"Hell Week” or Just BYU Preparing for Air Force? You Make the Call

The Air Force practice week is unique, to say the least. Each day the game draws closer, the Coaches work harder and harder to insure every player is keeping his eyes in the right spots and performing his individual assignment.

Scout team players tend to pick up the tempo as they sense the Coaching staff's urgency throughout the week. Gone are the Wednesdays with little contact and less running. Helmet practices turn into full speed practices without the contact, and walk-throughs turn into track meets as everyone’s expectations expand in anticipation of playing Air Force.

It’s not that the team feels inadequate or less prepared. Instead, the practices and urgency demands a heightened sense of concentration. Assignment concentration for 75 plays is going to be key to winning in Colorado Springs. The cadets' work ethic is comparable to BYU’s. The cadets' heart and determination is also similar to BYU’s.

So what sets us apart? In the past few years it has been our team ability to concentrate throughout every series and down until the final horn sounds.

The Air Force week's practice schedules are designed to test a player’s concentration throughout practice. Practices normally get shorter as the week goes on, but during the Air Force week the intensity from practice will linger until Sorenson sends the ball through the thin air and out of the end zone.

I remember my first AFA practices when Coach Mendenhall had the defense practicing against two scout team offenses—in order to double the number of reps during practice. It was a wild week of practice, but it paid off. BYU went into Colorado Springs and dropped the hammer—and I didn’t even play that year.

I wouldn’t expect any changes in AF preparations. This game means everything to Air Force, and we can’t afford to travel north into red country coming off a loss. BYU has two games left to define their season and one game—this week—to set them up for the biggest game in the Holy War's history.

This game is a whole lot more important then some might think.