Cougar Tracks: 20 Questions

BYU Football's preseason camp opens in less than three weeks, and every fan will have questions he or she wants answered during the days of drills and practices in August.

Here are 20 questions I have; maybe we share some of the same curiosities.

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1. How hard will BYU go?

It's an annual balance Bronco Mednenhall seeks to strike: getting enough game-speed work in, while keeping key players healthy for the season-opener. Here is a Bronco quote from October 2011: "If I made any mistakes this fall camp, it was erring on the side of maybe not going against each other enough in live settings, in trying to protect to have as healthy a team as possible going into the opener, and sometimes execution suffers in live setting when you make that choice. I did make that choice, and there is a trade-off there." With so many seniors back and player depth better than it has ever been, I would expect Mendenhall to have his guys go harder this August.

2. Will Riley Nelson get to warm his arm up?

Related to the first question, I am curious to see how many live reps Nelson gets in "team" (11-on-11) sessions. As a backup last August, a typical day saw Nelson throw the ball between zero and three times a day; a heavy work day would consist of six pass attempts. For that matter, starter Jake Heaps wasn't getting a ton of live throws in, either—a typical practice day featured between five and eight pass attempts in "team." Between warmups, drills, skelly and "team," QBs will throw hundreds of passes in camp; how many will be thrown in game-like conditions remains to be seen.

3. How much work will Taysom Hill get?

Nelson's backup is James Lark, a fellow senior. If Nelson were to go down early, Lark would be the clear-cut next guy in. Taysom Hill may be the future of the quarterback position, but what are the coaching staff's plans Hill in 2012: scout team/redshirt, or get him ready to play some this season so 2013 arrives with some game snaps under his belt? Asked during spring ball about which of his two new QBS—Hill and Ammon Olsen—might redshirt, Mendenhall said "we will have a really good idea, maybe mid-fall camp, as to what we might do."

4. Is Iona Pritchard the next coming of Manase Tonga?

The first week of 2011's camp ended on a downbeat note, as return missionary fullback Iona Pritchard went down on the first play of the first scrimmage with a dislocation fracture of his ankle. The day before the scrimmage, Mendenhall said the exercise would not include much if any live special teams work, because personnel groups for those units had just been determined. "It will be more specific to offense and defense tomorrow," the coach said at the time. Of course, plans changed, the staff put in some live special teams work, and on the opening kickoff, Pritchard got tangled up in a pile, and was lost for the season. A BYU run game which struggled to find its way early really missed Pritchard's presence, but he is back and apparently fully recovered. Much as Tonga brought a physical identity to BYU's backfield, Pritchard at 6'0", 240 lbs., can do the same. Similar to Tonga, Pritchard can be used as a blocker, protector, runner and receiver, and he's one of the guys I am most looking forward to watching next month.

5. Which newcomer will make an impact?

Every year, a rookie or two ends up seeing the field and occasionally occupies a notable role. Last season, while no true freshmen made their mark, transfers Joe Sampson (junior) and Loni Fangupo (senior) were key players. This season, a handful of new additions could put themselves in the mix for playing time, with RB Paul Lasike being perhaps foremost among them. DL Theodore King is an exciting prospect, as is linebacker Butch Pau'u, but both are competing at a loaded position. Same goes for 17-year old RB Jamaal Williams.

6. What does Ross Apo do for an encore?

After missing his true freshman season due to a hand injury, Apo's redshirt freshman campaign was at the same time understated and record-breaking. With Jake Heaps as starting quarterback, Apo caught touchdown passes in each of his first three games, and led BYU in receptions with 12 grabs at the quarter-pole. He then caught only five balls over the next four games, as BYU made the transition from Heaps to Riley Nelson. Apo finished with a flourish, recording 17 catches over the season's final six games, with six touchdown receptions; his nine TD grabs set a new freshman record at BYU. Playing alongside running mate Cody Hoffman, Apo has many of Hoffman's attributes (Apo is 6'3", 206 lbs; Hoffman is 6'4", 208 lbs.), but may be the more naturally athletic of the two. Hoffman, however, was the undisputed go-to guy in 2011, leading BYU 61 receptions, almost doubling Apo's total of 34. The sure-handed Hoffman's reliability equated to him leading the team in third-down conversions in 2011, with 19. Apo's total of 8 conversions ranked sixth on the team.

