PROVO, Utah — BYU football started its fourth week of fall camp with practice at the Zions Bank Practice Fields on Monday afternoon.
The Cougars are entering their last week of fall camp work before turning their attention at the end of the week to game one against Southern Illinois on August 31.
On the status of the running backs “LJ Martin is looking really good. Miles Davis is there as well. Sione Moa and Pokaiaua Haunga have done some good things. Enoch Nawahine is going to be back soon. We feel good about that group. I think that Coach Harvey Unga has done a great job with them. It looks like it’s getting better everyday.”
On if he’s concerned about not naming a starting quarterback yet “It’s a different feel for me that I truly feel comfortable with either one playing on the field and winning games for us. We just need to go through the process of the quarterback battle. We’ve been through this before. The closer we get to the game, the more likely we’ll have a starter.”
On comfortability with both quarterbacks “I think being comfortable with the playbook and understanding all the checks. I think last year when he played he was just thrown into it. A lot of the reps went to Kedon Slovis. Now Jake is getting those reps and splitting with Gerry Bohanon. I think Jake’s getting the benefit of being in the system.I think that for Gerry it has been an easy transition from him being here around a similar offense. I think that both of the guys are very familiar with the offense and it’s working really well for us in fall camp.”
On how both quarterbacks interact with each other “I think when all of the quarterbacks have success it is a great motivator. That’s also true when they're competing against each other. I know that Gerry and Jake are both competing for the starting spot, but they’re also helping and coaching each other. That’s a good sign. It’s who they are as people. I think we have the benefit of great young men competing for those spots. The team responds right away to those guys.”
On having depth in position groups “We talk about the 11 starters or your best 11. What you really need is your best 22, or 23 with the nickel packages. We didn’t have enough depth last year. When the injury bug hits, you need your threes to step in and not have a big drop off from one to three. I think we are closer now than we have ever been. I like our depth, but we have to get out there and see how they perform when the lights are on. That’s going to be exciting in game one.”
On adjusting to using tablets on the field “The biggest adjustment is having tablets on the sidelines in practice. You’ll see that our players come off and they’ll look at the tablets. Being able to get that immediate feedback is going to be very helpful for them. Sometimes in the game when you want them to see it, they’re going to be able to see it in real time. That’s going to be a huge advantage for us. It fits in line with this generation and how they learn. They’re more visual learners.”
On Southern Illinois “They are a well coached team and they have had success playing against FBS teams in the past. We need to make sure we are prepared and have a plan as we transition our focus to that game.”
On the status of the quarterback situation “They are both playing really well. They both made some really good plays in that last drill, and that’s what practice has been like all through camp. They are both good players and we haven’t decided who we are going to choose yet. It’s a daily conversation, and I’d like to not take it all the way up until gametime. We do have some practice time left. I feel like both of them are prepared. They both had enough reps in camp that they could play in a game. We are still working our way through the decision.”
On both quarterbacks' progression through fall camp “With Gerry, his biggest improvement is just knowing our offense better. In spring ball, he was just learning it for the first time, and now he’s starting to operate like a veteran. With Jake, his biggest progress is eliminating those critical mistakes from last year. He’s a playmaker. He moves the team. We’ve been trying to eliminate those critical errors and he’s done a good job of that.”
On what it means to see a starting quarterback emerge “It’s a combination of things. It’s someone who moves the team and scores touchdowns. I was hopeful that it would be more clear than it is now, but I think that it’s been a matter of well, not that either one of them has seized the job. We’ll keep working our way through it a little longer.”
On what it means to not name a starting quarterback at this point in fall camp “I had hoped that it wouldn’t have taken this long, but I’m not surprised. I’ve been through this before where it’s been close like this. With Zach Wilson and Jaren Hall we had a similar deal. We also had a similar situation with Zach and Tanner Mangum that one year. Then we had a pretty close deal with Jaren and Baylor Romney. All of those went all the way up to game week.”
On how the team is looking in fall camp “My teammates and I did a phenomenal job bringing effort, energy, and making plays when our names were called.”
On being healthy “I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity to have the fall camp that I did to come out here and give my all and push my teammates.”
On QB competition “I don’t see contention, they have come together as leaders and neither of them has made it a problem and as a team we have rallied around them both.”
On his role as WR “I’m so excited to block in the running game, to be there for third down opportunities, and just be a helping hand wherever the coaches need me.
On team closeness “Having a bunch of guys who are returning from the team last year and bringing their maturity is a big help. We know each others personalities and we have really been able to gel together during this offseason.”
