PROVO — A year ago, the BYU defense spent Rivalry Week preparing for Utah's Alex Smith, a quarterback who would go on to become a Heisman Trophy finalist and the No. 1 overall pick in the National Football League draft.
This season, it appeared that the Cougars would meet another highly regarded quarterback in sophomore Brian Johnson, who is among the nation's leaders in total offense.
But that all changed Saturday when Johnson suffered a season-ending knee injury in a loss to New Mexico, setting the stage for junior college transfer Brett Ratliff. The junior backup has seen precious little playing time this season, including mop-up duty in blowout victories over Utah State and Wyoming.
After Johnson's injury against the Lobos, Ratliff took the field in a crucial, late-game situation. He drove the Utes deep inside UNM territory before throwing an interception.
So how is BYU preparing for a QB who is a relative unknown?
"It's difficult," said coach Bronco Mendenhall. "There will be a lot of predictions and speculation on what his abilities are and what his attributes are. But I think it simply starts with defending their core and what they've shown offensively to this point. I'm sure there will be adaptations for him in his first start. We'll have to adjust to that after the game gets going."
Mendenhall said he and his staff are looking for every bit of information on Ratliff that they can find. Ultimately, though, preparation is for the entire team, not just a quarterback.
"We'll do as much research as we can," he said. "But, really, I would not expect at this point for the offense to drastically change. You're talking about 10 other players as well and a system that's been very successful. To drastically change that for one person, even though it's a key position, I wouldn't anticipate that.
"His first snap against New Mexico was a 21-yard pass play, so obviously they have confidence in his ability to throw the football," Mendenhall said of Ratliff. "I expect a very difficult game, regardless of a new quarterback. They're an exceptional offense and a good football team."
Two backup quarterbacks excelled against the Cougar defense this season. TCU's Jeff Ballard helped lead a comeback victory over BYU in September, and Air Force's Adam Fitch threw for a school-record five touchdown passes against the Cougars in October.
Linebacker Justin Luettgerodt isn't too concerned about who takes the snaps for Utah on Saturday.
"Their routes are the same, and their pass protection is the same," he said. "Our blitzes are the same. They might come in different forms throughout the year, but there's no difference other than the fact that (the quarterback) has to react to us. And he's not used to that."
Utah will also be without its leading receiver, John Madsen, who sustained a broken ankle against New Mexico.
BRONCO AND KYLE: Other than conversations at a couple of coaching functions, Mendenhall and Kyle Whittingham, the head coaches of BYU and Utah, don't know each other very well.
"We're professional acquaintances," Mendenhall said, adding that he's followed Whittingham's career. Both were longtime defensive coordinators before being hired last December at their respective schools.
"He's a good guy," Mendenhall said. "And a good coach."
Mendenhall's older brother, Mat, played for Whittingham's father, Fred, at BYU. "To this day, he still considers him the best coach he played for," Mendenhall said. "He has a lot of respect for him."
MWC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Two Cougars earned conference player of the week honors for their contributions in BYU's 35-21 victory at Wyoming last Saturday.
Running back Curtis Brown received offensive honors after rushing 25 times for 153 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He has accumulated 942 yards on the ground this season and needs 58 more to reach the 1,000-yard plateau.
Luettgerodt captured defensive honors after recovering three fumbles and snatching a game-clinching interception against the Cowboys. He had one turnover in each quarter of the contest. For the season, Luettgerodt has recorded nine tackles-for-loss for a combined loss of 47 yards, including 4.5 sacks. He also leads the Cougar defense with three interceptions and three fumble recoveries.
ONE GAME AT A TIME: In each of the last several weeks, Mendenhall has exhorted his team to play every game as if it were its last.
This week, not counting a bowl game in December, really does mark the last game. The approach is no different against Utah.
"What I mentioned to the players, if they expected today to show up and there be different meetings and different times and different structure — our preparation model remains the same," Mendenhall said. "Maybe the interest around the game and maybe the expectations surrounding the outcome are different for a lot of people, but for our program, we approach every game the same."
INJURY UPDATE: Wide receiver Zac Collie (ankle sprain) is day-to-day. Safety K.C. Bills (concussion) is doubtful for Saturday's game.
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com