PROVO — For the BYU Cougars, it's been an awfully long offseason.
Posting a 5-7 record, which they did a year ago, has a way of leaving a bitter aftertaste. Especially when you're a football program steeped in tradition with perennially high expectations. The 2002 performance marked BYU's first losing season in nearly three decades.
That's given the Cougars plenty to stew over the past 247 days.
"The last time we played in a game was before Thanksgiving last year," mused Cougar center Scott Jackson. "We lost to Utah. That's been something that's been eating at us for a long time. We can't wait to play again."
Tonight, the wait ends as BYU hosts Georgia Tech (7:30 p.m., ESPN2) at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The Cougars, sporting a new defensive scheme and a revamped offense, are eager to erase the ugly memories of 2002.
At the same time, BYU knows tonight's game could also go a long ways in determining what kind of season 2003 will be.
"We need a lot of momentum for the rest of the season," said quarterback Matt Berry.
"That first game is so vitally important. It'll be good to set a tone."
As if the game itself weren't enough, a national television audience will be tuned in and BYU will retire the jersey of former quarterback great Steve Young during halftime ceremonies.
Defensive end Brady Poppinga said the Cougars have put the past season behind them.
"The biggest thing I've learned through my athletic career is you've got to learn from the losses," Poppinga said. "You have to take that feeling with you to remind yourself that you don't ever want to feel that way again. It's a new season. We're looking ahead. There's no way we're dwelling on the past. We're learning from the past and looking forward to the future."
"A lot of people have doubted us after last season," Jackson said. "We really have to make a statement in this game to show that we are a top program, that we deserve to be at the top of the Mountain West Conference and we can face national competition."
Coach Gary Crowton says tonight's game plan is to attack Georgia Tech from the opening kickoff. He promised the Cougars won't take a conservative approach.
"What we want to do is to come out very confident, very aggressive and just get after it," said Crowton, who suffered his first losing season as a head coach in 2002. "In doing so, hopefully we'll get (the Yellow Jackets) on their heels early. We need to take care of the ball on offense, we need to cause turnovers on defense and not give up big plays."
Sophomore wide receiver Chris Hale has had to wait longer than most of his teammates to play football again. Hale, who redshirted last season, hasn't seen game action since he was a true freshman four seasons ago. In the 1999 season-opener Hale caught the game-winning touchdown pass that beat Washington. "It was disappointing last year. We definitely want to do something different this year, something bigger," Hale said.
Crowton is brimming with optimism based on several factors, including the off-season efforts of his team and the addition of new defensive coordinator Bronco Mendenhall, who makes his debut tonight. "I'm glad last season is over," Crowton said. "This year's going to go the other way. I just want to go out and play. I'm tired of talking about it. It's hard to project where you really are until you go play."
NOTES: BYU will be trying to avenge last season's 28-19 loss to Georgia Tech in Atlanta . . . The Cougars' team captains for tonight's game are seniors Scott Jackson, Toby Christensen, Mike Tanner and Brandon Heaney . . . While Berry is the starting quarterback, true freshman John Beck will play a series in the first half. Crowton won't say when that series will come, but both quarterbacks have been told . . . Under Crowton, the Cougars have been very successful in season-openers. In 2001, in Crowton's debut, BYU crushed Tulane, 70-35. A year ago, the Cougars defeated Syracuse, 42-21. Both games were played in Provo.
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com