BYU Notes -
By Patrick Kinahan
LAS VEGAS - Brigham Young's football team probably felt more at home than Cal did during Monday's practices. The Cougars held a morning practice under gray skies, with temperatures barely pushing 50 degrees. BYU is practicing at a local high school in the northeast part of town. The Bears staged an early-afternoon practice on UNLV's campus, less than one mile from the team's headquarters at the Hard Rock Hotel. BYU's contingent is staying at the Golden Nugget in downtown.
With more than one month between games, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall used the last seven practices in Provo to institute the game plan against the Bears. The three practices before the Las Vegas Bowl follow the Thursday routine of a normal game week. The 75-minute workout was in shorts, helmets and shoulder pads. The offense and defense broke off on different ends of the field, each running plays against the scout teams. The Cougars concluded practice with kickoff coverage. "We'll have the exact same amount of work as we do on Thursdays," Mendenhall said. The practice did not lack for intensity. At one point, offensive coordinator Robert Anae called his group together and demanded that receivers quit dropping easy receptions.
Bowl festivities
Both teams spent two hours at the New York-New York Hotel as part of the bowl activities. The event included Elvis serenading the crowd to Viva Las Vegas. The young Elvis - yes, he was not fat - danced through both team sections and then concluded his song with "Thank you, thank you very much." After the song, Eric Carrington, the master of ceremonies, chimed in with: "You can rent a Priscilla, but you can't Lisa Marie." A few of Cal's players competed in a pie-eating contest against each other. Selected Cougars took part in a Hoola-Hoop shake-off. The first round pitted offensive linemen Brian Sanders against Jake Kuresa. Carrington commented that "Lunchbox" Sanders - his nickname actually is Lunch Room - weighs 316 pounds. Sanders was most likely 15 years old the last time he weighed 316. Light on his toes, Sanders beat Kuresa. "I'm not very good," Kuresa said. "I found my weakness."
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