Nelson and the Cougars not on a Hawaii vacation

As finals approach and winter threatens to deepen, many BYU students would jump at the opportunity to make a relaxing trip to the tropics this weekend. When the football team visits the University of Hawaii on Saturday, however, the players know they have some tough work cut out for them if they want to come back to the mainland with a win.

Coming off their second bye in three weeks, the Cougars are anxious to renew their rivalry with the Warriors and effectively manage the inevitable distractions of the Aloha State.

“I checked the surf report, and it’s supposed to be good, so if I’m not there at the game, then you’ll know what’s happened,” joked coach Bronco Mendenhall. “When you go to Hawaii, it’s a vacation destination; the weather’s nice, there is the ocean right there. It’s natural [to suffer from distraction] unless you frame it to your team that there are times to focus on playing and times to focus on fun, and having clear delineations in between. … The maturity level of the players will also come into play and some will have a harder time than others.”

[media-credit name=”Photo courtesy of Mark A. Philbrick/BYU Photo” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]

The Cougars’ focus has been tested several times this season because of a slew of over-matched opponents in the second half of their schedule. The team has responded by winning six of seven and putting opponents away easily, while looking sharper in each contest. But against the Warriors, who are a respectable 6-6, the Cougars will battle distractions of a different variety.

“I think it will affect some players [being in the tropics], but ultimately we are going there to play a game,” senior defensive lineman Simote Vea said.

The Cougars will welcome junior quarterback Riley Nelson back to the lineup if his health doesn’t take a turn for the worse later in the week. Nelson, whose rib and lung injuries held him out against New Mexico State, was cleared for game-time action Tuesday and has been practicing as the starter.

Nelson’s status for this game has varied between probable and doubtful in recent weeks, but he said he is determined to play.

“Any opportunity I have to strap it on and go out there and play and have fun, I’m going to take advantage of it,” he said.

It has been a full decade since these teams met on the gridiron, when Hawaii ruined BYU’s bid for a perfect 2001 season by a score of 72-45. The teams were once considered bitter rivals, and Mendenhall and the players said they are eager to renew that intensity.

“I appreciate [the rivalry] and I understand it because there’s alumni around that have talked to us about it,” Nelson said. “Being BYU, a lot people don’t like you for whatever reason so we’re ready for it.”

The Cougars lead the all-time series 19-8, but the Warriors are tough at Aloha Stadium, having won seven of their last 10 games there. The teams kick off Saturday evening at 5:30 MT.