PROVO -- In the final scrimmage of the spring season, the BYU defense held the offensive units to just 57 yards rushing and only one touchdown completion.
"I like what our defense was doing out there," Crowton said. "The first team played well and I really was impressed with our second-team defense. They did a nice job and showed they were ahead of the offense at this point, which really doesn't surprise me."
The Cougar defense recorded four sacks and had two interceptions, including Jernaro Giford's 70-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Though the offense seemed sluggish at first, battling through several incomplete attempts, the combined units turned it on to recorded 367 yards of total offense, including 310 yards passing. Doman led the offensive units with 213 yards on 18-of-33, while Todd Mortensen recorded 34 yards on 3-of-20 attempts.
Luke Staley led the rushing game, racking up 47 yards on 11 carries, including a 12-yard scoring run off a pitch to the left side of the field. Brian McDonald carried the ball seven times, recording 25 yards on the afternoon. All totaled, BYU ball carriers generated 57 yards on 51 carries, averaging just over one yard per carry.
"I think the defense played really well today," senior linebacker Justin Ena said. "We kept the intensity and the confidence throughout the whole scrimmage. The offense had done well at times against us earlier on this spring, so we knew we had to be intense and have a good showing today."
Senior defensive end Brett Keisel led the defense on the afternoon, recording five solo tackles, including two stops for a combined loss of 10 yards. Rodney Wilkerson and Ammon Mauga eached produced five solo tackles for the Cougar defense, while Curt Elliott, Colby Bockwoldt, and Alex Farris all had four solo stops.
"We were a little nervous and made some mistakes on offense," Doman said. "It was a spring game and for some reason these spring games don't always go how you want them to go. The defense did a great job today. We have great team unity. When we get everyone on the same page, playing at the same level, we're going to be a really good team."
McDonald scored the first touchdown of the scrimmage during the first quarter on a five-yard run, capping a six-play, 39-yard drive. Doman hooked up with David Christensen in the endzone with :03 remaining before halftime to notch the only touchdown completion of the afternoon. Staley scored the only other offensive points of the contest, producing a vintage Staley-type run to the corner for a 12-yard touchdown.
"Offensively, we're close, but we're not quite there," Crowton said. "The more opportunities they have to drive the ball before the Nevada game, the better off we'll be. I think we can be pretty good, but we've got some polishing up to do."