COACH: Bronco Mendenhall — At BYU and overall: 66-24, 7 years
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Brandon Doman
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Bronco Mendenhall
LAST LEAGUE TITLE: 2007, Mountain West
LAST TIME DIDN’T GO BOWLING: 2004
RETURNING STARTERS: 14; 5 offense, 7 defense, kicker, punter
PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Riley Nelson, WR Cody Hoffman, OG Braden Hansen, DE Ian Dulan, LB Brandon Ogletree, LB Uona Kaveinga, CB Preston Hadley, K Justin Sorensen
PRIMARY STRENGTHS: Junior WR Cody Hoffman is as solid a receiver as BYU has seen since Austin Collie. He has a sixth sense for Nelson’s change-of-direction plays. On the other side, the linebackers should be among one of the best units in the country. The Cougars were No. 13 nationally in total defense, yielding 313.4 yards a game.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: The running game doesn’t have a breakaway threat and there are some holes to fill on the offensive line. The Cougars improved last year as Nelson grew into the starting role. The biggest challenge this time might be maintaining focus against a weak November schedule.