Fans enjoy Friday night scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium

PROVO, Utah – The BYU football team held its fourth open practice of fall camp at LaVell Edwards Stadium in front of about 12,000 fans Friday evening.

The team spent about 20 minutes stretching and running a few position drills before dedicating the rest of the evening to a full scrimmage.

"I saw even more athleticism and a little bit more being dynamic," said BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall, while stating the defense probably had a bit of an edge during the scrimmage. "There were glimses of the explosiveness of our offense. Ultimately, the defense made enough stops to keep (a lot of) points off the board." 

Junior quarterback Taysom Hill led seven drives and finished 9-18 for 89 yards, including one touchdown and one interception. Christian Stewart, a senior, went five drives and completed 11-16 passes for 128 yards and one interception. Stewart also rushed seven times, including a 2-yard touchdown run.

Junior running back Jamaal Williams was the featured back as he rushed for 42 yards on seven carries. He also hauled in three catches for 34 yards. Junior Adam Hine tallied 59 yards on four carries. Junior Nate Carter added 33 yards on six carries and sophomore Algernon Brown chipped in nine rushing yards.

Junior college transfer receiver Devon Blackmon led all receivers with five receptions for 47 yards. Junior Kurt Henderson recorded three catches for 33 yards and a score. Sophomore Colby Pearson hauled in three receptions and freshman Trey Dye caught a pass late in the game, good for 29 yards and one of the highlight plays of the evening. Newcomers Jordan Leslie and Keanu Nelson each added one reception apiece.

Hill connected with Henderson on a 21-yard catch in the end zone for the first touchdown of the evening. On the next drive, Stewart used his legs to score on a 2-yard rush to cap a 75-yard drive.

The Cougars began the scrimmage portion of practice with two tipped passes in the opening drive to force the offense to punt. The defense held strong as just two touchdowns were scored on 12 total drives. Senior linebacker Mike Alisa and sophomore defensive back Garrett Juergens each recorded an interception.

After the scrimmage several members of the media completed the Ice Bucket Challenge issued on Thursday by Mendenhall to the Utah sports media. After the scrimmage Mendenhall expressed his appreciation to the media for the great response and the good causes that have been helped. 

The team will resume fall camp on Saturday with a closed practice.