With the excitement of another football season nipping at our heels, the Cougars are more prepared than ever to repeat one of their best seasons in recent years with returning seniors leading the way.

For the first time this season, the Cougars took to the turf in full pads on Thursday. The team looked anxious to get their gear on in preparation for the September 1 season opener against Arizona in Provo.

Coming off a stellar 2006 conference championship season, coach Bronco Mendenhall has put the weight on the seniors to set the pace.

"The ownership should fall on the upper classman," Mendenhall said. "The only way the program will move forward is if it's their program, to their standards, after they've embraced what I've asked them to do."

The seniors understand this role and hope to carry the team to higher levels, and repeat the 2006 success.

"This is the last hoorah," senior linebacker Bryan Kehl said. "It's time to step up. It's time to go out with a bang."

The seniors have seen the difference leadership and dedication have made on this year's squad, but recognize that more must be done.

"To see where we were last year at day five - compared to where we are this year - I think it's just going to spell all that much more success," Kehl said. "But things like that don't just happen; you have to prepare every single day for success like that. That was something that was lost in BYU football for a couple years, and that's what we're bringing back."

Kehl and the other seniors know that success is not easy.

"That's what we as leaders are imposing upon the younger guys," Kehl said. "We didn't just win a conference championship last year, we worked our tails off every single day in the off-season and the conference championship was a result of that."

Despite last year's success and the current promise, the seniors won't be satisfied until BYU football consistently performs at the level seen last year.

"We're really proud and excited about what we did last year," senior wide receiver Matt Allen said. "But the program is not returned back to excellence until we can do that year after year."

The pressure to lead the Cougars on a march toward excellence is a daunting task and comes with great responsibility, but the seniors are ready to take the wheel.

"I've never been in this role," Allen said, "a role of leadership, where I can't rely on John Beck or somebody to back me up. So you definitely have to take more responsibility, more accountability and at the same time, it's a lot of fun and I feel like I've been prepared for it."

Five days into the season, Mendenhall couldn't be happier with his leaders and the Cougars look well on their way to another successful season.

"They're on track," Mendenhall said. "This team is more prepared than any team that I have coached to this point, as far as leadership and day-to-day work ethic. I'm really pleased about it."

Copyright Brigham Young University 10 Aug 2007