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PROVO — If BYU football is looking for another playmaker on defense, newcomer linebacker AJ Vongphachanh would like to present one of his teammates: Ben Bywater.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound junior from Olympus High had one of the key highlights of Saturday's second scrimmage of fall camp, an interception off a tipped pass during first-team action at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
"That was awesome," Vongphachanh said of the interception. "He just got us off the field, which is always good. Any time we can get off the field, it's a good down for us."
The Cougars gathered Saturday morning at LaVell Edwards Stadium for the second formal scrimmage of training camp in front of a few hundred Cougar Club members, family and friends, as well as the media for the final 20 minutes of action.
The final portion did not include starting quarterback Kedon Slovis, who left after three series while feeling "under the weather," according to BYU coach Kalani Sitake.
But Slovis did connect with Chase Roberts on a touchdown to cap one of his scrimmage drives, according to those who were present, while Aidan Robbins and freshman LJ Martin impressed in the run game for the Cougars. In Slovis' absence, backups Jake Retzlaff, Cade Fennegan and Nick Billoups hit a number of bombs, including touchdowns to Kade Moore, Talmage Gunther and tight end Mata'ava Ta'ase, a Southern Utah transfer.
Martin also took snaps on kick return alongside Parker Kingston and Keelan Marion, and Boise State transfer kicker Will Ferrin connected on 4-of-5 attempts during the media-viewing portion of practice, perhaps signaling a slight edge over freshmen Matthias Dunn and Jordan Kapisi in the ongoing placekicking battle.
Sitake said a handful of projected starters — all veterans, he noted — were held out of Saturday's scrimmage or played under restrictions, such as Slovis in a non-contact jersey. He didn't name all the players who were out, but wide receiver Keanu Hill was among those who did not dress for the scrimmage, being seen on the sideline in a practice jersey and shorts.
"There's a good amount, but I think if there are veterans and guys who have been around going into junior and senior years, we felt comfortable," he said. "We also did some live stuff during the week."
But of course, all eyes were on the defense, especially after the offense impressed most through the first week (and scrimmage) of training camp while BYU worked in a new system under defensive coordinator Jay Hill.
Time for the defense to respond? Maybe win a scrimmage themselves?
Vongphachanh didn't quite go that far. But he did say the defense took positive steps forward, and is beginning to solidify itself in a new system with distinct personnel from last year.
"We just want to be a good, sound defense," said the Utah State transfer who had 101 tackles and two sacks a year ago for the Aggies. "At the end of the day, I'm new here and am just trying to do my job. But I think all the guys are bought in, and I think we could be really good."
The defensive task was made even taller by an injury to Micah Harper, the presumed starter at safety who will miss the 2023 season, he confirmed Thursday.
Sitake admitted that Harper's injury was one of "a few hiccups" to establishing the two-deep depth chart, which he hopes to finalize by the end of training camp Tuesday.
"Overall, I think we're in a really good spot right now," Sitake said. "We're definitely a deep team. It's just a matter of scouting Sam Houston State, and seeing what we can get done with our ones, our twos, and our travel squad."
Replacing a player like Harper, the 5-foot-10, 195-pound "Harpoon" who was BYU's third-leading tackler a year ago with 62 stops, 2.5 tackles for loss and three pass breakups, won't be easy, Vongphachanh said.
But BYU has the players to do it.
"It's definitely tough, honestly, to lose a playmaker like that," Vongphachanh said. "But the guys have stepped up, and we're just trying to be the best we can without him."
Without Harper, a veteran sophomore with 24 games of experience including 14 starts, the Cougars will rely more on returning starter Malik Moore, Preston Rex, Chika Ebunoha, Peter Tuipulotu, Tanner Wall and Ethan Slade — who played in 11 games a year ago.
But the most obvious candidate will be Talan Alfrey, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound redshirt sophomore who started nine of 13 games a year ago and posted 41 tackles, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery, along with his first career interception at Liberty.
"We've got a bunch of guys. That group was already deep from the beginning, but we'll get to see a bunch of those guys and see if they can separate themselves between now and (Week 1 against Sam Houston State)," Sitake said. "There isn't a lot of time, and Jay could probably tell you a little more about who he is comfortable with. But there's a lot of talent there. I think there are 4-5 guys who can definitely replace him; it's just a matter of who will earn the one and two spots."
Overall, Vongphachanh has been feeling more and more comfortable with Hill's defense — including his new teammates, as GameDay fast approaches in just two weeks.
"I think we definitely made improvements, especially from the previous week," Vongphachanh said. "There are still some things we need to clean up, including myself, just in communicating and making sure we're on the same page.
"I think we're coming together really well."
