PROVO -- The second week of Fall Camp kicked off Monday with the first session of two-a-days, giving the players extra reps and more chances to compete in preparation for the season opener against Boston College, just 19 days away. The morning practice was open to the public and drew a record crowd of 740, nearly tripling the 250 that attended last season's first open practice.
The offense demonstrated its quick-hit style, scoring nearly at will early in the scrimmage during the morning session. Junior John Beck and senior Matt Berry played dueling quarterbacks, engineering two scoring drives each in a total of seven plays.
On the first play, Beck hit senior receiver Todd Watkins in the back of the endzone for the first score. Berry then took his turn, hitting junior receiver Joe Griffin for an 7-yard gain and then finding sophomore running back Ray Hudson on the next play for a 13-yard touchdown pass.
Not to be outdone, Beck connected with freshman receiver Michael Reed for a 20-yard touchdown on the second play of the drive. Berry fired right back, leading a two-play scoring drive that ended on a 19-yard pass to freshman receiver Luke Ashworth.
Freshman receiver Luke Ashworth
Coach Bronco Mendenhall commented that the offense is making daily strides and is succeeding due to its fast-paced approach.
"The speed in which the quarterbacks are making decisions and delivering the ball where it's supposed to be is improving every day," he commented. "I think when this offense runs right, it's very difficult to stop the quarterback. They're getting rid of the ball very quickly. You're seeing that start to happen which then becomes a coverage oriented game and the secondary had better step up and make plays."
Beck finished the day completing 12-of-13 (.923) attempts for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Berry was a perfect 11-of-11 (1.000) for 120 yards and three touchdowns. Together, Beck and Berry were 23-of-24 (.958) for 266 yards. Ashworth led all receivers with three catches for 71 yards and a touchdown, while Watkins snagged two for 36 yards and a score. In all, 14 different players caught passes and five scored. Along with Watkins and Ashworth, Reed, Hudson and freshman tight end Vic So'oto crossed the goal line.
Freshman tight end Vic So'oto
Senior defensive back Spencer White, in his fourth Fall Camp as a Cougar, said he has never seen the offense look this crisp during camp.
"They've been working really hard all summer," he said. "I think the off-season was the key. They're way ahead. They're doing much better than I've ever seen them at this point in the season."
Freshman offensive lineman Terence Brown
While the offense was sizzling early in the scrimmage, it cooled off a bit when they started from 55 yards out. In the first drive, a two-yard run by junior running back Fahu Tahi on the first play was followed by a snap that went over Beck's head and resulted in a 17-yard loss. Beck completed a 16-yard pass to junior receiver Zac Collie, but it was well short of a first down.
Berry took over on the next possession and looked solid, hitting Ashworth for an 11-yard gain to pick up a first on third-and-seven. Senior defensive lineman Kyle Tew broke through on the next play and sacked Berry for a five-yard loss. Berry completed his next two passes to Griffin, gaining only six yards. The next drive was no more successful as Tahi ran for six yards before Beck completed two short passes, failing to gain enough for a first down.
Sophomore defensive back Corby Hodgkiss
The defense stepped up again on the next drive, ending another drive in three plays, including a sack by freshman linebacker Richard Nehring for a three-yard loss. Beck got the offense back on track as he put together a four-play, 40-yard drive that ended in a field goal by sophomore Jared McLaughlin. On the first play, Beck escaped a blitzing defense by rolling right, and threw bullet to Nathan Meikle who held on for a 34-yard gain despite a solid hit by sophomore defensive back Zac Erekson. Tahi picked up three yards on the next play and then Beck hit sophomore running back Joe Semanoff for four yards. After a one-yard loss on a Tahi run, McLaughlin split the uprights.
Berry got the offense back in the endzone on the next drive as he started out with a nine-yard pass to freshman tight end Andrew George. Facing third-and-one, after a run for no gain by Hudson, Berry went deep to Ashworth who made a circus catch after tipping the ball several times. The play went for 41 yards--the longest of the day.
"At first I thought it was going to be an easy catch, but then I saw Zac's (Erekson) hand and he tipped it a little," he said. "Then it hit my face mask and I circus caught it somehow."
On first-and-goal from the five, Berry hit So'oto cutting across the middle for a touchdown.
The last drive ended in another field goal by McLaughlin and included the only incomplete pass of the day. Beck finished 5-of-6 for 50 yards on the drive, completing passes of 17 and 16 yards to sophomore receiver Matt Allen and Watkins, respectively. Hudson also had a 10-yard run, the longest of the day.
During the afternoon practice session, the team had a light workout, consisting mostly of special teams work and skill-based drills.
A record 740 fans attended Monday's practice session.
