Van Noy, Hoffman eager to return

Winter semester is under way in Provo, Utah, and no two men on the Brigham Young campus are bigger than linebacker Kyle Van Noy and wide receiver Cody Hoffman.

The two juniors spurned the lure of the NFL dollar for one more run through spring drills, summer workouts and a senior season.

"It's so much fun to play college football, especially at BYU," Hoffman said. "I love going on the road to play because we have so much fan support wherever we go."

Hoffman is on course to break nearly every school receiving record held by former Cougars standout Austin Collie.

"One of the main points to come back was to spend it with my teammates and finish out something I started three years ago," said Van Noy, who starred at McQueen High School in Reno. "I also wanted to show people that it's not all about the money, it's about relationships."

Van Noy and Hoffman have specific offseason goals. For Hoffman, it's to improve his speed and ability to read defenses. Van Noy, who missed last spring after shoulder surgery, plans to cash in on his good health.

"I think it will make a big difference because it will give me more time to get better," said Van Noy, who led the 2012 team in sacks (13), tackles for loss (22) and forced fumbles (team-record six). "Getting bigger, lifting, running, conditioning - it will benefit me a lot."

Once the season begins, beating rival Utah will be a top priority. Hoffman and Van Noy are 0-3 against the Utes.

"To me, every game is a big game. We're gonna start off with Virginia and take it one game at a time," Van Noy said. "But when we get to that third week (Sept. 21), I think you are going to see a different BYU team, I know that."

■ ANAE RETURNS - After an 8-5 season that saw four of BYU's five losses come by a combined 13 points, coach Bronco Mendenhall rehired Robert Anae to revive the offense and rebuild the offensive line. Anae served as the Cougars' offensive coordinator from 2005 to 2010. He replaces Brandon Doman, who was hired to replace Anae when he left for Arizona.

During Anae's tenure as offensive coordinator, the Cougars featured quarterbacks John Beck and Max Hall. Hall remains the winningest quarterback in school history. The offense showcased the all-time leading receiver in Austin Collie, the all-time leading receiver at tight end in Dennis Pitta and the all-time leading rusher in Harvey Unga. The Cougars also played in five consecutive Las Vegas Bowls.

"I feel like (Anae) knows what he's doing," Hoffman said. "I think he will evolve the offense around everybody. I think it will make it tough for teams to defend us, and that will leave a lot of options open for me and the other players."

Anae, who coached the offensive line at UNLV in 1997 and '98, returns to BYU after spending two seasons at Arizona, where he worked for Mike Stoops and Rich Rodriguez. He inherits returning starters at wide receiver, tight end and running back. His challenges will be to revamp an offensive line that lost seven players to injury last season and to quickly develop sophomore-to-be quarterback Taysom Hill, who missed most of the season with a knee injury.

■ WEBER'S EXIT - After six seasons coaching the offensive line at BYU, Mark Weber is relocating to Logan, Utah, and will assume the same job at Utah State. He also will serve as assistant head coach.

The Cougars' offensive line struggled with injuries and inexperience last fall, and with the hiring of Robert Anae as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, Weber had to go.

Weber was a member of former UNLV coach Jeff Horton's staff from 1994 to '96. He also coached for Horton at UNR in 1993. With Utah State joining the Mountain West this fall, Weber will face UNLV and UNR on a regular basis.

■ REACHING 200 - BYU basketball coach Dave Rose is approaching his 200th victory. Rose has 198 after the Cougars' 76-51 win over Pepperdine on Thursday. He can reach 199 with a win Saturday at Santa Clara and 200 on Wednesday at home against Saint Mary's.

In eight seasons, the 55-year-old Rose has climbed to second for most wins in the program's history. He likely will need eight more 20-plus-win seasons to catch the legendary Stan Watts, who won 372 games from 1949 to 1972.

"I'm so proud of what he has done," said former BYU coach Steve Cleveland, who hired Rose as his assistant in 1997. "He has a system, and he has been consistent. Not only is he a great coach, but he has managed his talent so well."

The Cougars (13-4, 3-0 West Coast Conference) face Santa Clara at 1:30 p.m. Saturday on TWC (Cox 66). Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is at 8 p.m. on ESPNU (Cox 320).

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