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PROVO, Utah (Aug. 10, 2005) -- During the second day of fall camp the Cougars stepped up the intensity and effort while the offense put the ball in the endzone during a no-contact team drill.
"Today was more competitive than yesterday," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "The execution was slightly better, but the effort and intensity were much better. There were still some bad summer habits as we saw on film today, and those were addressed. I think the players responded."
Senior defensive back Spencer White said that while the first day went well, the focus of the second day was giving 100 percent on every play.
"It's been a good start," White said. "We watched film a little yesterday and noticed that we didn't give a full effort on some of the plays, so that was more of the focus today. Everybody was just going as hard as they could and I think we did a lot better in that aspect today."
The offense showed glimpses of its potential during a no-contact team drill as quarterbacks John Beck and Matt Berry both led touchdown drives. Starting on the defense's 20-yardline, Beck got the ball to Matt Allen at the five-yard line and then turned and dove into the endzone. The touchdown came on the first play of the scrimmage.
Berry's touchdown drive went 60 yards and ended on the final play of the day. Facing fourth down and about 30 yards from the goal line, Berry launched the ball over the defense and into the hands of junior receiver Joe Griffin, who caught it in the endzone.
Junior offensive lineman Jake Kuresa said the team made progress during the summer, and he is glad to be on the practice field with his teammates.
"It's fun to get out here," he said. "We put everything we had into summer workouts but it's good to be playing real football again. It's almost like a game. That first practice was like a first series, there were some jitters and people were a little unsure of what to do. Today we were a little more confident, a little more ready to go, a little more sure of ourselves. I think as an offensive unit we had some chemistry. Scoring is fun and we want to do it as much as we can."
The newcomers practiced in the morning while the veterans hit the field in the afternoon. Wednesday was the newcomers' last chance to try and catch up with the veterans before the first combined practice on Thursday.
Written by BYU Athletic Communications
