Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
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Snow fell before game, and late in the game, but 5,500 BYU Football fans were treated to an enjoyable 2011 Blue/White spring game Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium--a contest won by the Riley Nelson-led White team, 18-17 in overtime.
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KSL Radio broadcast the afternoon of football, and you can listen to the game broadcast, along with pregame and postgame coverage, by clicking on the audio links in the "Cougar Cuts" box to the right.
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Nelson paced the Whites with 182 yards of total offense on day; 149 through the air, going 8/11 with a 73 yard TD pass to Rhen Brown. Nelson completed a pass to Bryan Sampson in the back of the end zone for the game-winning 2-point conversion in OT.
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Game Stats--
Passing
Jake Heaps: 16/21, 126 yards
Riley Nelson: 8/11, 149 yards, TD
James Lark: 2/5, 10 yds
Jason Munns: 0/3, INT
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Rushing
Riley Nelson: 9 rushes, 33 yds, TD
J.J. DiLuigi: 7 rushes, 20 yds, TD
Bryan Kariya: 4 rushes, 21 yds
Drew Phillips: 5 rushes, 8 yds
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Receiving
DiLuigi: 3 rec, 16 yds
Kariya: 2 rec, 17 yds
Bryan Sampson: 3 rec, 30 yds (2-pt conversion)
Rhen Brown: 2 rec, 81 yds, TD
McKay Jacobson: 3 rec, 31 yds
Ross Apo: 2 rec, 10 yds
Austin Holt: 2 rec, 21 yds
J.D. Falslev: 1 rec, 25 yds
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Kicking--
Justin Sorensen: 2/4 fg (made 37, 34; missed 46, 37), 4/4 PAT
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DEFENSE
Daniel Sorensen: 5 tackles, 2 PBU
Eathyn Manumaleuna: 5 tackles, 2 sacks, TFL
Chase Pendley: 5 tackles
Travis Tuiloma: 4 tackles, 2 sacks, FR
Seth Probert: 4 tackles, TFL
Spencer Hadley: 4 tackles
Brandon Ogletree: 4 tackles
Austen Jorgensen: 3 tackles, 2 PBU
Alani Fua: 3 tackles, FR
Matt Putnam: 2 tackles, sack
Loni Fangupo: 2 tackles, FF
Jordan Johnson: INT, TD
Sae Tautu: tackle, FF
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The game featured a first half of two 12-minute quarters (running clock except for the final 2:00 of the second quarter), and a second half of two 15-minute quarters (running clock except for the final 2:00 of the fourth quarter).
The game was scoreless at halftime, with the Blues opening the scoring on a 30-yard Jordan Johnson interception return.
The Blues took a 10-nothing lead before Nelson's hook-up with Brown and a field goal squared the game at 10 heading into overtime.
In the extra session, a J.J. DiLuigi TD run had the White squad facing a 17-10 deficit heading into its first series of the extra session. After completing a fourth-down pass to Sampson to keep the TD drive alive, Nelson ran in to make the score 17-16. Nelson's two-point pass to Sampson capped the scoring and ended the day in a winning way for the Whites, who were guided by coach Paul Tidwell. Lance Reynolds served as the head coach for the Blue team, while Bronco Mendenhall roamed the field.
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The take-away from today's game was the solid play from the top two quarterbacks, while implementing contrasting strengths. Nelson's scrambling ability remains a play-making wild card for BYU, and while coaches may consider situational opportunities to highlight Nelson's speed and elusiveness, Bronco Mendenhall told us postgame that the days of a two-QB system are long gone.
The defense shows greater depth than at any point of the Mendenhall era, with Kat safety Daniel Sorensen the "heir apparent" to Andrew Rich, according to Mendenhall.
Depth on the offensive line was a key factor in getting this year's spring game off the ground, as lack of able bodies in recent seasons has prevented full-squad scrimmages at this time of year. Even without three injured OL starters, the up-front personnel show promise. Center snaps were spotty today, but they had not been a problem through spring practices.
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Today's game featured no kickoff or kickoff return work, and only the deep snapper, punter and punt returner were on the field in punting situations.
Field goals were live, and Justin Sorensen had a 50/50 day on three-pointers.
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Injuries were minor in nature today; Uona Kaveinga, Sae Tautu, Graham Rowley and Mike Hague were among those banged up today, but Mendenhall pronounced nothing worse than sprains or strains.
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I hope all those listened in enjoyed today's broadcast; it was a great way to get the prime the pump for summer camp.
We appreciate listeners from all around the country and all around the world who spent some of their day with us; we look forward to an exciting fall season ahead!
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