Camp Cougar, Day 16

"Camp Cougar" ended with a full-pads scrimmage designed to get non-starters some substantial work, and Bronco Mendenhall says he got "35-40 plays on film with the younger players."

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The scrimmage consisted of six series, with the first two in the Blue Zone (20-yard line). Let's break 'em down--

Series 1 (Blue Zone; ones v. ones): Riley Nelson

Six plays; Bryan Kariya scores with a one yard TD run on 4th and goal; Payne PAT good.

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Series 2 (Blue Zone; twos v. twos): Jake Heaps

Three plays; 33 yard scoring pass to Rhen Brown on 3rd and 23. Offense had two penalties and allowed a sack, necessitating the third-down heroics. Fake PAT good (two-points).

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Series 3 (twos v. twos/threes): Jake Heaps

Three-and-out; a scrambling Heaps underthrows an open Ryan Folsom on 3rd and 3, PUNT.

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Series 4 (twos/threes v. threes): Riley Nelson

14 plays; Nelson throws an interception to Brandon Ogletree on 3rd and 8. Key play: Marcus Mathews with an amazing one-handed grab of a high throw on 3rd and 25 (completion gained 24 yards; 4th down was converted).

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Series 5 (twos/threes v. twos/threes/fours): Jake Heaps

Seven plays; Heaps scrambles short on 3rd and 19.

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Series 6 (twos v. twos/threes/fours): Jake Heaps

11 plays; 75-yard scoring drive ends on 19 yard TD pass to Ross Apo. Juice Quezada had six touches on the drive, including five receptions.

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With officials present, ten penalties were called and enforced, with eight on the offense or kicking team, and only two against the defense.

With so many backups playing, it's not terribly surprising the scrimmage was as ragged as it was, but ten penalties is a big number for as few plays as were run. Said Bronco: "(We're) certainly not game-ready."

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Mendenhall was asked if giving Heaps four of the six series today indicated he might be leaning toward a "primary" quarterback. His response: "Nope; I'm not."

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QB Stats--

Heaps: 11/16, 134 yds, 2 TDs

Nelson: 4/5, 55 yds, INT

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Rec stats--

R. Brown: 2 rec, 38 yds, TD

Juice Quezada: 5 rec, 47 yds

Apo: 2 rec, 26 yds, TD

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Rhen Brown has quietly had a very nice camp. After the top three wideouts (Chambers, Jacobson, Ashworth), Brown finds himself in the next group (with Hafoka, Hoffman, Apo and Marshall). Hoffman's hamstring strain has made available more reps for guys like Brown, who has had very few drops and is fast enough to beat his cover downfield.

Ashworth, Apo and Brown are considered primarily "Z" receivers, with Jacobson and Marshall the primary "H" wideouts. At "X," Chambers is joined by Hafoka, Hoffman, and B.J. Peterson.

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RB Drew Phillips got his first live snaps of camp, after being delayed by enrollment issues and then interrupted by a quad contusion. Listening to Bronco, it sounds as if this will be a year on the scout team for Phillips:

"He's a good athlete; who knows of he's a tailback, or a returner, or a slot or a DB, he's something, 'cause he's fast and he's mobile and fluid. Unfortunately, when you consider almost all of two-a-days (are) gone, and (today's) your first chance, it's very difficult to say now there's going to be a significant role. I think it would damage the culture of the team to play a player who has had one scrimmage; to say now you get a role, that doesn't sit well with me."

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Today's "Cougar Cuts" interviews are with Bronco Mendenhall and linebacker Brandon Ogletree. "Tree" talks about Texas high school football (of which he is a product), and makes clear that there is, well, nothing quite like Texas high school football. Great guy to talk to, and should be a contributor at Buck this season.

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Coach Mendenhall noted that with the conclusion of camp, today will be a huge day for the team's young players and their coaches: "Our coaches will meet mostly with our young personnel today and try to give them a really clear evaluation of where they think they currently stand, knowing we move on to Washington work tomorrow and scout teams start being divided, etc."

Mendenhall on the play of his younger players today: "There are a couple players who might be ready; we'll find them if they played well."

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BYU coach will begin installing the Washington game plan in Thursday's afternoon practice; the session will be closed to the media. Scout teams will be introduced and notable redshirt candidates will have been identified.

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Here is the final depth chart of camp. BYU will release an "official" two-deep in the coming days, but if you have been following my camp reports, you already know who has gotten which reps with which units. What you see here shouldn't look too different from the formal depth chart leading into game week.

Only two players are listed unless rotations and/or position battles dictate otherwise:

Day 16 Depth Chart

OFFENSE

QB: Jake Heaps OR Riley Nelson

TB: J.J. DiLuigi, Josh Quezada

FB: Zed Mendenhall, Algernon Brown

Combo: Bryan Kariya, Mike Hague

TE: Richard Wilson OR Marcus Mathews OR Devin Mahina (DNP; ankle) OR Austin Holt OR Mike Muehlmann

WR-H: McKay Jacobson, Matt Marshall

WR-Z: Luke Ashworth, Ross Apo OR Rhen Brown

WR-X: O'Neill Chambers, Cody Hoffman (DNP; hamstring), Spencer Hafoka

LT: Matt Reynolds (also RT for Nelson), Walter Kahaiali'i (also RT)

LG: Braden Hansen, Ryan Freeman (right knee strain in practice today)

C: Terence Brown, Houston Reynolds

RG: Jason Speredon OR Nick Alletto, Marco Thorson

RT: Braden Brown (also LT for Nelson), Jordan Black (also LT)

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DEFENSE

LE: Eathyn Manumaleuna, Matt Putnam

NT: Romney Fuga, Jordan Richardson

RE: Vic So'oto, Thomas Bryson

SLB: Jordan Pendleton, Zeke Mendenhall (#3 behind Frazier if Frazier flips to SLB)

MLB: Shane Hunter, Zac Stout

BLB: Brandon Ogletree OR Aveni Leung-Wai, Austen Jorgensen

WLB: Jameson Frazier (also #2 SLB), Kyle Van Noy, Jadon Wagner

FC: Brian Logan, Robbie Buckner (hand surgery yesterday; possible for Washington)

BC: Brandon Bradley, Corby Eason

Kat: Andrew Rich, Jray Galea'i

FS: Steve Thomas, Travis Uale

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Punt returners: O'Neill Chambers, J.D. Falslev, McKay Jacobson

Kickoff returners (pairings): Chambers/J.J. DiLuigi, Falslev/Cody Hoffman

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And that brings to an end another Cougar camp here on "Cougar Tracks."

Continue to look for practice reports and my usual offerings as the season approaches and progresses. To get everything I put out there, sign up on Twitter. Some of what I report ends up on Twitter only, and not on "Cougar Tracks." Follow me at twitter.com/gregwrubell.

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Don't forget to bookmark byu.ksl.com; it's ksl.com's NEW BYU Sports page, and includes a link to the show page for "BYU Football with Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall". On that page, you can click a link to request seats at an upcoming live radio broadcast of the show, plus you can ask Bronco a question that may be asked live during the broadcast.

To this point, seats have been filled for the first three broadcasts and most of the fourth. By later in the day, the next available seats will be for the broadcast on September 29th.

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For those interested, I do a daily "Cougar Tracks" update on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM. Listen for it at 7:43am and 5:43pm, Monday through Friday.

You can also catch my weekly column in the Deseret News, "Behind the Mic," on Tuesdays.

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