Bronco Mendenhall, the new defensive coordinator for the BYU football team, brings with him old traditions and new expectations.

Mendenhall coached at New Mexico starting in 1998 and is known for his own version of the Eco Challenge, an adventure race.

His version of the race includes one mile swimming, about 30 miles biking and seven or eight miles hiking or running to a nearby mountain peak.

"It's probably one of the most difficult things anybody will ever do," said Mendenhall. "The changes I've seen in those that participate...there's no quit in those kids."

Mendenhall says that the challenge pushes players' limits and builds a mutual respect among those that participate. Many of the participants emerge as team leaders.

The players and coaches are invited and Mendenhall runs along with them... or in front of them.

"No player has beat me yet," Mendenhall said.

The Eco Challenge has been presented to the BYU team and will take place before the season begins.

Mendenhall's impressions of BYU have been good so far.

"I don't know how to describe it, it's a unique place," Mendenhall said. "The way things are done at this university, because of the church influence, is different from any other place that I've been. So it has taken some adjustment on my part."

Mendenhall also has noticed a difference in the players.

"The type of players that we have, I would say maturity-wise, with a lot of them being married, a lot of them having served missions and just maybe the way that they've been raised, are unlike any of the kids that I've coached at any other place," Mendenhall said.

Mendenhall said that most Division I programs are forced to be more structured and to keep a close watch on their players, but that isn't really the case here.

"From what I've seen here most of these guys handle their free agency pretty well as far as what they're supposed to do," he said.

Although Mendenhall just came to BYU in January, he has been keeping himself busy recruiting and getting to know the players.

NCAA rules prohibit coaches from giving instruction to players before spring ball begins, but Mendenhall does have contact with the players.

"Mostly in this time they've been getting to know me and I've been getting to know them and have been setting some expectations," he said. "On the field there can't be any defensive or offensive formations, so it's all agility and conditioning work at this point. However, through that some of the best relationships can be formed."

BYU players face the challenge of learning the new defense that Mendenhall brings from New Mexico.

They also will be better conditioned to meet the demands of the up-tempo, blitz-based defense that Mendenhall runs -- a defense that produced a ranking as high as 17th in the country last year with the Lobos.

"Most offenses are based on identifying what defense an opponent is in to determine who to block and where to block him," Mendenhall said. "If they don't know who to block, their chances of blocking the correct person go way down. Creating illusion out of a blitz-based system is what it's about."

Mendenhall declined to comment extensively on any players until after spring football, but he did mention that when he was preparing for the BYU vs. New Mexico game four players stood out in his mind: Aaron Francisco, Colby Bockwoldt, Daniel Marquardt and Brady Poppinga.

While discussing last year's game between BYU and San Diego State, Aaron Francisco's name came up again.

"I saw the hit," he said, referring to a hit Francisco made on San Diego State's talented wide receiver J.R. Tolver, which took Tolver out of the game.

Mendenhall reported that C.J. Ah You, a sophomore defensive end, is still hurt and working to recover. Ah You hurt his knee in the third game of the 2001 season, and then re-injured it during spring practices last year. There is no timetable on Ah You.

Defensive end Manaia Brown, who hurt himself falling off of a snowmobile, only suffered a bruise and is fine. Brown transferred to BYU from Nebraska after the 2001 season

Defensive back Walt Williams, a junior college transfer that has been expected since last spring, still keeps coaches guessing.

"Walt has kind of been the mystery man since I've been here. He has some credits to finish; if he does this spring he will be able to join us this summer," Mendenhall said.



Copyright Brigham Young University 5 Feb 2003