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With storm clouds swirling around Provo, excitement couldn’t have been any higher as week two of BYU spring practices started Monday.
The excitement wasn’t for the change in weather but for a change in tempo in practice, as both sides of the ball looked more comfortable on the field, especially the defense.
"The offense had a really good day on Friday,” head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “And like what happens most of the time in spring, the defense thought about that over the weekend and it was payback day for them today.”
To Mendenhall, the linebackers really stood out as their progress continues to grow. “Alani Fua, Bronson Kafusi and Sae Tautu, all three of those guys at outside backer are doing a nice job.”
Mendenhall also acknowledged that the Cougars’ secondary has a chance this year to be more dominant than the defensive front, which will be a slight change from what fans are used to seeing.
"Between Trent [Trammell], Rob Daniel and then Jordan Johnson when he comes back … that’s three pretty good upper classmen in the secondary. We’re excited about that, then you add Craig Bills into it and Kai Nacua … I’m feeling pretty good about that as of today.”
Monday’s offensive series was better than last week, but Cougar captain and signal caller Taysom Hill said there’s still a lot to improve on.
"We’re certainly not where we want to be, but we’re getting better,” Hill said. “From Monday last week to today, we’ve gotten better, and I like the strides but I still don’t like the amount of balls that are ending up on the ground through fumbles and dropped balls, so we got to clean that up.”
As improvements go, Hill added that he has been able to improve different aspects of his game due to help from another improving player and friend, backup quarterback Christian Stewart.
"Christian has gotten a lot better since coming here last year … he’s a great teammate, he’s been a great friend to me, and he is my lifting partner and I think Christian and I are a good combo. He wants me to succeed and do well and I want the same for him. He sees things that I don’t when I am on the field, he lets me know and it works both ways … he’s a good quarterback.”
Notes from Day Four
Assistant defensive coordinator Nick Howell said the defense is looking really good and it is still experimenting with putting players in certain situations and positions to see what works best for them.
“You got guys that know what they’re doing and guys that don’t know what they’re doing, so you want them all to know what they’re doing, and that’s what it is right now … we’re trying to get everybody on the same page as fast as we can.
“It’s a mix between getting the right communicator on the field and getting the right strong safety on the field. … Right now, to say where we are at, we are in the experimental phase. … I want to play our best four guys, and that’s what we are trying to do is to find who our best four guys are,” Howell said.
Another strong addition the Cougar defense is looking forward to seeing again is junior defensive back Trent Trammell, who after suffering a devastating injury last year in camp was sidelined for the season. Trammell, who feels healthy and has been practicing, says he is ready to get back at it.
“It was a good learning experience for me,” Trammell said. “I haven’t had to sit out a practice since I was 9, so it was rough.
“It feels good, I’m excited … I got that monkey off my back.”
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You can hear interviews with Mendenhall, Hill, Howell and Trammell in "Cougar Cuts," above left.
BYU will continue spring practices with a Wednesday afternoon session (no media availability).
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Read more at http://www.ksl.com/?nid=498&sid=28952616#QZkOFICVyCRMB5MD.99Brandon Crow is a Los Angeles native and broadcast major at Brigham Young University. Contact him at bcrowsnest@gmail.com.
