PROVO — As BYU prepares for Saturday's season-opener against Arizona, coach Bronco Mendenhall and his players are out to prove that last season was no one-year wonder.
The Cougars turned in a spectacular and memorable 11-2 season in 2006, which included, among other things, a 10-game winning streak to end the year; an outright Mountain West Conference championship; a resounding bowl victory; and a classic victory over Utah.
Now what for an encore?
Mendenhall has established a "Raise The Bar" theme for the program in 2007, noting that there is a big difference between a great team and a great program.
"Coach Mendenhall was saying that a lot of people have come up to him during the off-season and said, 'That was a great season last season,'" said sophomore quarterback Max Hall. "That's not what we want. We want to have a great program. That comes with consistency, year after year."
The Cougars have embodied this theme and are optimistic about the upcoming campaign, despite losing leaders like quarterback John Beck, running back Curtis Brown, tight end Jonny Harline and linebacker Cameron Jensen.
"I like to picture us as a big ball, rolling downhill," said senior linebacker Bryan Kehl. "I think we need to keep that momentum going and picking up speed."
Mendenhall likes the way his players have responded to the challenge during the off-season.
"I think your best gauge is the way they play," he said. "From my perspective, they're loyal to those ideas. They've internalized them. You should be able to see them demonstrated on the field and in the community and in the classroom. This is the most prepared our team has ever been in the three years I've been the head coach."
Mendenhall insists that by raising the bar, he doesn't necessarily mean raising the victory total over last season. To him, it's all about consistency.
"There are so many right now that want to say that BYU is back after seeing (the 2006) season because a lot of those feelings, a lot of those memories were connected or re-connected," he said. "In my opinion, returning this program, or being back, comes with consistency."
It's been a while since BYU has put together back-to-back double-digit-victory seasons. The last time was 1989 and 1990, when the Cougars posted a 10-3 mark both years.
After BYU went 10-3 in 1994, they came back with a 7-4 mark in 1995. The Cougars posted a 14-1 record in 1996, only to go 6-5 the following year. In 2001, BYU had a 12-2 mark and slid to 5-7 in 2002.
To establish the kind of consistency Mendenhall is talking about, the Cougars must win the games they should win. A victory over Arizona Saturday is crucial. Under Mendenhall, BYU is 0-2 in season-openers and with a new quarterback, the Cougars need to get off to a good start to build confidence and momentum.
Mendenhall sees the process as maintaining the same goals and simply reloading.
"I think the program has matured, I think the direction is established. I've asked (the players) to raise the bar," Mendenhall said.
"What it means is showing consistency. I know it's going to take even more to stay where we are."
2007 BYU football schedule
Date.....Opponent.....Site.....Time.....TV
Sept. 1.....Arizona.....Provo.....3:30 p.m......Versus
Sept. 8.....UCLA.....Pasadena, Calif......4:30 p.m......Versus
Sept. 15.....Tulsa.....Tulsa, Okla......7 p.m......CSTV
Sept. 22.....Air Force.....Provo.....1 p.m......The mtn.
Sept. 29.....New Mexico.....Albuquerque. N.M......6:30 p.m......The mtn.
Oct. 13.....UNLV.....Las Vegas.....7:30 p.m......The mtn.
Oct. 20.....E. Washington.....Provo.....3:30 p.m......The mtn.
Oct. 27.....San Diego State.....San Diego.....7:30 p.m......The mtn.
Nov. 3.....Colorado State.....Provo.....noon.....The mtn.
Nov. 8.....TCU.....Provo.....7 p.m......Versus
Nov. 17.....Wyoming.....Laramie, Wyo......noon.....The mtn.
Nov. 24.....Utah.....Provo.....noon.....CSTV, The mtn.
All times Mountain
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com