Situational football an emphasis in spring as team begins busy week 4 of practices

PROVO, Utah — BYU football started the fourth week of spring practices on Monday, conducting its 10th practice on the SAB outdoor fields. 

This week will include three practices as well as the program's annual high school coaches clinic and NFL Pro Day. This year the high school coaches clinic will also include a golf event with the Kalani Classic Golf Tournament taking place on Wednesday at Cedar Hills Golf Club. Thursday the coaches will convene at BYU for the clinic that features Cougar alum and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid as the keynote speaker.

On Friday, NFL teams will be on hand to test and workout members of BYU's 2021 team in advance of the 2022 NFL Draft. Running back Tyler Allgeier, receivers Neil Pau'u and Samson Nacua, center James Empey and defensive end Uriah Leiataua will all participate in BYU's Pro Day workouts. Former quarterback Baylor Romney will also be on hand to throw to Pau'u, Nacua and Allgeier during position workouts for NFL personnel. BYU Sports Nation on BYUtv and BYUradio will provide live coverage of the BYU Pro Day from 10-11 a.m. MDT.

Following Monday's practice, assistant head coach Ed Lamb, offensive lineman Harris LaChance and defensive back Micah Harper each talked to the media about the progress of the first three weeks of spring camp and the team's focus on situational awareness. LaChance and Harper are both back from injuries that kept them out of all or part of last season. See some of their comments below:

Assistant Head Coach Ed Lamb | watch interview

On thoughts from Monday's practice
“We have a lot of veteran players who are in the spot they need to be at this point in the year, so we are able to start moving more into situational football.  That includes time left in the game, field position, down and distance, score and what the offense and defense should be thinking in those situations.”

On situational football
“An example may be a quarterback in field goal range, understanding to get the ball out quicker because we are already in that field goal range. We are all looking at each other to make those quick decisions in the moments when they are needed. It is important to study the video and see how everyone reacted in those situations. I am a big believer in, as coaches, we get what we emphasize. If we come out here and run plays, then our team will be really good at running plays, but if we expect our team to practice situational awareness during games and perform those plays differently based on the situation then we will be better prepared game by game.”

On veteran players
“Our veteran players push us as coaches. They have a high standard for the success they want to achieve individually and as a team, and we can feel that energy when they come out to practice.”

On the safety group
“We have a lot of depth in our safety group. We run different personnel combinations and I think we will see different starting and depth combination in each package. We have a lot of guys that have proven they can play parts of the game really well and we are just looking for who is the most well rounded guy out there. A lot of our corners have played safety and that is something I really like about the position. We want them to have the confidence to cover as a cornerback and then take the guys who are more physical and build a safety group.”

On communication in changing positions
“When our players get into the classroom, we need to do a good job of keeping the guys up to speed on their position and making sure they do not leave behind their old position. It is not easy to move around as a player, so we have to make sure we do it with good communication throughout the process.”

On special teams during spring
“We want to make sure that the timing of special teams is there. There’s the timing of the snap, catch and the kick and we want to be sure that all of that works well together for kickoff return and punt return.”

On defensive line
“With the defensive line, a lot of those guys were young a year ago and they are looking really strong. They are playing well together—communication and their situational awareness has probably increased more than anyone else.”

On goal of finishing spring practices
“No. 1 for us as coaches is to make sure we design practice so our guys are ready to go for the first game of the season. We are working a lot of situational awareness without a lot of risk to our players physically. We would like to see the team continue to grind, work hard and give us everything they’ve got so that we are able to see that improvement.”

Defensive Back Micah Harper | watch interview

On practicing situational awareness
"It really is helping us to be better for when the season comes along, just preparedness for situations that we might get into. It's better to work on all these situations now than later on in fall camp."

On playing as a safety
"I think that moving me in a situation where I can better the team. Our corners are really solid right now. We lost some safeties. I think that it was a better fit for me in a sense of the way I play. I'm quick enough to guard the slot, I’m physical enough to guard the tight ends and I like to tackle."

On the standard the defense is held to
"It's really just doing your job, doing your one-eleventh. That's what we preach around here. Don't try to do too much. Just do your job and rely on the next guy to do their job.

On his expectations for himself
"Really just coming back and being healthy, showing that I'm 100 percent. I want to make a difference in the passing game, get more interceptions, a couple forced fumbles and just keep the numbers off the board."

Offensive Lineman Harris LaChance | watch interview

On working through different situations
“You’ve got to know the downs, distance and time on the clock, it’s important to rep because when you get in the game you've got to do those things naturally. It’s important to know so practicing it just makes you better.”

On being fall camp ready
“For me personally, spring ball is just a mini fall camp in the mindset and the will to work every day. Some of the guys here are veteran guys and the new guys are learning fast. So it’s definitely a drive, every day coming out here and having fun.”

On veteran O-line being in sync
“We love each other, we do everything together, we have fun and I think that helps us play well too. We know the offense like the back of our hand and we’re out there having fun; it’s run really smoothly.”

On player accountability
“Coach Funk always says we kind of set the tone, we kind of set the bar, and he’s right. It’s up to us personally, and as a group, to continue to raise that bar. I feel like if you love the game you’re going to come out here and do your best every day. It’s all about the love, be thankful for the opportunity to play and get better. We have to call it as brothers, and brothers get called out, brothers fight, but brothers love each other and we help each other get better.”