BYU QB Jake Retzlaff throws throughout spring follow on Saturday, March 25, 2023. Nate Edwards, BYU Photograph
BYU soccer coach Kalani Sitake needed to conduct a closed-to-the-public scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday to mark, roughly, the halfway level of spring camp.
Mom Nature had different concepts.
The newest winter storm to hit the Wasatch Entrance dumped a contemporary layer of snow on the sphere at LES, so the Cougars have been pressured to go contained in the Indoor Follow Facility, and moved the scrimmage as much as 8 a.m. as a result of the IPF was scheduled for different actions later within the day.
“I want we may have really scrimmaged (extra) right now. It was extra of a follow. However I believe the protection received us right now, if I'm going to be trustworthy. We didn’t look the sharpest on offense right now.” — BYU receiver and punt returner Hobbs Nyberg.
“Yeah, we began with conferences at 7:40 (within the morning),” stated sophomore security Talan Alfrey. “I can’t keep in mind a time that I've performed soccer this early, however it wasn’t that dangerous. It was a great time to begin.”
So which unit received the day?
Punt returner and backup receiver Hobbs Nyberg gave the nod to the protection, which is being reconstructed by new defensive coordinator Jay Hill and apparently coming alongside properly. Media members weren't allowed to look at any parts of the follow/scrimmage.
“I want we may have really scrimmaged (extra) right now,” Nyberg stated. “It was extra of a follow. However I believe the protection received us right now, if I'm going to be trustworthy. We didn’t look the sharpest on offense right now.”
Not surprisingly, Alfrey agreed.
“Perhaps I'm just a little biased, however I'll go together with the protection,” stated the native of Auburn, Washington. “…Simply by the quantity of performs that the protection made right now, vs. the performs and touchdowns the offense had. It was fairly even, however I might say the protection takes it.”
Sitake referred to as it “a great day” total and stated they are going to regulate their schedule subsequent week and doubtless do some extra dwell work earlier within the week to get extra prepared for “that spring showcase or follow or no matter we determine to do subsequent week on Friday.”
That occasion can be open to the general public and can be performed at the side of the second annual Alumni Recreation, after final yr’s recreation that includes the has-beens was such a convincing success.
“I believed the offense and protection had some battles,” Sitake stated of Saturday’s early-morning drills. “We put them in some conditions, backed up, two-minute, had some pink zone work. Guys did actually properly.”
One man who shined, Sitake stated, was junior faculty switch quarterback Jake Retzlaff, who has been restricted in camp as a result of on account of a tonsillectomy and a few associated setbacks.
“It was good to get Jake Retzlaff again within the stream of issues. I believed he had his greatest day right now,” Sitake stated. “However (presumed beginning QB) Kedon (Slovis) and the boys are nonetheless working and the competitors at quarterback nonetheless appears good.”
Sitake stated the Cougars are doing extra dwell 11-on-11 work, with tackling, than ever earlier than within the spring, however quarterbacks are nonetheless carrying the inexperienced jerseys and are off-limits to contact.
“I like that (Retzlaff) was in a position to do much more right now, and run the 11-on-11 half and be within the huddle and undergo a two-minute state of affairs,” Sitake stated. “I believe now we have seen what the opposite guys can do, too. Cade Fennegan is performing some good issues, Nick Billoups (too), and (freshman) Ryder Burton.
“It's good to see Jake on the market. He hasn’t been utterly wholesome and now right now he did essentially the most,” Sitake continued. “He’s received a dwell arm, a very robust arm. He’s received a presence about him that's actually assured and kinda extends to the remainder of the offense.”
Together with the battle to be QB2 and the emphasis on taking part in as a lot actual soccer as attainable in preparing for the Massive 12, a giant storyline all through spring practices has been the protection’s progress underneath Hill, and the way the set up of his schemes is coming alongside.
Sitake stated it's going effectively.
“The protection is what's new. There may be lots of set up occurring, and the blokes are actually beginning to take to it and there are minimal errors,” Sitake stated. “It seemed actually good right now, I believed. The quantity of strain we received in there, and the disruption (was evident). We created some turnovers. It was very nice for them. Jay is doing a pleasant job together with his employees and together with his protection.”
Requested to call a proportion of the brand new protection that has been put in, Sitake stated “sufficient already” however didn’t actually adjust to the request.
Hill “is attempting to principally feed them via a firehose, however that's the way it has to occur,” Sitake stated. “Our guys are good. It simply takes further work on their behalf and I believe they're understanding what we're doing. From what I've seen right now, they're doing an incredible job with the set up. I might say we're near virtually being full with our set up.”
Alfrey, who's competing with the likes of veterans Malik Moore and Micah Harper for one of many beginning security spots, stated lots of guys began finding out movie on the brand new protection months in the past, and got here into spring camp keen and ready to run it dwell.
“As a security, now we have coach Hill in our room, so we're benefitting so much from him, being in there and educating us the entire protection. … It's like ingesting out of a firehose, however we're in a position to take it, spend some further time watching movie on our personal, and are in a position to choose it up.”
One of many drawbacks of going inside to play is that punter Ryan Rehkow is so good that a few of his punts hit the ceiling on the IPF and make it tough to follow punt returns and punt coverages, Nyberg stated.
“When he actually will get into it he'll boot it off the (backside) of the roof so much. It makes it tough to get a great look, although,” Nyberg stated. “We're like, ‘Lay off the juice and provides us a great look.’”
Talking of the kicking recreation, Sitake stated it was a lot better Saturday than it has been — which is to say it has been dangerous, fairly frankly, as BYU appears to interchange Jake Oldroyd.
“I believed kicking right now was a lot better than it has been, and it was good to see our kicker in a two-minute state of affairs kick some (game-winning) subject targets right now, and I believed it was very nice,” Sitake stated. “Sorry you guys didn’t get to see it.”