Bauman earned way into starting position
Dick Harmon
It's solidly in the hands of BYU junior Matt Bauman.
Bronco Mendenhall defenses tend to hinge on the personality and leadership of inside linebackers. He anoints them as play callers and they must lead by example. In Provo, that means they've got to deliver fanatical effort and keep mental mistakes to a minimum.
That's a portrait of Bauman, a former walk-on who grew up a University of Utah fan but left the Ute football office with a rejection slip. He swallowed his dreams of playing in Rice-Eccles Stadium and went to the enemy camp, where he asked Mendenhall for a chance four summers ago.
The former Skyline High star is now settled into the slot vacated by Kelly Poppinga and Cameron Jensen. Terrance Hooks pushed Bauman, who refused to relinquish the spot. Hooks then went down to a knee injury more than two weeks ago and as spring drills concluded this past Saturday, Bauman is clearly BYU's new defensive CPU.
"He's the type of young man you'd want your daughter to marry," said linebacker coach Paul Tidwell. "Players like him. They respect him. He is a natural leader and a guy you can count on."
At 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, the junior impressed Mendenhall early, before he left for a mission to Harrisburg, Pa. Mendenhall started the freshman Bauman in the last four games of 2004 at outside linebacker and then made sure he had a scholarship.
Bauman appears to have a football photographic memory. You put a scheme before him and he digests it.
He may have the flash of a Bryan Kehl, but you'd have to scour film pretty intensely to find him out of position, flaking out in a key defensive stand.
Bauman ranked No. 1 in his class at Skyline with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. He eats tests for snacks. Math is Ping Pong. History is Tiddlywinks. The sciences are pick-up sticks. Football? Bring it on.
"I'm exited to have an expanded role on this team after playing behind Kelly last year, and let's see if I can help out in a bigger way," said Bauman. "I feel comfortable and confident."
Bauman grew up in Salt Lake City where his father, Tom, took him to every Utah football and basketball game. Most of his friends he grew up with attended Utah after graduation.
"Talking to Coach Mendenhall, I felt pretty good about coming out here, and it's worked out well for me. He was really positive with me. He told me the first time I met him he didn't have a scholarship for me but he had seven walk-ons starting for him. He said if I worked hard, my time would come, and that's exactly what's happened."
Recent comments
is to be a returned missionary in order to play at BYU, then of course...
As long as the prequalification | April 17, 2008 at 3:06 p.m.
Its funny how it all works out over time. BYU overlooks people that...
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