo.

Great job Bronco!

Byu will kill TCU next year. We have so many great athletes coming in, they wont be able to run with us.

I've been a Cougar all my life, and I have to say I'm unconvinced. Let the numbers speak:

Since Bronco has been head coach, 38-9 is impressive. However,

2-7 vs. ranked opponents

2-2 in bowl games

2-2 against Utah

BYU has been able to rack up the wins against the majority of the conference, but when it comes to the big time games, well, see the numbers above.

My barometer of "BYU's course" is how they finish their last two games - versus Utah and the Bowl game.

2005 (Lost to Utah in OT, Lost to Cal in LV Bowl)
2006 (Beat Utah in a miracle, Beat Oregon soundly in LV Bowl)
2007 (Beat Utah in a miracle, Beat UCLA in a miracle in LV Bowl)
2008 (Thumped by Utah, Lost to Arizona in LV Bowl)

For the last two games, they've won both and lost both twice. 2009 will break the tie - and say a lot about exactly what course BYU is staying.

Tip of the hat to Utah for big game toughness: 4-0 in bowls (including Sugar bowl Alabama blowout) and winning record versus ranked opponents under Whit.

If I were a BYU fan, I would be infuriated by the quotes in this article.
But you have to understand that Bronco really has no motivation to change the program. He IS winning, 10 or so games a year, and multiple conference championships. He also has a rediculous amount of fan and booster support. Everybody in the community loves him (and why not, he has restored an impressive program and churns out good people that don't embarrass the school).
He gets away with working less hours than he would anywhere else, his bosses love him, and he is WINNING.
To put it simply, if you were in his situation: Making say $1M/yr.
Working less hours than peers making similar money.
Your boss loves you i.e. if you keep doing what you do, you will never lose your job.
People in your community respect and look up to you.

Why would you rock the boat?

You will just have to live with being ranked around 20th every year and going to a mediocre bowl, and winning a conference championship every other year or so. Not too bad really.

Yes sir, 70-14 over two seasons against TCU but all we need to do is make some minor tweeks and we are right there with TCU. Sounds like something coming out of Lloyd Christmas from Dumb and Dumber. Holy cow, is it really that hard for Bronco to see that the lack of execution he talks about is CAUSED by TCU's superior athletes? How many 30 point blow outs does it take to get that point across? BYU will never win another MWC championship under Bronco Mendenhaul but I guess third place every year is good enough. I wonder how long third place is going to be good enough for season ticket holders and members of the cougar club???

President Bush (43) stayed the Course.

Hope things turn out better for Bronco.

BCS-or-bust, eh? Ok, Bronco, confess! Roll out the magic hat, produce the 6'1" corners, unbind the feet of the receivers, show us the cloned linemen, and the mid-season transferring kick returner with 4.2 speed. The know-it-all-fans (and disbelieving Ute trolls) are ready for the mule that wandered in from Payson with 75 yard FG kicking ability.

Go ahead, you can tell us - the other coaches won't find out. What? From now on you are gonna blitz when? And on 2nd down you are going to x? Third downs will be mostly y to z-player? Cool, thanks for telling us. We deserved something, an emotioanl show.

The Bronco guarantee? No pass ever dropped again? If the leaping 20yr old wide rx don't execute, they will be executed. The fans have earned it - all that work they did. Guillotine - behind the bench.

See, mid-season changes are magically easy - roll a few heads - will surely excite the team.

Give us something- it is our game. You owe us wins. And nice weather.

It's a competitive game, folks -two teams, breaks, chances. Enjoy the excitment and cheer the Cougs! BeatEwes!

This article, if you read between the lines, is saying "we are not a BCS team and all of that talk and whining about the BCS was just talk". Boise State said the same thing when they scheduled UC Davis. To be considered a BCS worthy team you have to beat the teams in your league (you have no control over how those teams play so just beat them and move on), but you MUST schedule tough out of conference games so you can then make your claim. TCU played at Virginia and at Clemson. Neither of those teams are that good this year, but they didn't know that when they scheduled it five years ago. BYU played Oklahoma and Florida State. If they would have won they would have a claim. Boise played UC Davis. BCS worthy teams play and beat anybody and that is .....the TRUTH!

Third place in the MWC every year is good enough for Bronco. Sounds like he is completely satisfied with the program and see's no need to change anything going forward other than a few minor adjustments here and there. A note to Bronco - it has been a whole lot more than a few minor adjustments that caused BYU to get blown out by 30 points to TCU for two consecutive years! But hey, third place is nice. You don't have to worry about the stress of competing with TCU or Utah for the championship and you can just concentrate on the beating the rest of of the teams in conference every year and be good with that. I have always like the Bronze medal much more than the Gold anyway - haven't you???