Bye week: Getting the kinks out

Max Hall said linebacker David Nixon had his nomination for the league’s OFFENSIVE player of the week after he scored a touchdown on an interception.

Nixon did receive MWC defensive player of the week honors released this morning.

Hall did say he’s pushing for offensive guard Travis Bright to step in to the punt return duties currently being auditioned by Reed White, Spencer Hafoka and O’ Neil Chambers.

“My 6.2 speed (forty time) is kind of elusive,” joked Bright at Monday’s press conference.

Today marked the start of Bronco Mendenhall’s effort to control more of the disruption of Hall’s life by interview requests, which got out of hand last week following the win over UCLA.

Mendenhall spoke to reporters and then had Hall take to the podium where he could undergo what we call in the business as a “gang interview.” He will do the same thing on Tuesday to a national teleconference via phone. Today’s session allowed the local guys to get a crack at Hall. Hall will be available to be interviewed after Tuesday’s practice. Tuesday will end Hall’s media participation for the week.

Mendenhall asked for a “partnership” of the media in trying to help Hall and divvy out his time in a responsible manner.

“It’s not that Max is better or more valuable than anybody else on this team but requests for him (to be interviewed) are disproportionate.”

Mendenhall said BYU’s slow start (offensively) against Wyoming may have been due to what he called coming off a little. He acknowledged there was an expectation on offense “that this might be easy.” And, thus, the performance suffered.

Mendenhall said he did have an internal break down in management in the game when he asked for a review of a punt formation in the second half up 41-0. Mendenhall said he was told by a person in the press box on his staff that Wyoming had 12 men on the formation and he objected on the basis of principle.

But after he asked for a review, the person backed off the objection (in the press box) and he was not happy with the situation because of sportsmanship and respect to Wyoming coach Joe Glenn.

“That was a matter of communication and it was a management problem.”

Mendenhall said the fifth corner back on the team is Gary Nagy and it will be hard for him to get on the field right now because of the nickle back situation with starting corner Scott Johnson and Brandon Bradley.

The closest secondary guy to getting additional playing time is Andrew Rich, who backs up both safety positions, said the coach.