It's not often that two teams play each other three times in one year. But that is exactly what will happen Saturday when UCLA visits Provo to take on the Cougars for the third time in 53 weeks.

It's ironic that BYU will follow its last-second victory over Washington by playing UCLA - the team they defeated last season in similar fashion by blocking a field goal as time expired. In a short time, the Cougars and Bruins have developed somewhat of a rivalry. Both games last year went down to the fourth quarter, with UCLA taking the first game 27-17 in the Rose Bowl and BYU squeezing out a 17-16 win in Las Vegas.

Just as defeating Washington was an important milestone for the Cougars last week, beating UCLA would certainly strengthen BYU's case in its demand for national respect. There will be plenty of energy in the stands come Saturday, but don't expect the team to be overly emotional. BYU Coach Bronco Mendenhall, after all, is not in the business of letting his team get too worked up over past success or future opponents.

"Our focus is on our next game as the most important game, which will be the Wyoming game after this game," Mendenhall said. "That stance, that policy, that consistency will not change as long as I'm the head coach. The only way we are able to maintain our focus is by keeping the exact same approach, regardless of what's at stake."

Mendenhall's philosophy appears to have rubbed off on his players.

"We're happy about the win at Washington, but we're certainly not satisfied," added tight end Dennis Pitta. "Obviously that was a big win for us and our program, but we have to put that behind us now. We've got to look to UCLA and they're a good football team. We have to be able to come out at home this week and get a win."

The Bruins enter this Saturday's game with a surprising 1-0 record, as they upset then No. 18 Tennessee at home to open the season. Quarterback Kevin Craft, who came into the season as the Bruins' third-string quarterback, bounced back from four first-half interceptions and showed composure beyond his playing experience to lead his team from behind in the fourth quarter to capture a 27-24 victory in overtime.

In an unusual twist of logistics, the Bruins will be led by their third head coach in three games against the Cougars. Rick Neuheisel was hired in the offseason to replace DeWayne Walker, who served as interim head coach after Karl Dorrell was fired before the Las Vegas Bowl. Walker remains with the team as the defensive coordinator.

In some ways, the coaching carrousel may give UCLA an advantage on Saturday, as Neuheisel and newly-hired offensive coordinator Norm Chow have implemented an offense that is quite different from what BYU faced twice last year. From the Bruins' point of view, they will be facing a familiar opponent, since BYU is a similar, though more experienced, team from a year ago.

BYU's main advantage will be consistency, something Mendenhall has preached since he arrived on the scene three years ago.

"As you watch us play, I don't think we are the most entertaining team in the country, but I think we are methodical and I think we execute soundly," Mendenhall said. "[Winning] comes down to your ability to execute your plays, regardless of circumstance - at home, on the road, against a man team or a zone team. When you've practiced them so many times, it lends itself to knowing clearly who we are. We tailor our strategies and schemes for each opponent, but we're not looking to deviate much week-in and week-out."

BYU comes into this game rolling on offense, as quarterback Max Hall is the current MWC Player of the Week and Dennis Pitta leads the nation with 361 receiving yards. The Cougar defense, however, has been just good enough to get by. The defense has not created any turnovers, something that has benefitted the team immensely the past few seasons.

"We're still very young on the defensive side of the ball," safety Kellen Fowler said. "I think we've made some strides these first few games and we're starting to make the plays that need to be made if we're going to win."

The first two games have been useful in getting young players at the linebacker spots and in the secondary playing time and experience, but now they must start dictating the flow of the game instead of just managing what the opposing offense gives them.

"Playing [UCLA] again is an advantage and at the same time a disadvantage because they've seen a lot of us too," Pitta said. "Whoever comes in and executes better - on both sides of the ball - will have the advantage, so that's what we're focusing on right now. We're confident that if we play our game and execute like we know we can then we'll come out on top."

Copyright Brigham Young University 11 Sep 2008