1 / 7

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff gets tackled during the 2023 spring scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Friday, March 31, 2023.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

2 / 7

BYU fans watch the 2023 spring scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Friday, March 31, 2023.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

3 / 7

BYU defenders celebrate with cornerback Jakob Robinson (0) after he made a pick during the 2023 spring scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Friday, March 31, 2023.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

4 / 7

BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis throws a pass during the 2023 spring scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Friday, March 31, 2023.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

5 / 7

BYU offensive and defensive linemen line up for a play during the 2023 spring scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Friday, March 31, 2023.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

6 / 7

BYU quarterback Nick Billoups breaks a tackle on his way to the end zone during the 2023 spring scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Friday, March 31, 2023.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

7 / 7

BYU wide receiver Talmage Gunther leaps for a pass during the 2023 spring scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Friday, March 31, 2023.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

❮ ❯

All of the BYU players and coaches knew heading into Friday’s open spring scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium that they weren’t going to give away any of the complex schemes they’ve been working on.

So what did the Cougars want to get out of the day?

“I thought we got some good tackling and we got some fundamental football,” BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said. “Obviously, we kept it simple. It wasn’t my choice to put it on TV, but I guess we want to keep from giving away our strategy. But we have three more practices after this and we’ll take advantage of them to get ready for the season. But it was just good to get football in front of the fans and be here with everybody. It’s a cool feeling right now.”

While the veterans certainly knew what to expect, the scrimmage provided a first for the Cougar newcomers. With approximately 5,000 fans in attendance (with around 300 alumni participating), this was different atmosphere than at other spring practices.

“It’s fun,” BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said. “This was a game day for some of those guys who’ve never played a snap here. It’s nice to play in front of fans and play on this field. We’ve been inside a lot with bad weather this year, so it’s nice to have good weather, to just get out there and have fun.”

Cougar defensive coordinator Jay Hill acknowledged that defenders get a little extra boost from the fans plus a lot of the scrimmage was live, which made the scrimmage like Christmas for his guys.

“This was Christmas for all of us, right?” Hill said with a grin. “When I showed up at the stadium and walked down the tunnel, it was just a different atmosphere. You’ve got fans in the stands, you’ve got people cheering and you’re on the natural grass. There were so many positives about today. I think it benefits the defense just to get that little juice going.”

The Cougar defenders may have used that extra energy to start strong, stymying the BYU offense on the first nine drives.

The only score during that stretch was a 52-yard field goal by freshman kicker Matthias Dunn, while the best play was probably made by junior cornerback Jakob Robinson.

“That was sweet,” Hills said. “It was Cover 3, so he didn’t necessarily have any help. He did a great job of reading the quarterback, put his foot in the ground and came back on him. He’s playing really well. He had one just like it the other day in practice. That was on a slant. This one was on an out route but he’s made a lot of plays during this spring ball.”

BYU junior defensive lineman Tyler Batty gave it a “10 out of 10.”

“He’s a stud,” Batty said. “We have some awesome dudes in the secondary who are really going to ball out for us this year.”

Overall, Batty said he was pleased with the defensive performance.

“As a defense, we played well today,” Batty said. “There’s always stuff to work on, always room to improve. We’ll always go back to the drawing board and get after it and make sure that we’re getting better week after week from now until the season shows up. It was good opportunity to come out here and learn.”

The Cougar offense did make some plays near the end of the scrimmage.

Scoring plays included a junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff got the ball to junior receiver Hobbs Nyberg for a seven-yard score, sophomore quarterback Nick Billoups rushed for a 22-yard TD (including running over a defender on the way), freshman quarterback Ryder Burton lunged in for a short-yardage score and finally freshman quarterback Cole Hagan ran a QB draw to cross the goal line from 11 yards out.

“I thought some of those young guys came in the second and third groups,” Roderick said. “We got to see some guys who might have a chance to help us, so that was fun.”

Batty said he didn’t mind that things were kept simple because this is what the players love to do.

“It’s just football, you know?” Batty said. “You come out and you play your base stuff. At the end of the day, you’re just out playing football. So we’ll take it.”

Newsletter