Hall Leads Offensive Attack During Second Scrimmage

PROVO -- With only two weeks remaining until the season opener against No. 3 Oklahoma, senior quarterback Max Hall led two scoring drives as the Cougars held their second scrimmage of fall camp in LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday.

“It was a good day for the offense and we executed really well,” said Hall. “The defense did some new things that I was actually able to pick up on, along with the running backs and receivers, so we were all on the same page. If you can have that rhythm in the offense we’re very tough to stop.”

On the day Hall completed 13-of-14 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns, and was five-for-five on third-down conversions.

“A lot of the situations today were third-and-long, longer than Max would have liked, but he converted all of them which is a good sign,” said BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall. “With mixed players he was able to drive the ball. That was perhaps the brightest spot of the day.”

The first-team offense started the scrimmage on its own 15-yard line after a quick offsides penalty. Hall found senior tight end Dennis Pitta for 14 yards, while a two-yard run by sophomore running back JJ Di Luigi picked up the first-down. Three consecutive passes to Luke Ashworth, Andrew George and Tucker Lamb moved the ball to about midfield.

Sophomore linebacker Jordan Pendleton recorded a sack for a seven-yard loss and another offsides penalty brought up third-and-18. The offense got a new set of downs after a 23-yard pass to sophomore O'Neill Chambers. Pitta’s second catch of the day went for six points as he caught a 26-yard pass from Hall and bounced off several defenders into the endzone. Mitch Payne’s PAT was good.

Backup quarterback Riley Nelson led the following drive, a quick three-and-out that ended with Riley Stephenson punting it away. All three of Nelson’s drives ended before reaching first-down.

Hall’s second drive featured several younger players, with passes to Lamb, Brett Thompson and Braden Brown. After a sack by linebacker Jordan Atkinson, Hall found Ashworth for a 21-yard completion. Thompson caught a six-yarder amidst coverage by defensive back Brian Logan, and another for the four-yard touchdown. Stephenson’s PAT was good.

Senior quarterback Brenden Gaskins drive consisted of passes to Lamb, Stephen Covey and Mike Muehlmann. The series ended with a 42-yard field goal attempt by Payne, which fell short.

The last two drives of the day incorporated quarterbacks Brad Sorensen and Josh Hamblin. Sorensen completed a three-yard pass to freshman Cody Hoffman, while Hamblin’s only pass was intercepted by linebacker Jared Richardson and returned for a 20-yard touchdown. The pick is Richardson’s second of fall camp. Stephenson’s PAT on the defensive score was good.

Pitta led all receivers with two catches for 40 yards, while Thompson added four receptions for 31 yards. Both recorded touchdowns.

After taking Sunday off, the Cougars resume fall camp with practices on Monday at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Both practices are closed to the public.