Spring ball continues in week three

PROVO, Utah - Spring football continued for BYU with the start of the third week of action Monday morning.

The Cougars will be practicing in Provo again Wednesday before heading down to St. George for a practice open to the public on Friday. Read more about Friday's activities here. 

The following quotes are from Monday's post-practice media availability.

Head coach Kalani Sitake
“It was good. I think obviously we have some issues, and most of it is with guys that are still new to the program and to the scheme. But for the most part, I am really pleased with the progress of our returning guys. I like the stuff I am seeing up front with the O-line and D-line. Everything else is going well. There are always things to fix, but for now I am pleased with how we are doing in spring.”

On the spring scrimmage being televised this year
“I’m okay with it. Our fans want to see what BYU is about, and obviously we need to look at our depth and see what we can do. We still have three practices after the game, so we are going to get out there and practice. More than anything, it is going to be a bit of a scrimmage, but not much of a game because our numbers aren’t as high. We’ll play it by ear. I think it’ll be good for our fans to have access to the program and to the team.”

On the trip to St. George
“I am looking forward to being down there and being available for some of our fans in St. George. Last year, they really wanted us to do a fan fest down there, but we couldn’t make it down there. So this is kind of a way of thanking them for their support, but also making up for not getting out there last year. We have a lot of fans down in that area, but they can’t come see us as much as they want, so we’ll go down there and get a good change of scenery for our players. I think we’ll accomplish a lot of good things, and also have a lot of team building activities.

"All the fans are important to us and it’s important for us to be as accessible to them as we can. Last year we tried to keep the scheme hidden a little bit but now this is what you’re going get. We feel good about how we’re progressing. For the most part, the foundation is set." 

On position battles
"Everyone is going to compete; every position will compete first. Then the best people play. Our best personnel group will be the best 11 on the field on defense and offense. The goal is to try to get more than 11 starters. The goal is to make sure we have more than 11 guys to choose from on both sides of the ball."

Tight end Moroni Laulu-Pututau

"I think the transition was pretty smooth because I learned most of the plays last year, the only difference is now I need to put my hand on the ground and get my nose dirty. But it is going well and smooth. I thought it would be a little harder than it is, but it really has gone smoothly, and my coaches are helping me out, technique-wise. It was a little different as first; the get-off is a lot slower than being out at receiver.”

On the entire position group
“We are pretty athletic and diverse in size. We have Joe [Tukuafu] at 280, and then me and Matt [Bushman] at 230 or so, and so we have a lot of different guys that we’ll be able to put in different spots to make plays.”

On his chemistry with quarterback Tanner Mangum
“It’s good. It is going well. We have worked a lot in the off-season too. We have a lot of new guys too, but we are all on-point. We worked a lot in the off-season with Tanner and Beau [Hoge] and all the QBs, so I think the timing is really good. Now, this year, we are lot further ahead than we were last year for sure.”

On putting on weight
“Currently, I've put on about 10 pounds. I am planning on about five or six more. Healthy weight. I don’t want to be too slow.”

On having to block
“I am going to be down too, and they are not going to baby me just because I came from receiver. They are going to run plays, and fast plays. I think it is going to be just like last year. We have Tanner now, and he likes to throw the rock, but I’ll be in there for the runs as well as the passes.”

On who initiated the move to tight end
“I think I did, more than anything, but I think they were waiting on it. I think I fit better at tight end, so for me, personally, I initiated the move. I think it is better for both the team and myself and my future. We have a lot of receivers.”

Defensive back Micah Hannemann
“It is kind of weird because it doesn’t feel like I should be a senior, but I do feel that role as a leader. There are a lot of people who have never played safety before, and it is fun teaching, because when you teach, you learn.”

“Everyone is kind of even right now, but the people that have been playing with me are Tanner Jacobson and Zayne Anderson, and those guys are two of the guys that played a good amount last year. We all feel pretty comfortable.”