Defense Shines Despite Cold and Wind

PROVO -- The BYU football team braved the cold weather as it held its first padded practice Thursday afternoon. While the offense was successful in executing the first two days of spring ball, it was the defense that dominated on the third day.

“I expect it to swing back and forth,” said BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall. “That’s a sign of a good team. You want one side to be able to respond after the other has done well.”

The offense practiced its running game during the first three series, with JJ Di Luigi, Joshua Quezada, Malosi Te'o and Bryan Kariya taking turns carrying the ball. None of the three attempted drives reached a first-down, as linebacker AJ Van Valkenburg picked up a sack and defensive back Travis Uale recorded an interception in the endzone.

Freshman linebacker Kyle Van Noy also contributed to the defensive efforts with a sack for a five-yard loss during later 11-on-11 work. The defense then capitalized on a fumbled exchange between quarterback James Lark and Quezada, with a recovery by linebacker Seth Johnson.

Quarterback Jake Heaps led the only two scoring drives of the day. First, in blue zone drills, he threw a four-yard pass to tight end Mike Muehlmann, setting up a 27-yard field goal by sophomore Riley Stephenson.

The second scoring drive came on the final series of the day. Heaps was 3-for-3 on passes to McKay Jacobson, Muehlmann and Harvey Unga for 11, 17 and 13 yards, respectively. Unga caught his pass along the sideline, running into the endzone for the touchdown.

The Cougars conclude their first week of spring practice on Friday. Practice is closed to the public.