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BYU receivers talk on the sidelines during practice in Provo on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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BYU players work on technique during practice in Provo on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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BYU wide receiver Hobbs Nyberg reaches for a pass during practice in Provo on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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So long, fall camp.

For BYU football, it’s now all about getting ready to face Sam Houston in Game 1 at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Sept. 2 (8:15 p.m. MDT, FS1).

“It’s a welcome change,” Cougar offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said during Tuesday’s press teleconference. “We’ve had a great camp. It’s fun to go against your own team every day but now we are at the point where it is nice to move on and start getting ready for an opponent. I see the veteran players who have played a lot — either here or at other schools — anxious to get the game plan and film to study and tendencies to learn. I enjoy that process and we are about to dive deep into it.”

BYU junior tight end Isaac Rex said on Saturday that there is a shift in approach that the players make when camp concludes.

“I feel like it’s less physical and more mental,” Rex said. “It’s a lot more game film on a different opponent. You’ll have a squad that will give you different looks that they’re going to do and you’re not so much bashing heads. Those first two weeks of camp are really critical to show what you can do and then after that you’ve got to lock in mentally, so the mental game is a lot more important.”

Cougar senior linebacker AJ Vongphachanh has been through the transition throughout his career and said that being able to zero in to get ready to face an opponent makes a significant difference.

“We’ve done a little bit of scouting the opponent, but not to the extent that we need to going into the game.” Vongphachanh said. “Camp is about getting the defense down and getting our fundamentals down, but as we make this transition our work is going to be more opponent-based.”

Both Roderick and BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill feel similarly about the status of their respective units, saying they aren’t set yet but are in a good spot.

“I feel like we are right on schedule to be ready to play,” Roderick said. “We aren’t ready quite yet but we have a good team. Most of the install is in and we’re shifting gears to our Sam Houston game plan. I like where we are at.”

Hill said: “I thought we took another big step forward from spring ball until now in familiarizing ourselves with the scheme and what we want to get accomplished with the plays we are running. The depth chart is shaping up, although I wouldn’t say anything is set in stone. I know we are trending in the right direction.”

One of the big questions for the Cougar offense this year was how the quarterback position would shape up. Roderick said it’s now as clear as it can be at this point.

“Kedon Slovis is our starter but we have a little bit of a unique situation with the backup,” Roderick said. “Jake Retzlaff is second with Cade Fennegan third. However, Cade has redshirted before and Jake has not. So depending on the situation throughout the season, we will make decisions about who will go in first.”

Roderick also said that Southern Utah transfer Mata’ava Ta’ase (who is a junior) has won the No. 2 tight spot behind Rex and that a trio of offensive linemen — Kingsley Suamataia, Connor Pay and Paul Maile — have secured starting spots with the other two still to be determined.

He explained that the reason the line isn’t solidified yet is that so many players have been doing well. He sees a lot of good players across the board and knows BYU needs them to be ready to go.

“We have a lot of depth,” Roderick said. “This is the deepest team offensively that we’ve had since I’ve been here. We might not have a Puka Nacua but I like our depth at every position. I think we are more equipped to make it through the full season.”

Over the next week and a half, Roderick expects the Cougars to iron out the last few details and continue to develop the cohesion that is so crucial for a football team.

“We are sorting out a few position battles but we also have a lot of new faces,” Roderick said. “We have several transfers who have played a lot of games but we’re still learning to play together in this system.

“Each day there are details that we have to work through. But the guys are picking up on it fast and I expect them to be in midseason form in Game 1. That’s the goal. We’re not waiting around. We’ve got to be ready to go right from the start.”