BYU fans in St. George enjoy spring practice

ST. GEORGE, Utah – The BYU football team traveled south to practice in front of more than 5,000 Cougar fans on Friday afternoon in St. George.

In addition to the open practice at Dixie High School, the team also held a meet-and-greet with fans before heading out on a team camping activity. 

“The guys had a good time and the turnout was unbelievable,” head coach Kalani Sitake said. “We just really appreciate the fans showing up."

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The team practiced for a little over an hour, including a short scrimmage at the end of the day. Quarterback Tanner Mangum connected with several different receivers, including Akile Davis, Micah Simon, Talon Shumway and Rickey Shumway.

On the defensive side during the team portion, defensive back Sawyer Powell had an interception while the defensive line unit was able to get pressure up front to force some incompletions. The team also went through some situational work with two-minute drills. 

Quotes from Coach Sitake, offensive coordinator Ty Detmer and linebacker Fred Warner are available below from BYU’s post-practice media availability.  

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake

“Our players felt the need to be out here. It’s quite a way to go so fans can see our guys practice and let them know how much our players appreciate them. It’s a cool experience for our guys.”

“We’ve had a good showing in a lot of different places. I think the practice was a little bit more intriguing for the fans too. Our practice next week will be on TV and I think more fans want to see what we have going on. I think it is important for us to accessible to all of them.”

“I think it is a huge benefit for us. If anything, our players know it is not just about football. We can get out there and they know they have fans that are passionate about them and who they are. Our fans love seeing the stuff that we do with our True Blue Hero. We have a lot of players that are used to serving and used to charity work. This has to be more than just about football. The experience that you get here at BYU involves being around fans and trying to make a contribution to the community.”

“Tanner is really good. If he has time to throw the ball we will be fine. We need him to have time, especially to go through his reads. He’s starting to own the offense. He’s a lot more comfortable in the pocket. I am really excited about this fall with him. I am excited about the progress I have seen with him.”

“I’ve been really pleased with the defense. Obviously, we have a lot of guys that are returning. I think more and more guys are starting to gain our trust in being on the field. When you do that, we become a deeper team and we can use more than just 11 guys on one side of the ball.”

On the offensive line:
“They are doing some really good things. I have been really impressed with the young guys. We already know what a lot of the returning starters can do. We lost one offensive lineman. The other four are going to be fine. They’ve shown that already last year. I’ve been really impressed with the guys that redshirted and the guys that are developing in the program. That’s given us the opportunity to go two-deep at the offensive line and feel comfortable with the guys that are actually rolling in there.”

Offensive coordinator Ty Detmer
On practicing in front of fans and players getting excited:
“It’s just natural. The juices get going and it is great to have that type of setting where guys can have a little bit of that energy, feel the fans and know that people are out there watching.”

On Tanner Mangum's leadership:
“This year he’s taken the lead and coaching the guys up. You see him after a couple reps he will be back there talking to receivers about what he saw and what he thinks they need to do. If we can do that we are going to be pretty good.”

On sitting out most of last year being helpful:
“I definitely think so. You look at some of the guys that played in the NFL that got to sit for a few years, Aaron Rodgers and guys like that. It helps you to see it and learn it before you’re in there taking hits with it. He was able to understand it and know what’s expected coming in. He is taking it and running with it.”

On the running backs:
“I think they are starting to get an understanding of what is expected. You see them cutting north and south. Early, it’s typical that guys want to bounce and they think they are really fast going into it. They want to bounce everything out but now we are downhill a little more and avoiding the bad plays and negative runs.”

On coming to St. George for team activities:
“This is great. To be able to come down and see the fan support that we have down here is great. It really does add a different dimension to practice. It breaks up the boredom of just every other day going out there and doing the same thing. I think it’s great and then to have a chance to bond with each other and get to know the guys a little more off the field.”

Linebacker Fred Warner
On practicing in St. George:
“It means a lot. It means so much to see the type of passion people have for BYU Football and the love they have for us. It is just something so simple we can give back to them by being here and showing them some love.”

“I feel very optimistic. We have a great team coming back and a lot of guys on defense back. All the linebackers are coming back. Tanner has obviously looked awesome and has a lot of experience under his belt so I’m not worried about the offense doing their thing.”