PROVO -- More than 800 former BYU football players and family members were in attendance at practice on Friday to watch the current team close out its third week of spring practice.
“The number of former players has gone up from 700 last year to more than 800 this year,” said BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall. “When you have a tradition like we do here at BYU, it’s nice to have these players come back to teach and instruct our current players. When they hear from me what we’re doing here, they then go back to their own communities and educate others.”
Many former Cougar standouts were watching from the sidelines, including Vai Sikahema, Chris Hoke, Chad Lewis, Todd Watkins, Cameron Jensen, Reno Mahe, Ryan Denney and Pete Van Valkenburg.
“Our current players were especially anxious to talk with and hear from Chris Hoke, with his Super Bowl experience,” said Mendenhall. “He is a great example for the players on this team. He may not be the best talent out there, but he has tremendous heart and work ethic.”
Also on hand were some of BYU’s most recent alumni, including members of the 2008 starting offensive line—Travis Bright, Dallas Reynolds and David Oswald—all of whom are waiting to see what their future will hold after the NFL Draft later this month.
The defense dominated the day, starting with 7-on-7 drills when junior defensive back Andrew Rich intercepted a pass against the first-team offense.
During team drills the offense struggled to gain any momentum. Senior quarterback Max Hall opened the first series with back-to-back completions to tight end Dennis Pitta and running back Harvey Unga, but couldn’t convert on the following third-down.
Backup quarterback Brenden Gaskins found wide receiver Rhen Brown for a 22-yard gain, but good pass coverage by the secondary forced three incompletions to end the drive.
Sophomore defensive lineman Matt Putnam batted down a Gaskins pass to open the fourth series. On third-and-13 Gaskins threw a ball intended for sophomore Daniel Hansen, but defensive back Shiloah Te'o was right there to force an incompletion.
Bright spots for the offense included a several long passes to a pair of tight ends—Braden Brown and Mike Muehlmann.
The Cougars have the weekend off before resuming practice on Monday.