7. Where and how much will Ziggy play?

This was Bronco Mendenhall at the conclusion of spring practices, regarding 6'6", 270 lb. LB/DL Ziggy Ansah: "Oh, man, he's more than a football player. He is talented, and he now understands the game, and is playing two positions, when two years ago, he didn't know how to put on his equipment. There might be a chance for him--based on his year, with his size and speed and the way he plays special teams--he might play after college, and he's not even on scholarship. It could be a tremendous story, and I don't want the headline to be 'Ziggy Ansah: NFL Player,' but if he continues to do what he's done the past two years, and does that this year, that wouldn't be out of the question." Enough said.

8. Are the tight ends back?

Following a 2010 season in which a crop of freshman tight ends struggled as a unit, 2011 dawned with promise, as Austin Holt, Marcus Mathews, Richard Wilson, Devin Mahina and Kaneakua Friel battled to establish a pecking order. Only Mathews and Friel managed to make it through the season, and as Mathews was playing almost exclusively as a smaller "flex-tight," Friel was the only hand-on-the-ground tight end to play the season unscathed. Season-ending injuries to Holt (knee), Wilson (knee) and Mahina (neck) thinned BYU's tight end core, but the good news is that injured trio is ready for camp. How ready will be established in the first three weeks of August. Mathews, meantime, has beefed up to allow deployment as a "true" tight end this season. This is a deep group, and could be the under-the-radar unit to watch.

9. Who will be the new offensive linemen?

Having lost LT Matt Reynolds and center Terence Brown, BYU retains three starters, but only two are projected to play where they did last season. Braden Hansen is projected to move from right to left guard, while Houston Reynolds will likely switch from left guard to center. Talented redshirt freshman Ryker Mathews should get the nod at left tackle, with returning senior Braden Brown holding down the right edge. That leaves right guard, where Brock Stringham may be penciled in right now. He, like most of the other top linemen, missed most or all of spring ball due to injuries and surgeries. Manaaki Vaitai and Walter Kahaiali'I are other guards in the mix.

10. How is Kyle Van Noy's shoulder?

Van Noy underwent offseason surgery that kept him out of spring ball, while the hope is that he will be full-go in camp, until that first day of hard hitting, you just never know. At Media Day, Van Noy acknowledged being a little spooked by former BYU LB Jordan Pendleton's tentative returns from offseason surgery, and while Van Noy's repair was relatively uncomplicated, all eyes will be on his camp performance to see if he is all the way back. His importance to the team cannot be overstated.

11. Who will start at free safety?

With Daniel Sorensen locking down the Kat position, a replacement for Travis Uale must be found. The candidates are seniors Joe Sampson and Mike Hague, and return missionary sophomore Craig Bills. Hague is also available to spell the boundary corner spot, while Sampson is the primary nickel back, and that may be where he sees a ton of camp and early season reps. Bills is the wild card; although he has been away for two seasons, his natural ability will have him competing for field time right away.

12. Is Justin Sorensen recovered?

Sorensen set a BYU record in 2011, converting all 48 of his PAT attempts to establish a new mark for most converts made in a single season, without a miss. As a field goal kicker and kickoff specialist, however, it was a mediocre campaign. He was 15 of 25 on three-point tries, going 5-for-11 outside of 40 yards, recording only 17 touchbacks on 67 kickoffs. As a cannon-legged kicker at Bingham High School, Sorensen was legendary for the distance he got on field goals and kickoffs. After a spotty freshman season, he left for an LDS mission. On his mission, he severely injured his plan foot/ankle, and I'm not sure he has ever regained his ability to boom the ball. Then, in 2011, he suffered a back injury that clearly hampered his ability to kick the ball with power. It is hoped that offseason surgery will have done the trick for Sorensen, who is said to be on pace for a healthy return. Note that in 2012, kickoffs are being moved up to the 35-yard line, so reaching the end zone should be easier for Sorensen—and every other kicker.

