Spring practice finishes with alumni day scrimmage

PROVO, Utah – BYU football wrapped up spring practice with a scrimmage on Friday night in front of football alumni and their families at LaVell Edwards Stadium. 

The event was part of the annual spring alumni activity hosted by the football program. Earlier in the day, BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall and the coaching staff spent time with alumni in the football team room discussing the program and answering any questions. After the Q&A, the alumni attended the team’s final scrimmage of the spring. More than 1,000 people, including alumni and their families, spent time on campus as part of Alumni Day, which concluded with a dinner at the stadium following the scrimmage.

Watch Video: BYU Spring Football Recap 

Photo Gallery: BYU Football Alumni Day

“It was a fun day today,” Mendenhall said. “We had a great chance to connect with our alumni earlier today in our team room and it was a real a nice way to finish spring practice.

“The scrimmage was a great opportunity for some of the players that we’re trying to decide if they’re making it into the 105, or coming for the first day of school or not playing. It was real nice to give those guys a chance to contribute and see what their abilities might be as we look to round out our roster.”

The Cougars took 40 snaps, all with Christian Stewart at quarterback. He completed 21 throws for 243 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior receiver Terenn Houk caught 5 passes for 66 yards, while junior Travis Frey caught 4 balls for 66 yards and a touchdown. Nate Carter carried the ball 4 times for 18 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 3 passes for 18 yards and a touchdown.

Mitchell Juergens and Bryan Sampson each contributed three receptions for 36 and 32 yards, respectively. Cody Bond carried the ball 4 times for 15 yards and Toloa’i Ho Ching carried it once for 4 yards.

On the defensive side, linebacker Sam Morell led with three tackles, while Jherremya Leuta-Douyere, Garrett Juergens, Sam Lee, Eric Takenaka and Morgan Unga each added two tackles. Grant Jones almost had an interception over the middle but after tipping the ball into the air couldn’t come down with it.

Most first team players participated in 7-on-7 and individual drills but didn’t play during the scrimmage. 

“It was fun to see Taysom (Hill) throwing 7-on-7 and Mitch (Mathews) running under the football downfield,” Mendenhall said. “It was a good day overall.”

The night ended with an alumni barbecue under the stands in the south end zone.

Additional Quotes from Bronco Mendenhall

On meeting spring goals:

“Hard to say. I think so, but the long term perspective will always be the one that shows and that will be how we play in the season. I think we became a more mentally tough team, a more disciplined, our execution improved, our identities became a little clearer on both sides of the ball and our team has more chemistry and unity. Those are the things that did happen.”

On BYU defense:

“There’s progress, but there’s a long ways to go. Fitness at the pace that I want them to play at, this just gave them a glimpse into what that looks like. They’re going to have to become a lot more physically fit and mental toughness comes with part of that. I think the execution will eventually catch up.”

On looking forward to the fall:

“We have a passionate, passionate fan base that is amazing. We have a good team and a really tough schedule, so that is a fantastic opportunity. We have a senior quarterback coming back that’s one of the best in the country and an offense that scored the most points since 2001. We have really good leadership on the defensive side and a proven system with proven staff, so it could be a really fun year.”