PROVO -- With the first game against Notre Dame only 11 days away, the BYU football team continued with two-a-days in preparation for their Sept. 4 meeting with the Irish.
Head coach Gary Crowton said the team will go through a dress rehearsal for Notre Dame later this week, preparing for all situations the team might face against the Irish.
"It's getting close," Crowton said of his team's impending match-up with Notre Dame. "It feels a lot different this week because the game is right around the corner."
The team practiced outside in the morning in drizzly conditions that forced them to play on the field turf instead of the natural grass field they normally practice on. The morning session lasted about two hours and was pass oriented, while the afternoon practice was run oriented and lasted about an hour.
During the afternoon practice the team conducted a short but spirited short yardage scrimmage, with the offense converting two of three attempts before Crowton ended practice abruptly.
Tuesday the team will hold practice in at 10 a.m. on the practice field. This will be the final practice open to the public this fall. Fans wishing to attend should enter at the gate on the southwest corner of the field.
Crowton said the team is going to hold its final scrimmage of fall camp tomorrow, before the team starts game planning for Notre Dame. He said the second and third string will get most of the snaps
"It will be similar to the last one, maybe a little bit shorter," Crowton said of tomorrow's scrimmage. "Threes and Twos will probably take a lot more reps because of the fact there are a lot of young guys that are very athletic, but are still learning--especially on defense and among the receivers."
Crowton added that the scrimmage will be used to evaluate how far the younger players have progressed and what they still need to work on. He also said the team was grateful for the support the fans have shown by coming out in droves to attend practice.
"I think the energy of our fans is such a positive thing," Crowton said. "I think the players really enjoy playing in front of people. It's been a really great thing."