BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall's postgame comments

After BYU beat the you-know-what out of the Texas Longhorns on Saturday night, coach Bronco Mendenhall finished his postgame interview session by addressing a question about whether he likes to see quarterback Taysom Hill run so much. "I like the way he ran. I didn't like the way he didn't slide. We both smiled at the one [where he didn't, late in the game], and he was like, 'yeah, i know, i know, but .. crap,'" Mendenhall said. A other answers from Mendenhall: On what he said during the delay to the team:"I didn't say anything. They were jovial and loose. Because, man, two delays in our first two games. We were looking at each other like, c'mon. They were loose and we kept it that way. We knew when it was time to go out and play we would be ready. But against Virginia, I was tight, they were tight. There was tons of anxiety. We had already been through that. So, if we get another delay, maybe we will play even better."On the emotional swing and keeping the guy even-keeled:"We weren't even-keeled. It was a hard week. It was a hard loss a week ago. We translated that into work. We worked them hard this week. They wanted to be worked hard. That gave them the chance to play like this, but there was nothing even-keeled about this. Then the point where we finally got to the game, and the delay, it was just like, c'mon. All we could do was laugh. But eventually, they were ready."On the biggest difference from last week to this week's game offensively:"We prepared better. We prepared harder. We prepared longer. We prepared more diligently as coaches and players. Again, our practice model from Monday through Thursday, in my opinion, is what the difference was. " On the nice moment with coach Robert Anae, a hug, after the game: "Robert is completely loyal. He's a fierce competitor, and we know it is going to take time. Fans and others don't really acknowledge it is going to take time, but to have that kind of jump against that kind of opponent from one week to the next, I was happy for him, a lot. I understand what the pressures are like. No one wanted his players to succeed more than he did. No one wanted him to succeed more than me, so it was nice to be able to acknowledge that."On the improved play of the offensive line:"They were assignment-sound, but they also blocked harder and longer. They weren't just on the right people, but they actually blocked them with intensity and physical demeanor. In Week 1, they went fast and they were on the right guys, but they weren't blocking with the mindset that we wanted, and so that was our focus — to not give the quality of each play, for the scheme of each play." On handling what Texas was doing to them:"Absolutely. It has to be a combination of both. It can't be just one-sided. They rotated a lot, they were trying to keep fresh bodies in, and I just think we had a good plan and executed it well. They have really good players. They were trying hard, it is just by execution, that gave us the advantage." On how he was able to change the mindset of offensive linemen so drastically in one week:"Coach Anae has been working really hard with coach Tujague, and our entire offensive staff. I have been meeting with the entire team more on what it means to be a BYU football player, and what that looks like. And I think any time that I have been able to identify as a coaching staff what it is our team needs, and we ask them right, they respond. That's what we saw this week."On how they got pressure on Texas' quarterback:"Good players. When you have Kyle Van Noy, and Bronson Kaufusi, Alani Fua and Eathyn Manumaleuna, it is like that. The biggest mistake I made early in the game was too much zone pressure, etc., Really, we got the most when it was just our guys going against theirs. So that's really what happened."On going for the FG at end of first half:"I think we agreed as a coaching staff. .... I think we handled it better. Jason Beck was really sharp with the guys in the box, the way that he was feeding information. I thought it was just better to just kick it rather than take the risk of trying to [score a touchdown] and get nothing on the play. A similar decision — we probably could have got the yard late in the game. But points seemed to be more important and we got better as a coaching staff just in terms of game management, and that takes a little time." On having more confidence in Justin Sorensen:"Oh man, he's done a nice job. I really have a lot clearer idea of where his range is. And we've done a better job of supporting him as a person and a player, rather than just criticizing him."On whether he's concerned about the passing game:"It is a work in progress, but much better than a week ago. So I like the way it is coming. Certainly, No. 2 [Cody Hoffman] makes a difference out there. That makes a big difference. I think it is coming along, and I am encouraged by that. But there is priority work where we target the run and the blocking up front first, and eventually that will catch up."