13. Who is the fourth wide receiver?

Hoffman, Apo and J.D. Falslev are 1-2-3 in the WR hierarchy, so who will be the next guy in line? Mitch Mathews and Brett Thompson are return missionaries with height--Mathews is 6'6", Thompson is 6'3"--while smaller guys like Dallin Cutler and Cody Raymond have proven reliable pass-catchers in limited reps. Terren Houk (6'4", 204 lbs.) comes off a redshirt year looking like a Ross Apo clone, while Dylan Collie is a Collie, so watch out for him.

14. How much no-huddle?

Offensive coordinator Brandon Doman envisioned a return to the huddle in 2011, setting up with Jake Heaps in a pocket-based, pro-style offense. Having made a mid-stream U-turn and going with Riley Nelson at QB, Doman picked up the pace, and in 2012, tempo will be the buzzword in Cougar camp. While BYU is not moving to the spread, the spread's no-huddle approach will be a constant with this year's offense. Doman says there will still be times when the offense will huddle up, but he wants to keep teams on their heels, so we should see Nelson not only scrambling away from tacklers, but also scampering—with this team—to the line.

15. Is Jordan Johnson ready for prime time?

BYU has to replace Corby Eason at field corner, and the player expected to fill that spot is 6'0", 185 lb. sophomore Jordan Johnson. Last year, I was told by someone within the program that Johnson was the best athlete on the team, and while his cameo as a kickoff returner was not a particularly successful one, his moments as a substitute cornerback have included some highlights—two picks and a pass break-up in 2011 among them.

16. Can O'Neill Chambers find playing time?

The erstwhile wide receiver and BYU's all-time kickoff return yardage leader has endured almost two seasons of inactivity and time apart from the team to return for his senior season—as a backup cornerback. Unless something changes, Chambers will spend camp trying to earn spots at field corner. Behind Johnson, the competition for second-string should be manageable for Chambers, who is a good enough athlete to make up for his lack of background and training at the position.

17. How much nickel defense will we see?

BYU will open the season against a team preparing to throw it about 60 times. Mike Leach's Air Raid offense screams nickel defense, so I wouldn't be surprised to see BYU in its 2-4-5 for stretches of time in camp. With the right player at nickel back, that particular defense can become a preferred mode of operation against passing teams, and with Sampson as the likely NB, Bronco Mendenhall has just the right kind of guy to make it work.

18. Who will end up MIA?

I hate to include this question, but every year, camp storylines include either a key player who never makes it into the 105, or arrives and then leaves, or is knocked out of pre-season practices due to injury. It is inevitable that someone the coaches and fans were counting on to contribute ends up on the sidelines—the only question is which players(s).

19. Who will be the under-the-radar player who ends up in the two-deep?

Similarly, it seems that every August, a lesser-known player—often a walk-on--makes a steady climb up the depth chart to occupy a spot in the two-deep on opening day. This year's team is deep and experienced enough to make such an ascension less likely this time around, but follow my "Cougar Tracks" postings every day to see who might be making a move.

20. What will BYU do for its in-camp surprise activity?

Every August, around the middle of camp, Bronco calls a "sluff day," which in the past has included a trip to the movie theater, rides down the Provo River, and even a trip to Provo Beach Resort for some indoor surfing. Once camp starts to drag, the coach will give the guys a break and loosen things up—count on it.

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Count on my daily camp reports in "Cougar Tracks," starting on the evening of Thursday, August 2nd--the first day of Camp Cougar 2012.

iPhone and Android users: don't forget to download the KSL GameCenter app before the season gets underway. You can access Cougar Tracks, a season schedule, live stats, game/coach's show/Cougar Cuts audio and more.

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