MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL NOTES: Oklahoma is BYU obstacle
Wyoming coach: No. 3 Cougars will be tested
First-year Wyoming coach Dave Christensen has seen Oklahoma's talent up close -- a bit too close for comfort -- and isn't confident of Brigham Young's chances of beating the Sooners in the teams' season opener Saturday.
No. 20 BYU plays No. 3 Oklahoma in the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. As Missouri's offensive coordinator, Christensen got a good look at the Sooners last season when Oklahoma routed the Tigers 62-21 in the Big 12 Conference Championship.
No wonder Christensen left for Laramie.
He called the Sooners "the biggest, fastest players I've ever seen in my life. I know one thing, we had a pretty good football team at Missouri a year ago, and we couldn't play on the same field with them. But we might not have been as good at Missouri as BYU is right now."
Cougars coach Bronco Mendenhall hopes that's true, and he understands his team will be carrying the Mountain West Conference's banner into the game. The league is still getting mileage out of Utah's trouncing of Alabama in last season's Sugar Bowl.
But Mendenhall also knows there has been push-back, with critics saying a Mountain West school couldn't compete on a weekly basis in the Big 12 or Southeastern Conference.
"I think we would be competitive week in and week out, from beginning to end," Mendenhall said. "That's speaking as someone who hasn't coached in one of those leagues. But that's my opinion at this point."
Mendenhall played and served as a graduate and full-time assistant at Oregon State of the Pac-10.
? GOING FORWARD -- Despite the wildfires raging around Los Angeles, San Diego State's game at UCLA on Saturday is still on for now.
"We have to focus on the task at hand," Aztecs coach Brady Hoke said. "I'm sure as we get closer to game time there will be decisions made by people with a lot more information than I have."
? IT'S GOING AROUND -- A flu bug, possibly H1N1 or swine flu, has hit Texas Christian hard. Horned Frogs coach Gary Patterson said 12 to 14 players have missed practice in the past 10 days, and six or seven are out now.
Asked if the players had H1N1 or a more common flu, Patterson said: "Probably a little bit of everything. Probably some are tired of two-a-days. I wish I could get the flu."
His tongue was clearly in cheek, but no doubt Patterson would retract that statement if he got H1N1.
MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
The Mountain West from top to bottom (last season's records in parenthesis):
No. 17 Texas Christian (11-2), off: Horned Frogs start late, then play 12 consecutive weeks.
No. 20 Brigham Young (10-3) vs. No. 3 Oklahoma (12-2) at Arlington, Texas: First college game in new Cowboys Stadium.
No. 19 Utah (13-0) vs. Utah State (3-9), Thursday: Utes' 14-game winning streak is nation's longest.
Air Force (8-5) vs. Nicholls State (3-6): Falcons are 13-0 against Football Championship Series teams.
UNLV (5-7) vs. Sacramento State (6-6): Coach Mike Sanford is 3-1 in season openers.
Colorado State (7-6) at Colorado (5-7), Sunday: Four of past five meetings decided by four points or less.
New Mexico (4-8) at Texas A&M (4-8): Lobos have had a 1,000-yard rusher the last seven seasons, the nation's longest current streak.
San Diego State (2-10) at UCLA (4-8): Aztecs have lost all six previous games when opening season against UCLA.
Wyoming (4-8) vs. Weber State (10-4): Cowboys are trying to win their 10th consecutive home opener.
FIVE BEST PLAYERS
1. Jerry Hughes, DL, TCU: Media's preseason choice for Defensive Player of the Year.
2. Max Hall, QB, BYU: Media's preseason choice for Offensive Player of the Year.
3. Ryan Wolfe, WR, UNLV: Could leave as MWC's all-time leader in receptions and reception yards.
4. Stevenson Sylvester, LB, Utah: Las Vegan had tremendous Sugar Bowl performance.
5. Dennis Pitta, TE, BYU: Has the build of a tight end but catches like a receiver.
THEY WROTE IT ...
ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel, on the chances of San Diego State's game at UCLA being postponed because of wildfires: "It would be easy to reschedule -- both teams have Dec. 5 open. But UCLA wants to play San Diego State early, not late. Early, the Aztecs will be trying to perform in the system that new coach Brady Hoke has installed. Late, they will have played in that system for a season."
THEY SAID IT ...
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, on facing former defensive coordinator Gary Andersen, now Utah State's coach: "We haven't talked for two weeks now, just out of professional respect. Ethically, it just doesn't seem right."
TCU coach Gary Patterson, on needing a clutch passing game: "Since I've been here, that's the one thing we haven't been able to do. We've got to be able to do that to win ballgames. We've got to be able to throw the football when it counts."
Wyoming quarterback Robert Benjamin, on winning the starting job: "The biggest thing has just been learning the offense. It's just like, 'Am I going to be able to pick it up fast enough?' I just tried to do my best to pick it up, and it's picked up nice and fine."
