BYU wants to prove it’s worthy of better

LAS VEGAS – BYU is hoping a win against Arizona in the Las Vegas Bowl today can set the team on a path that leads elsewhere next year.

Making a fourth straight trip to the bowl, not to mention the brisk winter air and the most snowfall southern Nevada has seen in 30 years, has the No. 17 Cougars feeling a little too at home this week.

Wide receiver Austin Collie said that to get to a more prestigious bowl in 2009 – ideally a BCS game – the team must prove it deserves something better.

“We had high hopes in the beginning of the year – we had a lot of goals set, and goals that were achievable,” said Collie, a second-team All-American. “As the season went on, I think we kind of dropped off a little bit.

“I don’t think that’s because of the teams we played – I think we’re equally if not more talented than the teams we’ve played – it’s just that we beat ourselves,” he said.

BYU’s 10-2 season included conference losses to ranked teams, a 32-7 road setback to TCU and a 48-24 defeat at Utah in its last regular-season game, Nov. 22.

“I think we’ve put it behind us, but I think we’re hungry to play again and kind of end the season on a high note,” said quarterback Max Hall, who had six turnovers against Utah, including five interceptions.

BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall, who made his team’s theme for the season “Quest for Perfection,” said he would measure progress for his team through its consistency and execution. He said 11 wins in three straight seasons – which BYU would achieve if it beats the Wildcats – would prove the program is moving in the right direction.

“It’s about our preparation, our position mastery and our execution,” Mendenhall said. “We really don’t acknowledge whom we’re playing or where, and so our approach has just been very consistent.”

Still, Mendenhall said he believes Arizona will be the strongest opponent BYU has had in its past four bowl games.

Arizona has garnered attention for a spread offense led by quarterback Willie Tuitama and tight end Rob Gronkowski. It is playing its first bowl game in 10 years.

“We are excited, but we know it’s just another game,” said Gronkowski, who leads the Wildcats with 10 touchdowns.

“It’s good to be more excited because then you’re going to be more focused; you’re going to be more ready,” he said.

Scoring used to be a problem for Arizona until it installed a spread offense at the beginning of 2007. In its season opener that year – the last time Arizona faced BYU – the Wildcats didn’t score until the final minute and lost 20-7. They have picked it up since then.

This year, Arizona ranks 16th nationally after scoring just over 37 points per game. It tallied 70 points in a shutout against Idaho. BYU ranks 19th, scoring 35.3 points per game.

Arizona coach Mike Stoops said a win would mean validation for a program that had not had a winning season since 1998, when it went 12-1 and beat Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.

“Some programs take longer than others, let’s face it. There’s only so many Oklahomas, Texases, Ohio States and USCs,” Stoops said. “The rest of us have to work really hard to develop our programs and to gain stability in programs.”

Stoops, the brother of Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, took over at Arizona in 2004 after five season on the Sooners staff.

Before leading the Wildcats to the Las Vegas Bowl with a 7-5 record, Stoops was a combined 17-29 in his first four seasons coaching Arizona.