BYU looks to apply lessons learned from its ‘Quest for Perfection’

By Ryan Greene

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 | 2:30 a.m.

Consider it a slogan that was maybe misconstrued a tad.

Either way, BYU set out last season on a "Quest for Perfection" — a saying found on numerous T-shirts and whatnots throughout the greater Provo area. What it came up with was a disappointing 10-3 finish.

Of course, 10-3 is nothing to scoff at for most college football programs, but the Cougars reached for more. And though they wouldn't say it before the season began, they had dreams of filling the shoes ultimately worn by Utah as a BCS buster.

"I think a lot of people outside of the program saw the 'Quest for Perfection' motto and took it definitely out of context," Cougar defensive back Andrew Rich said Tuesday at Mountain West Conference media day. "That whole thing was that we were definitely going to try to play as best as we could every Saturday. Not necessarily a perfect season as far as wins and losses go."

Whether it wound up being used as bulletin board material or not, the Cougars say now that they learned plenty from the "Quest."

"I learned quite a bit, still being relatively new to coaching, that I could have done and wish I would have been more skillful in building a barrier around us, focusing on the game and what we needed to do to prepare," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said.

Mendenhall added that he wished he'd built a "bigger bubble" around his team a year ago, but this time around, everyone's going to get a good look at what the Cougars are really made of right from go.

BYU opens its season in a nationally-televised bout with Oklahoma on Sept. 5 at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Sooners will field one of the nation's top squads, spearheaded by junior quarterback Sam Bradford — the Heisman winner a year ago.

"I think just the opportunity to kind of be the spoiler," senior tight end Dennis Pitta said. "Nobody really gives us a chance in that game and everyone kind of looks at us as a big underdog. We don't have a whole lot to lose in that game, and that's kind of the exciting thing. We're not scared and we feel like we can play with them."

Mendenhall said that his team doesn't have much choice but to play them, as filling in a schedule has become a grind.

With a 32-7 record under their belts over the past three seasons, along with a pair of league championships, non-conference foes haven't been easy to come by.

"Right beneath the top 3 or 4, not many want to play," he explained. "So what's happening is that the respect that the media or maybe the nation is slow to gain, the college football world and coaches are very quick to acknowledge. If you were to sit in my seat and try to schedule a football game right now, you'd find it very difficult, unless it's maybe USC, LSU, Oklahoma.

"But after that, there's not much happening."

The Cougars' schedule this season reflects that, as they'll lock horns two weeks later with Florida State in Provo.

Several are already writing BYU off in its opener, but a defeat wouldn't be the worst hand that Mendenhall & Co. could be dealt.

BYU has a history under Mendenhall of bouncing back from early letdowns.

In 2006, after losing its opener to Arizona 16-13, the Cougars lost two weeks later to Boston College on the road. They then proceeded to go undefeated in conference play, then smashed Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl, 38-8.

Two years ago, following back-to-back losses at UCLA and Tulsa early on, the Cougars again ran the table in the MWC and — again — won in the Las Vegas Bowl, exacting some revenge on UCLA, 17-16.

"The lessons we learned in those games helped us win the conference and helped us move the program forward," Mendenhall added. "So while many would like to say, let's say we lose to Oklahoma, their season is lost. What if we win every one after that? Is it really lost? I would say no. If we win a conference championship, and we lose against Florida State and Oklahoma, is that a lost season? What if then the bowl team we play against, we annihilate them, does that not then show that we've moved forward? So there's a lot of ways to look at it."

And what if BYU pulls off what is already looked at as the unthinkable on Sept. 5?

Well, the goal then becomes to handle attention in a more closed-off and focused fashion than was the case a year ago.

It's hard not to talk about BYU's 2008 season and not mention the slaughter that was its 32-7 beatdown on Oct. 16 in Fort Worth, Texas. The Cougars came in ranked No. 8 in the nation and on an actual "Quest for Perfection," but instead, TCU vaulted itself back into the BCS at-large chatter more and more each time it got in the face of BYU quarterback Max Hall.

That night, the then-junior standout couldn't find breathing room in the pocket, throwing a pair of interceptions and getting sacked seven times.

The more lingering effect, though, was the vulnerability the Cougars showed in the following weeks.

A week later, they escaped UNLV at home in an unexpected shootout, 42-35. Then came a 3-point victory at Colorado State in which BYU trailed heading into the fourth quarter.

Mix in a loss to Utah in the regular season finale, then a lifeless 31-21 setback against Arizona in the Las Vegas Bowl, and you have a tailspin of sorts that BYU is in no rush to repeat.

"I think the other teams in the conference saw what TCU did to us and definitely got some confidence coming in to play us," Rich said. "We hadn't lost in the conference for a couple years in that point, they saw TCU beat us and the other teams probably licked their chops when they saw that happen.

"It was a humbling experience last year."

Still, the Cougars have plenty to be excited no matter how last year came to a close.

Hall enters his senior season as the league's preseason Offensive Player of the Year pick, having already thrown for 7.805 yards and 61 touchdowns in two seasons as a starter. Oddly enough, he was not brought to the Green Valley Ranch for media day.

Pitta will be his top target, coming off of an 83-reception, 1,083-yard junior campaign.

They also have seven starters coming back on defense, headlined by senior defensive end Jan Jorgensen, who has 24 career sacks and 33 tackles for loss.

Numbers are one thing to go off of. But how much was learned from last year will be on display right away in front of the entire country.

"We understand who we are," Pitta said. "We understand who Oklahoma is. We understand the respect they have nationally, and that's the respect that we're trying to get."