BYU prepares both QB’s for Poinsettia Bowl

Brigham Young football coach Bronco Mendenhall will wait until the day of the game to announce his starting quarterback for the Poinsettia Bowl.

Senior James Lark has taken the majority of snaps in practice this week while senior Riley Nelson continues to heal his bruised ribs. Both are preparing to start when the Cougars (7-5) visit San Diego State (9-3) on Thursday .

"We've been handling this for a long time," Lark said. "We just go out and play. Whatever happens, happens."

Nelson and Lark are best friends and room together when BYU is on the road. With Nelson injured, Lark made his first career start at New Mexico State on Nov. 24. He threw for 384 yards and six touchdowns in BYU's 50-14 win.

"I want to end my BYU career with a victory whether I play or not," Lark said. "Regardless of that situation, I'm going to go out and give my best effort and finish without any regrets."

Nelson expects to increase his workload in practice Monday.

"My back is OK," Nelson said. "The ribs are still a little sore, but I'm on pace to be ready."

■ PRACTICE PLAN - BYU will conclude its practices in Provo, Utah, today and will take Saturday and Sunday off. The Cougars arrive in San Diego on Sunday night and will practice Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mendenhall is sticking to the same practice model that he has used for the past five bowl games. BYU has gone 4-1 during that stretch. In addition to practice, the Cougars will attend SeaWorld on Monday and the San Diego Zoo on Tuesday.

■ CHANGE OF PACE - The Poinsettia Bowl will be the fourth different bowl in four years for BYU. The Cougars played in five consecutive Las Vegas bowls (2005 to 2009), the New Mexico Bowl (2010) and the Armed Forces Bowl (2011).

Next year, BYU will play in San Francisco's Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl if it's bowl eligible and not in the BCS.

"It's easy for players, coaches and fans to become entitled when you go to the same game," Mendenhall said. "BYU experienced that in the Holiday Bowl (1978 to 1984, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993) and we saw it in the Las Vegas bowl. Sometimes it's nice to have a change."

■ HAPPY HOMECOMING - Running back Jamaal Williams will have a large contingent of followers in San Diego. "My mom bought 62 tickets," the freshman from Fontana, Calif., said. "I can't wait for it, especially since it's in California. It's my first bowl game, so it's going to be very exciting."

■ MORE HONORS - Senior punter Riley Stephenson of St. George, Utah, was named second-team All-American by The Associated Press. The AP named junior linebacker Kyle Van Noy of Reno a third-team All-American.

■ ATTENTION FOR ANSAH - With his NFL Draft prospects increasing, so are the demands around senior defensive end Ezekiel Ansah. Still relatively new to football, Ansah is trying to survive the wave of publicity.

"We've had to put on extra layers of help for him," Mendenhall said. "There is nowhere he can go without someone trying to advise him or try to be affiliated with him. I think we've done a nice job managing the agents. Think we've done a nice job managing possible future mentors and really protect him so he can just finish his finals and play football. But it's been a challenge."

■ HOOPS VS. WILDCATS - For the first time in two seasons, Saturday's basketball game between BYU (6-3) and Weber State (4-2) will not feature the nation's leading scorer.

The Cougars showcased Jimmer Fredette in the 2010 meeting and the Wildcats featured Damian Lillard last season.

Fredette averaged 28.9 points per game during his senior year and finished his career as BYU's all-time leading scorer with 2,599 points. Lillard averaged 24.5 last season, and his 1,934 career points rank second all time at Weber State. Both were top-10 picks in the NBA Draft.

The game, which takes place in Ogden, Utah, will be televised on BYUtv (Cable 352) at 6 p.m. BYU leads the series, 27-10.

■ AGGIES RESCHEDULED - BYU and Utah State will play Feb. 19 in Provo. The game was originally scheduled for Dec. 5, but was postponed after Aggies starter Danny Berger collapsed in practice. He was treated and released from a hospital five days later.

Dave McCann is a news anchor for KSL television in Salt Lake City and the play-by-play voice for BYU sports on BYUtv. He is also the host of True Blue, which airs Mondays at 5:30 p.m. on BYUtv. He can be reached at dmccann@ksl.com or on Twitter @DaveMcCannKSL.