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San Diego • As the BYU Cougars ran out of the weight room at Southwestern College south of San Diego on Monday morning in 65 degree weather to resume practicing for Wednesday's Poinsettia Bowl, a Christmas song blared over the loudspeakers about this being the most wonderful time of the year.
The location isn't bad, either.
"Best place in the world," said BYU offensive lineman Tuni Kanuch, who served a two-year LDS Church mission here. "Just a wonderful place. I love it, even when it gets cold here, it still feels good."
Practice wasn't open to the media, but coaches and players alike said beforehand they expected it to be intense, because, well, Saturday's first practice in San Diego was not.
Assistant coach Ed Lamb said Saturday's energy level was high, but the concentration and focus was missing. Offensive coordinator Ty Detmer attributed it to a 12-hour travel day the team experienced on Friday while leaving Provo.
They waited on the chartered airplane at the Provo airport for three hours, then got off when it was determined the plane couldn't handle the snowstorm. They were bussed to Salt Lake City, where there were more delays before they flew out of town on another airplane. They finally made it to San Diego at 1 a.m. Saturday morning.
"This isn't mess around week," Detmer said. "We have a game to play. I expect to see the focus level up today, just the little things. … It was more of that eyes-all-over-the-place, enjoying-the-weather atmosphere that first practice, which generally you expect when you travel and have the first day back out here."
The Cougars didn't practice Sunday, per school rules, while Wyoming went full-tilt at San Diego Mesa College.
"It has been a little different, because you are on a day, off a day. You know, practice Thursday, travel Friday, practice Saturday, off Sunday," Detmer said. "So, you feel like as coaches there is not a lot of continuity in it, but that's bowl prep."
Qualcomm's quality
The Cougars who weren't on the 2012 team that beat San Diego State 23-6 in the Poinsettia Bowl will get their first look at Qualcomm Stadium on Tuesday when they go through a walk-through practice. Of course, Detmer has played many times at the venerable stadium, and he said Monday that a 52-52 tie against San Diego State in an old WAC game was his most memorable.
The San Diego Chargers hosted the Oakland Raiders on the field on Sunday, and it looked chewed up and full of divots on television. But Detmer isn't concerned.
"They usually have that field ready to go," he said. "When I was here, we played enough late in the year that it was always a fast track. There might not be the most grass on it, but we expect it to be a pretty good field."
Ready to roll
Three Cougars who were limited this year by minor nagging injuries — running backs Squally Canada (wrist) and Jamaal Williams (ankle) and linebacker Butch Pau'u (knee) — are all at 100 percent and ready to play, Detmer and defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki said Monday.
"Jamaal is healthy," Detmer said. "It will be the same as always where he has got a say on when he needs to come out and when he is ready to go back in. We have left that up to him most of the year. We feel good about his decisions there. He will be ready to go. He is excited. Last game. He is 100 percent."
Briefly
The Cougars visited the San Diego Zoo on Sunday after church services and toured SeaWorld on Monday. They will visit the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier and museum on Tuesday. ... Detmer said backup quarterbacks Beau Hoge and Koy Detmer Jr. have split the few reps not given to Tanner Mangum the last few weeks and both "are a little more focused, a little more dialed in" because they know they could be called on if Mangum has to leave the game. … Injured quarterback Taysom Hill (elbow) watched Monday's practice from the sidelines.
Twitter: @drewjay