Wyoming coach: No. 3 Cougars will be tested
First-year Wyoming coach Dave Christensen has seen Oklahoma's talent up close -- a bit too close for comfort -- and isn't confident of Brigham Young's chances of beating the Sooners in the teams' season opener Saturday.
No. 20 BYU plays No. 3 Oklahoma in the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. As Missouri's offensive coordinator, Christensen got a good look at the Sooners last season when Oklahoma routed the Tigers 62-21 in the Big 12 Conference Championship.
No wonder Christensen left for Laramie.
He called the Sooners "the biggest, fastest players I've ever seen in my life. I know one thing, we had a pretty good football team at Missouri a year ago, and we couldn't play on the same field with them. But we might not have been as good at Missouri as BYU is right now."
Cougars coach Bronco Mendenhall hopes that's true, and he understands his team will be carrying the Mountain West Conference's banner into the game. The league is still getting mileage out of Utah's trouncing of Alabama in last season's Sugar Bowl.
But Mendenhall also knows there has been push-back, with critics saying a Mountain West school couldn't compete on a weekly basis in the Big 12 or Southeastern Conference.
"I think we would be competitive week in and week out, from beginning to end," Mendenhall said. "That's speaking as someone who hasn't coached in one of those leagues. But that's my opinion at this point."
Mendenhall played and served as a graduate and full-time assistant at Oregon State of the Pac-10.
? GOING FORWARD -- Despite the wildfires raging around Los Angeles, San Diego State's game at UCLA on Saturday is still on for now.
"We have to focus on the task at hand," Aztecs coach Brady Hoke said. "I'm sure as we get closer to game time there will be decisions made by people with a lot more information than I have."
? IT'S GOING AROUND -- A flu bug, possibly H1N1 or swine flu, has hit Texas Christian hard. Horned Frogs coach Gary Patterson said 12 to 14 players have missed practice in the past 10 days, and six or seven are out now.
Asked if the players had H1N1 or a more common flu, Patterson said: "Probably a little bit of everything. Probably some are tired of two-a-days. I wish I could get the flu."
His tongue was clearly in cheek, but no doubt Patterson would retract that statement if he got H1N1.
MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
The Mountain West from top to bottom (last season's records in parenthesis):
No. 17 Texas Christian (11-2), off: Horned Frogs start late, then play 12 consecutive weeks.
No. 20 Brigham Young (10-3) vs. No. 3 Oklahoma (12-2) at Arlington, Texas: First college game in new Cowboys Stadium.
No. 19 Utah (13-0) vs. Utah State (3-9), Thursday: Utes' 14-game winning streak is nation's longest.
Air Force (8-5) vs. Nicholls State (3-6): Falcons are 13-0 against Football Championship Series teams.
UNLV (5-7) vs. Sacramento State (6-6): Coach Mike Sanford is 3-1 in season openers.
Colorado State (7-6) at Colorado (5-7), Sunday: Four of past five meetings decided by four points or less.
New Mexico (4-8) at Texas A&M (4-8): Lobos have had a 1,000-yard rusher the last seven seasons, the nation's longest current streak.
San Diego State (2-10) at UCLA (4-8): Aztecs have lost all six previous games when opening season against UCLA.
Wyoming (4-8) vs. Weber State (10-4): Cowboys are trying to win their 10th consecutive home opener.
FIVE BEST PLAYERS
1. Jerry Hughes, DL, TCU: Media's preseason choice for Defensive Player of the Year.
2. Max Hall, QB, BYU: Media's preseason choice for Offensive Player of the Year.
3. Ryan Wolfe, WR, UNLV: Could leave as MWC's all-time leader in receptions and reception yards.
4. Stevenson Sylvester, LB, Utah: Las Vegan had tremendous Sugar Bowl performance.
5. Dennis Pitta, TE, BYU: Has the build of a tight end but catches like a receiver.
THEY WROTE IT ...
ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel, on the chances of San Diego State's game at UCLA being postponed because of wildfires: "It would be easy to reschedule -- both teams have Dec. 5 open. But UCLA wants to play San Diego State early, not late. Early, the Aztecs will be trying to perform in the system that new coach Brady Hoke has installed. Late, they will have played in that system for a season."
THEY SAID IT ...
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, on facing former defensive coordinator Gary Andersen, now Utah State's coach: "We haven't talked for two weeks now, just out of professional respect. Ethically, it just doesn't seem right."
TCU coach Gary Patterson, on needing a clutch passing game: "Since I've been here, that's the one thing we haven't been able to do. We've got to be able to do that to win ballgames. We've got to be able to throw the football when it counts."
Wyoming quarterback Robert Benjamin, on winning the starting job: "The biggest thing has just been learning the offense. It's just like, 'Am I going to be able to pick it up fast enough?' I just tried to do my best to pick it up, and it's picked up nice and fine."
