There are a few things that the coaching staff stresses going into a game.  Among these items are a few that are very important to the success of the team.  Coach Mendenhall of coarse likes to talk about the 3 pillars of the game.  Those pillars are holding the opponent under 100 yards rushing, scoring more than 24 points and holding the opponent to under 24 points, and winning the turnover margin.  These 3 pillars have been key to the success of the past two teams and will continue to play a significant roll in Bronco’s team meetings.  The coaching staff came up with these numbers after a summer of research into the most successful programs.  They came to the understanding that these three benchmarks are the key to 9 or more wins a year.

What you may not know is how much attention is paid to stats.  Coach Mendenhall spent a lot of time “going over the numbers” of college footballs elite.  Understanding the numbers has helped him know which facets of the game to concentrate on.  Another very important part of the game, that most teams neglect, are the special teams.  Yet, special teams are the single most important part of the field position battle.  By concentrating an inordinate amount of time on special teams during the week, our team has improved their performances during those other plays; giving the special teams units an important role in the outcome of the game and achievement of a goal.

By concentrating the efforts of the team, BYU’s coaching staff is able to advise and instruct their individual players towards the common goals.  This increased focus gives each rep, period and portion of practice an identity with a tangible outcome,  the achievement of the 3 pillars.