PROVO -- The first two weeks of spring practice has finally taken its toll. The Cougars shortened Friday's scrimmage to just 31 plays after battling depth issues due to a handful of injuries.
"When looking at our numbers, we had to scale things back a little today," BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "We reached a point today where we had to shorten practice. The players know when they show up, it's going to be physical--it's going to be demanding. While it's a concern to us now, I don't expect we'll be in this situation during Fall Camp. Hopefully, they saw today our effort to take care of them so we can get better over the next two weeks."
While both the offense and defense had their moments, making big plays in key situations, the offense managed to post 171 total yards, including 166 yards passing. The defense caused three fumbles, had one sack and held the offense to just one touchdown.
"I like the way they competed," Mendenhall said. "It matters to them if they win or lose. After two weeks, I would be very alarmed if they weren't upset if they didn't have a good day.
"The offense sustained some drives, but were unable to put it in the endzone until the end. And, the defense made plays when they had to. What is encouraging to me is, it's starting to bother them if they don't have a good day. That means they're taking ownership of their performance. That's a positive sign."
Senior quarterback Matt Berry led the offense with six completions for 124 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown strike to sophomore receiver Matt Smith on the last play of the scrimmage. Jason Beck was credited with 22 yards on three completions, while John Beck was 3-of-7 for 20 yards.
"All three quarterbacks are competing," Mendenhall said. "All three have shown some good things. If you're asking me to tell you who the starter is, I'm not willing to do that at this point. I'm going to let it play out. That position is no different than any other. I like the competition, and I like what that competition is doing to all three of their performances."
Sophomore tight end Jonny Harline continued to make big plays as an inside receiver, recording two receptions for 23 yards. Junior Zac Collie also added two receptions for 22 yards, including a 16-yard gain from Jason Beck.
Both Fahu Tahi and Curtis Brown had powerful runs out of the backfield, and showed good hands, recording a pair of receptions for 23 yards . Facing a fourth-and-two from the 48-yard line, Tahi powered through the line to pick up two yards and a fresh set of downs.
Junior linebacker Dan Bates recorded the only sack on the afternoon, taking down John Beck on a third-down attempt. The timely sack ended the offense's 29-yard drive.
"I like the way they (the team) works," Mendenhall added. "We're making steps every day to meet expectations. I have a clear idea of where we need to be. We're not there yet, but they're willing. They're working at the pace I think we need."
Throughout the day, members of the BYU coaching staff participated in the annual high school coaches' clinic. Nearly 100 coaches from six different states, including Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada and Arizona attended today's clinic in the new Student Athlete Building.
Earlier in the day, visiting coaches heard from Coach Mendenhall, who shared the program's mission and vision for the future. Coaches were also able to attend break-out sessions with BYU assistant coaches. Coaches were also invited to attend position meetings and this afternoon's practice. Following dinner, clinic participants heard from legendary coach LaVell Edwards.
FINAL SCRIMMAGE STATS
Passing
PlayerAtt.Comp.Yds. Pct. TD Int.
Berry 8 6 124 .750 1 0
Ja. Beck 6 3 22 .500 0 0
Jo. Beck 7 3 20 .430 0 0
Rushing
Player Att. Yds TD Lng
Brown 4 8 0 6
Tahi 3 0 0 4
Receiving
Player Rec. Yds TD Lng
Harline 2 23 0 18
Collie 2 22 0 16
Smith 1 65 1 65
Jones 1 16 0 16
Tahi 1 13 0 13
Brown 1 10 0 10
Watterson 1 6 0 6
Meikle 1 5 0 5
Gooch 1 5 0 5
Reed 1 1 0 1