First Day of Spring Ball

PROVO, Utah -- The BYU football team held its first day of spring practice on Monday in preparation for the 2011 season, the program's first as an independent.

BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who begins his seventh season at the head of the Cougars, led the coaching staff and team through an almost two-hour practice with a collection of old and new faces.

"From what I saw today, the team looks like it believes it can be good," Mendenhall said. "We have new leadership and coaches and a new offensive system, so it feels like a fresh start."

During 7-on-7 drills, the defense came up with two interceptions, one by junior defensive back Robbie Buckner and the other by redshirt freshman Jordan Johnson.

In team drills, sophomore quarterback Jake Heaps led two drives, combining to go 8-for-10 for 64 yards. Sophomore James Lark threw 3-of-4 passes for 53 yards and junior Riley Nelson went 2-for-3 for 10 yards.

Lark combined with sophomore JD Falslev for the biggest play of the day, a 35-yarder down the left sideline.

"You can see that we're going to be a talented football team," said BYU sophomore quarterback Jake Heaps. "There's a lot more energy, there's a lot more enthusiasm and there's the demand to be great no matter what we do and no matter what drill there is."

Sophomore Rhen Brown had two receptions for 18 yards while sophomore Joshua Quezada added two receptions for 16 yards.

Running backs JJ Di Luigi and David Foote each posed as dual offensive threats, with Di Luigi finishing with two receptions for 15 yards and three rushes for 10 yards while Foote contributed two receptions for 10 yards and two rushes for five yards.

"Spring ball is crucial," Heaps said. "It's not the determining factor on whether you'll have a good season or not, but it's where you start your mentality and it's where you start to see what your team is going to be."