PROVO, Utah – Following Saturday's scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium, BYU football was back at work on Monday and Tuesday as the team enters its third week of fall camp.
BYU's linebacker group seems to be established on the outside with Zayne Anderson and Isaiah Kaufusi set to return to starting roles. The defense is looking to find a middle linebacker after Sione Takitaki was drafted by the Cleveland Browns.
Keenan Pili, Kavika Fonua, Payton Wilgar, Alex Miskela and Jackson Kaufusi are all in the mix for the middle spot and have shown to be capable throughout camp.
On the outside, Max Tooley and Chaz Ah You are looking to get reps along with Ben Bywater, Drew Jensen and Matthew Criddle.
The following quotes are from Tuesday's post-practice media availability.
Head Coach Kalani Sitake
On how practice went today
Practice went really well. Obviously, there are things every day that we can fix but I just really liked the way our team is starting to work together. The leadership has been really important for us, and I love what I am see from our guys. It is not just the veterans or the upperclassmen, it’s everyone taking initiative to lead this team. It has been a lot of fun and it makes my job a lot easier.
On things that stood out on film from the scrimmage
We were pretty physical. We were pretty clean offensively as far as execution went. There are some things that we can work on defensively. I think it has given us an idea of what we can do with our depth chart with working with the redshirt rule and for the travel squad. I think we are starting to iron that out and get it figured out. There are some return missionaries that surprised us and some freshmen that arrived that surprised us and the veterans that are returning there are some good things that we are seeing. I think we came out of it pretty healthy.
On how the wide receivers look
We have enough players there that can make plays. I think our job is to get them the ball and give them the opportunities. We have seen a lot of the guys that have proven themselves. We have a lot of seniors that have done a lot of things for this program, but there are always opportunities to get them the ball more. If we can do that we will have more success.
Offensive lineman Tristen Hoge
On how camp is going
Camp is going really well. One thing we are focusing on is taking it day by day. Today is the only day we are focused on. We aren’t worried about 16 days from now. We are worried about taking today with one step and getting better every day until game day.
On keeping the focus day by day
Things are kind of monotonous in camp — we are doing the same thing day in and day out, and we have the same schedule. Coaches are doing really well right now changing our schedules through our practices. We never know what we are going to get; things to keep us on our toes and keep things light.
On Kalani’s confidence in the offensive line
Knowing he believes in us also puts an amount of pressure on us because we don’t want to let him down. He stresses being the leaders of this team and if we have those flat moments, making sure we are being those leaders. It puts pressure on our backs, but I think we are handling it well.
Linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi
On what has stood out in camp
I’m really enjoying the offense. There are a lot of explosive plays, things we haven’t seen in a while. I am loving the way Zach dissects and throws the ball.
On the how even it is between offense and defense
It’s pretty even. We have been tracking percentages, and it seems even. The offense will have good days and the defense will struggle and then vice versa, but thus far in camp it’s been pretty even.
On the defense being “older” veteran players
It’s really nice because we have a lot of leaders in all of the position groups. It makes it really easy that we are all on the same page and know how to communicate with each other and get problems fixed.