Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- BYU's QB competition remains open with McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet, and Bear Bachmeier.
- Coach Aaron Roderick plans to soon establish a pecking order for more reps.
- Defense is ahead in training camp; offense shows promise in run game development.
PROVO — Aaron Roderick called his BYU offense "sloppy" after Saturday's first scrimmage of training camp at LaVell Edwards Stadium that capped the second week.
But three weeks before the Cougars open the 2025 season Aug. 30 against FCS Portland State, defensive coordinator Jay Hill wasn't taking a victory lap, either.
Both coordinators and head coach Kalani Sitake admitted to reporters that the defense was ahead of the offense after nearly two weeks of camp, including the last five days or so of fully padded work. Sitake said the Cougars went through more than 100 reps, many of them live, as well as some special teams work during the closed-door scrimmage.
None of those reps included an interception from the three quarterback race of McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet and true freshman Bear Bachmeier, who all received an equal share of work with the first-team offense. True freshman Emerson Geilman also saw some time at quarterback.
But that may change soon, Roderick noted. He didn't name a starter when all three coaches met with the media via video conference Saturday afternoon, but he appeared anxious to move along the competition for arguably the offense's most important position.
"It's not going to be keeping equal reps forever," Roderick said. "There's going to be a point pretty soon — I'm not ready to say exactly when — where we are going to have to start establishing a pecking order and getting somebody more reps with the ones and twos.
"If we keep going the way we're going forever, then nobody will be ready to play in our first game," he added. "That move will be happening soon."
That the defense took the early edge in training camp should be expected, though Hill said he has plenty of question marks to sort out as he enters the third year overseeing the Cougars' defense. First and foremost is defensive line, where Utah transfer Keanu Tanuvasa, Southern Utah's Anisi Purcell and senior John Taumoepeau excelled while Oklahoma State transfer Justin Kirkland continues to make progress in a return from injury.
Sitake acknowledged that "guys got banged up today" as the team moves into more live work, and Hill acknowledged cornerback Tre Alexander "dinged up his shoulder" — though that injury isn't expected to keep him out for long. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound sophomore from the Atlanta area is one of the top-three cornerbacks along with Evan Johnson and Mory Bamba — the former junior college transfer who will enter his fourth season at BYU in the fall and has been cleared to play.
Hill has seen "flashes" of Pine View alum Marcus McKenzie and Jonathan Kabeya from Euless, Texas, since the spring. But ...
"We need someone to step up in that room," he added.
The defensive shuffling is going on under the microscope of a quarterback competition on the other side of the line of scrimmage, escalated by the introduction of full pads in the past week. That can be a fine line to balance — Hill said he wants to encourage his edges to rush the passer and his defensive backs to go for picks.
But there's also value in the offense figuring itself out, obviously.
"Today we needed to tackle," Hill quipped. "A-Rod had guys who needed to get hit, and I had some guys who needed to hit."
Most of what Roderick described as "sloppy" play came from offensive penalties and issues that involved playing on a full-sized field with a complete officiating crew. Less of an issue? The run game, led by returning tailbacks LJ Martin and Sione Moa and an offensive line anchored by Andrew Gentry and Isaiah Jatta with a tight end in UCLA and Utah transfer Carsen Ryan who can "play every down, run or pass."
"Our run game is going to be really good," said Roderick, who said the Cougars are still waiting on an NCAA appeal for another year of eligibility for Hinckley Ropati. "We're going to be able to run the football."
Added Sitake: "Part of our identity will be how our offense responds to today. It wasn't a horrible day for them, but it was a really good defensive day.
"They didn't win every rep, but they did play really, really good," he said. "If they play at that level, I'll feel really good about it."
