Fall Camp ends, Arizona game prep up next
Thursday, August 23, 2007, 2:28 pm
BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall has done his best to manage the amount of live contact his team has done in Fall Camp. On Wednesday, Mendenhall let ?em loose.
Well, for five plays, at least.
To conclude Fall Camp the offense and defense squared off in a five-play live goal line drill, which got the players as pumped up and noisy as they?ve been since opening camp on Aug. 4.
?Goal line was fun,? BYU sophomore tight end Vic So?oto said. ?We knew we had five plays live and we just went at it.?
Score it Defense 3, Offense 2.
?We felt like we?d hit every situation through Fall Camp except goal line,? Mendenhall said. ?We installed the goal line package last night. We went five live plays at risk of injury and we felt there should be an odd number, so someone wins or loses. We think that?s important.?
On the first goal line play, sophomore defensive end Brett Denney came out of the pile with a fumble recovery. On the second play, sophomore quarterback Max Hall threw to sophomore tight end Andrew George, who made a diving catch for a touchdown. On the third play, senior linebacker Chris Bolden was first in a group of players stopping junior running back Fui Vakapuna behind the line of scrimmage. On play No. 4, backup quarterback Brenden Gaskins connected with sophomore receiver Austin Collie in the back of the end zone for a score. And on the final play, backup running back Isaac Taylor was stopped for no gain.
The series brought an end to Fall Camp - and not a moment too soon.
?I wish it was over two days ago,?Mendenhall said. ?The team has hit each other enough, the coaches have coached against each other enough, I?ve been in middle of all of it enough. The team came in ready to play and managing the intensity the past four or five practices has been very difficult. I?m ready to break.?
The players, too, were ready to move to the next phase of the season, which means finally putting in the Arizona game plan.
?After going against our own defense for three weeks, we want to move on and get a different look, go against someone else,? George said.
The players don?t have practice on Thursday but the coaches will be in meetings all day to tune up the Arizona game plan and make final decisions on redshirts and scout team. Junior wide receiver Michael Reed said he would sleep until 9 a.m. and run some errands. There?s an optional weight lifting session in the morning - ?It?s optional, but everyone will be there,? Reed said - and a team activity in the evening. So?oto said he would spend his afternoon hanging out at his sister?s house and ?reading my scriptures.?
Situations: BYU continued its situational work with blue zone opportunities, where freshman Mitch Payne was 1 of 2 on field goals. Defensive highlights included an interception by senior cornerback Ben Criddle and freshmen Austen Jorgensen (LB) and David Angilau (NT) combining for a sack.
On the mike: KSL Radio has tapped former BYU receiver Nate Meikle to be their sideline reporter during Cougar broadcasts this season. Meikle, who caught 21 passes for 304 yards and returned both punts and kicks in 2006, replaces another former BYU player in James Dye, who left to pursue business interests.
Still on the Hooks: BYU sophomore linebacker Terrence Hooks was expected to be at practice on Tuesday or Wednesday but the legal process continues to drag things out. Hooks, who was involved in the water balloon throwing, door-breaking-down incident this spring, is still waiting on paperwork.
?He?s frustrated,? Mendenhall said. ?The process with the court has more steps than we anticipated. Terrence has done everything he?s supposed to do and everything he?s been asked, both by the program and the court.?
Hooks will serve a one-game suspension (Arizona) when he returns.
Ah, Fui: Mendenhall said while junior running back Fui Vakapuna is continuing to improve, he?s not 100 percent.
?I couldn?t put a percentage on it,? Mendenhall said. ?I haven?t felt, even though he was cleared, he was running and performing like he was. Until he was 100 percent I wasn?t willing to get him in a bad situation. I?ve seen progress the past five practices and that?s why I let him carry it live today. We?ve been increasing his volume and his readiness is increasing. We still have two weeks before the start of the season.?
Vakapuna underwent surgery on his ankle during the offseason.
He said it: When asked if backup quarterback Brenden Gaskins (broken finger) would be ready for the opener against Arizona, Mendenhall said, ?He has to be. He has to be.?
