BYU football players keep talking about a different mindset, and Jan Jorgensen has brought along a changed body.

Plain exhausted from being so bulky last season, the senior defensive end has gone from about 265 pounds down to roughly 250. He's hoping to recapture the speed that propelled him to a breakthrough sophomore season in which he was one of the country's best sackmasters.

"I don't get tired as fast now," Jorgensen said. "I'm back to the weight where I can fly around."

Jorgensen could use the extra energy. With a fairly inexperienced defense, he's basically the one Cougar teammates are roaming to when they have questions.

Last year BYU also had esteemed linebacker David Nixon, who has since graduated.

Jorgensen credits teammates like currently ailing linebacker Matt Bauman for also being open ears.

He also praises coaches for "a different mindset" that has enveloped the entire roster.

Players keep talking about fun and excitement, words that weren't hardly found last season. Pressure grew fast, then losses mounted swiftly toward the later part of the season. The grizzled veteran Jorgensen appears to be bouncier during practices as well, and not just because of the slim-down.

"Last season I think a lot of times we were trying not to screw up, instead of making plays, if that makes sense," Jorgensen said. "This year we're more focused on making plays, instead of worrying about messing up. We've gone back to the basics this spring, we've done it a lot. That way everyone's getting confident in what we're trying to do. And coaches are doing a good job of praising guys, and that gets everyone excited."

BYU will conclude spring practices Friday, the 15th 90-minute session that head coach Bronco Mendenhall expects to use as a padded scrimmage designed for personnel evaluation for the depth chart and walk-ons. It will involve mostly younger players. There will be no annual spring game, announced a few weeks ago, because of construction at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

"We have some hard decisions to make," Mendenhall said, noting that some choices will have to be made soon to fit under the 105-player limit in the fall.

Jorgensen, who redshirted in 2005 after serving a two-year LDS mission, believes this has been the Cougars' most productive spring session in his time in Provo.

Mendenhall would agree. The fifth-year coach said he does compare the annual sessions and, "I think that we're farther along at addressing key situations, knowing what it's going to take to have a successful season. Knowing how much work we need to develop certain positions. So the perspective is clearer. I think this is the most productive, most progressive spring we've had."

Wednesday did bring a bit of a mixed bag, however, as far as injuries were concerned.

Potential starting strongside linebacker Jordan Pendleton -- new to the position this spring after being groomed for the safety spot -- suffered what Mendenhall and trainers believed to be a bone bruise below his knee at the start of practice.

He did not participate the rest of the session, which the head coach called precautionary as Pendleton went for X-rays that weren't expected to reveal anything (though Mendenhall wasn't immediately sure after practice).

Sophomore receiver McKay Jacobson saw a little contact action during drills, the first time that's happened since because of a hamstring injury suffered before the beginning of spring camp last month.

During 7-on-7 drills he even caught a touchdown pass from Max Hall.

"I think McKay's more worried than anyone, that he hasn't been healthy," Mendenhall said. "As a coaching staff we have no doubt he'll be able to contribute this fall."