'Friday Night Lights' fuel offense, optimism at BYU spring game


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PROVO — Maybe it was the Friday night environment. Maybe it was the final chance to compete in a game-like scenario this spring. Maybe it was the 14,000 fans in attendance.

Whatever it was, BYU football players were happy Friday night after the annual spring game, walking with a little extra bounce and smiling wide as they spoke with reporters and posed for photos on fans’ smartphones.

Football was back in Provo — and that meant one thing for the Cougars.

“Guys were having fun with it, and football’s fun. I was glad to see that as well,” said BYU quarterback Taysom Hill, who participated — free of a knee brace — in the scrimmage’s 7-on-7 “skelly” session. “I think that’s LaVell Edwards Stadium. You can’t come into this stadium and not have fun, not have some pre-game jitters — even in a scrimmage. The way we structured it, separating the locker rooms and going offense-and-defense, it really set up for a game-like feel. A lot of guys stepped up in it, which was good to see.”

Graduating quarterback Christian Stewart led the BYU offense for the final time on the field named for BYU’s legendary coach, and he went in for a 7-of-8 series as the offense scored three touchdowns. The Timpanogos High and Snow College alum capped off his career completing 10-of-13 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown, including a 38-yard bomb to Trey Dye and a 4-yard TD toss to Nick Kurtz in the scrimmage’s fifth series.

Before the graduating senior Stewart stepped on the field, BYU rolled out Hill during the 7-on-7 portion of the evening. The senior-to-be from Pocatello, Idaho, capped three drives with touchdowns, including finding Mitchell Juergens on a slant pass for one score and hitting a wide-open Kurtz in the back of the end zone from nearly 20 yards out on another.

BYU quarterback Taysom Hill (4) throws a pass during the Spring football game in Provo on Friday, March 27, 2015. (Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News)
BYU quarterback Taysom Hill (4) throws a pass during the Spring football game in Provo on Friday, March 27, 2015. (Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News)

“The ball was flying around the field with Taysom throwing it and really fast guys catching it,” BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “In addition to already having a really great run scheme, we have a lot of run-pass options.

“We let the ball fly downfield, and I think you saw the game progress in the pass-skelly system. And Christian came in and kept that going in the team settings. I saw what I’ve seen all spring: We’re going to be able to score a lot of points, and I think we’ll be explosive. I think we’re on the right track.”

Devon Blackmon finished with 48 yards on two catches and freshman wideout Anthony Armstrong caught a 42-yard pass from Stewart during the live-action session.

On the ground, Nate Carter piled up 56 yards and a touchdown on five carries, including a rumbling 40-yard push off the edge that nearly saw him score before defensive lineman Bronson Kaufusi sprinted downfield to make the touchdown-saving tackle inside the 10.

“Some of my favorite things to do if I have the chance is run back,” said Kaufusi, who had 1.5 tackles for loss in the 30-play scrimmage. “I was always watching BYU football, and watching guys like Brian Kehl do that. I think he did that to Air Force twice. If I have the chance to do that, I always want to chase down someone small and quicker than me.”

The defense made its share of plays, led by Sam Morrell’s 1.5 tackles for loss. But the evening belonged to the offense.

“The offense was great,” said senior wide receiver Mitch Mathews, who only participated in the skelly portion. “We changed the format, changed how we came out and warmed up, everything about what we did, so we could come out with energy. I think we showed that today.”


I think that's LaVell Edwards Stadium. You can't come into this stadium and not have fun, not have some pre-game jitters — even in a scrimmage. The way we structured it, separating the locker rooms and going offense-and-defense, it really set up for a game-like feel. A lot of guys stepped up in it, which was good to see.

–BYU quarterback Taysom Hill


While Mendenhall said the spring session has been remarkably light on injuries, it hasn’t been without a few startling impacts. Backup quarterback McCoy Hill spent the scrimmage on a scooter (Hunter Moore filled in at backup behind Stewart), and Hill has been limited as he comes back from a broken leg suffered in last year’s loss to Utah State. The senior signal caller said, however, that he could go full-speed as soon as today if BYU were facing its season opener at Nebraska.

The Cougars got another jolt when junior linebacker Sae Tautu went down with a non-contact knee injury suffered on the first play of the live-action portion of the scrimmage.

“It’s tough to see one of your buddies go down like that,” Mathews said of Tautu. “It’s sad to see guys go down like that, really anywhere. But we’ll check up on him and make sure he’s all right, mentally.”

Preliminary reports were that Tautu suffered a mild knee sprain, but the junior from Alpine left the field on crutches and will be re-evaluated as the Cougars head into the final three days of spring camp.

“It was the No. 1 thing I think any coach would say they hope they won’t see in spring,” Mendenhall said. “It’s why you balance how much you tackle. We’ve made it through the spring so clean; probably the fewest injuries we’ve had in spring.”

BYU will return to the practice field for three practices next week, then wait until fall camp in August while filling out its schedule with summer conditioning, weight lifting sessions and a welcome to freshmen and newcomers.

But Friday represented a chance to file into the stadium one more time and play under the “Friday Night Lights.”

“Once it came down to it, I thought the offense had a really good day, and the defense had their plays,” wide receiver Terenn Houk said. “But it was so much fun to come out here under the lights. The fans were watching, the young guys were proving themselves to the coaches, and it was a good experience.”

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