Cougars Pass at Practice

PROVO -- The ball was spread around to multiple receivers while the BYU defense also stepped up during 11-on-11 drills Friday.

Eleven different receivers caught a total of 17 completions. Offensive drives led by freshman quarterback Jake Heaps and junior quarterback Riley Nelson each resulted in points, but the defense also intercepted each quarterback while providing plenty of pressure.

Heaps went 7-for-12 with 91 yards, a 52-yard touchdown and an interception. Nelson went 10-for-14 with 107 yards, a 17-yard touchdown and an interception to go with 11 yards on four rushes.

"I think the quarterbacks were fairly poised and composed," said BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall. "They were more composed, more confident and more efficient than they had for at least the last two or three days. I was impressed; I think they took a step forward today."

The longest play of the day came off the first possession when Heaps hit O'Neill Chambers on a deep ball from 52 yards out. Chambers caught the ball in stride in the back of the end zone, completing a drive that looked to be in trouble after a sack by freshman defensive lineman Thomas Bryson.

The defense halted the offensive unit on the next two drives, picking up whistle sacks from freshman defensive lineman Graham Rowley and senior defensive lineman Vic So'oto. Both possessions also ended after interceptions with junior defensive back Travis Uale picking off Heaps and junior defensive back Steven Thomas catching a pass from Nelson.

The offense returned in the final two drives led by Nelson, the first going 15 plays resulting in a 24-yard field goal by senior Mitch Payne.

After the second sack by So'oto on the day, Nelson found junior running back J.J. Di Luigi on a 28-yard pass play before hitting Chambers on a 17-yard touchdown on a fade route to end the practice.

Chambers finished with three catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns while Di Luigi caught four passes for 46 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Rhen Brown added 32 yards on two catches.

Mendenhall also spoke of the battle going on at inside linebacker. With younger players pushing the older, Mendenhall described the starting decision "any man's ballgame right now."

Said Mendenhall: "Now that Zac Stout has come back, that has been a real positive. He has emerged and showed up strongly the last two practices. Now that he's playing, we haven't had to look for him; he's making plays in the right spots, which earns him more reps. Aveni Leung-Wai is also playing well; Shane Hunter, Brandon Ogletree and Austen Jorgensen are going to have to battle. There's no clear favorite, but the newer players are starting to push and push hard."

Stout is a freshman, Ogletree and Jorgensen are sophomores while Leung-Wai is a junior and Hunter is a senior.