Cougars improve defensively at football scrimmage

PROVO, Utah — After the first week of fall camp, the fans saw defensive improvements as BYU football scrimmaged Saturday morning at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

“I think the defense is much more confident with me,” said head coach Bronco Mendenhall after the scrimmage. “They know now what to expect and how things are going to be run. I am getting to know them better, not only individually, but their identity and where to put each player on the field.”

All four quarterbacks took snaps on the offensive side. After a slow start, senior quarterback Taysom Hill got things going on the fifth drive, going 7 for 8 with 97 yards. He connected with senior wide receiver Terenn Houk three times for 40 yards on the drive.

Hill went 8 for 9 with 102 yards over two drives, including finding junior wide receiver Nick Kurtz in the left corner of the end zone for a 48-yard touchdown pass.

The defense had seven touch sacks on the quarterbacks and freshmen Butch Pau’u and Michael Shelton each had an interception during the scrimmage.

Senior kicker Trevor Samson went 8 for 8 on field goal attempts, including a 51-yard field goal from the middle of the field.

On the day, Hill went 13 for 20 with one touchdown and 194 yards passing. Kurtz and Houk each had three receptions with 60 and 40 yards receiving, respectively. Francis Bernard ran for 22 yards on five carries and Adam Hine had 21 yards on three rushes. 

The 11th annual Cougar Kickoff is scheduled from 6-8:30 p.m. on Aug. 18 at Haws Field. Athletes from the football, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and cross country teams will be available to sign autographs and run games and drills for fans and kids. Fans will also have the chance to take photos with Cosmo, the Cheer team and the Cougarettes. Admission is free.

Quotes from Bronco Mendenhall after the scrimmage:

“Harvey Langi is an emotional leader. Any group that is out there with him performs at a higher level. He brings energy, physicality and intensity that elevates his teammates.”

“I saw Fred Warner take a step forward today. I would love to see Fred impact our defense more or impact a scrimmage more than what he has, and I started to see some of that today. I think it’s just taking a little time from both injuries that he had, and so he’s working his way back.”

“There are a couple of guys that are emerging. Josh Weeks has made some really great plays on the ball, which I didn't anticipate from what I saw in the spring, so I think he has taken a step up. Michael Shelton has also really improved, and I like what I see from him. Manoa Pikula has played really well this week. I’ve really been impressed with him. I would say that Tanner Mangum has improved as well, I continue to be impressed with him.”