BYU Football: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

They had barely walked off the field, Saturday, when the BYU Cougar started talking about their next football game — against Air Force.
Coach Bronco Mendenhall talked about essentially revamping the defensive schemes to handle the Falcons’ offense. There was also talk of the difficulty of playing a conference game so early.
What-EVER.
While it’s true the Falcons can be tough, especially on inexperienced players, fact is BYU seldom has trouble with Air Force. The Cougars have won the last six games against the Falcons and have never lost under Mendenhall (Gary Crowton was 2-2 against the Falcons). The average win under Mendenhall is by 19 points.
Considering BYU just beat a middle-of-the-road Pac-10 school, I figure the odds of beating Air Force are good.
BYU certainly doesn’t want to go into the game bragging about its advantages, but fact is the Cougars probably aren’t as worried about the Falcons as they say. Yes, the Falcons are the clear No. 4 team in the conference, but it’s not like playing TCU or Utah, and certainly not like playing Florida State. BYU has a 24-6 all-time record against the Falcons. They’re a pain to prepare for, but they’re also undersized and lacking in overall athleticism every year.
I understand teams have to focus on every single opponent. Still, I’d save the real worry for next week against No. 17 FSU.

***

Mendenhall said on Saturday that he planned to platoon his quarterbacks indefinitely, maybe all season.
I doubt that will happen.
While the two-QB look can be confusing to defenses, it can also be frustrating for offenses.
Much as Mendenhall seems to be buying time by insisting he’s using both QB’s, I figure as the season progresses, he’ll stick with whichever quarterback is hot, for longer periods, rather than alternating every possession.In conference games especially, you need to go with the hot hand, not the guy whose turn is coming up.
Neither signal-caller established a clear dominance in the race to become the full-time leader on Saturday against Washington. But as time passes, I’m predicting someone will emerge. Which one? For now, I’d go with Riley Nelson. He’s a proven winner, even at Utah State — which isn’t easy. His leadership is obvious. And he has a certain comfort level as an experienced player.
But over time — by mid- or late-season — I’m figuring Jake Heaps will overtake Nelson and become the No. 1 signal-caller.
You don’t recruit the top quarterback in the nation to sit him on the bench. Meanwhile, Nelson as a backup is a luxury few teams enjoy.
Once BYU settles on a first-string QB, it will be well set at that position, no matter what happens.