DICKSON: I find it interesting that the NCAA is looking at adjusting the offseason schedule to include practices and scrimmages against other programs. Could actual exhibition games be far behind? Maybe, especially since we could be looking at a 24-team playoff (yuck!) in the near future. Conference championship games would go away and regular season games will be less important, but guys, MORE MONEY!

OK, I’ll back away from the “angry old man” act (“Flobelty-floo!”-real SNL fans know). What was the question? Oh, yeah, overall impressions. Probably everything that Gurney is going to write after me about how it turned out just like we thought. I felt like the offensive line could have been a little more dominant and the backups gave up too many passing yards in the second half, but we’re on to Arizona now.

GURNEY: I feel that BYU looked almost exactly like it was supposed to look in taking on a very inferior opponent. Yes, the Trailblazers aren’t good, and BYU didn’t allow instances where they did, in fact, look better than they were, which is what you want. I do think the biggest positive was the showcasing of freshmen and transfer talents, such as receivers Legend Glasker and Kyler Kasper, tight ends Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga, and finally running backs like DeVaughn Eka and Journee Tonga.

Sure, the gains given up by the defense in the second half wasn’t ideal, but that’s some extreme knit-picking, and that’s sort of the point. Any criticism given out to the team’s overall performance has to come with the designation of ‘knit-picking,’ which is exactly what you’d expect going into the game.

2. What BYU football position group impressed you the most in the game against the Trailblazers?

GURNEY: There’s several good choices here, but I’m going with the running back position. We saw a glimpse of Journee Tonga during live sessions, but seeing his lateral ability sort of reminded me of Reno Mahe. Yes, I know that sounds like extreme hyperbole given just how good Mahe was, but wow, I was impressed with his two runs and wanted to see more.

And then there’s DeVaughn Eka, who ran extremely hard while giving a glance of his upside, which brings me to Preston Rex. I believe Rex may have been the offensive MVP of BYU’s fall camp, and he proved that it wasn’t a fluke on Saturday. Rex should be able to provide a good change-of-pace from the bruising presences of LJ Martin and Sione Moa, which should prove beneficial, and especially when considering Moa may not be available to play this week due to injury.

DICKSON: Yeah, Gurney’s right. If you’re playing BYU, you’d better strap on your helmet extra tight because these running backs will punish you. Every one of them ran with anger and a purpose on Saturday. I can’t pick one specific defensive group (among the 1s and 2s) that stood out above the others but man, there are a lot of playmakers on that side of the ball. I’m talking about guys that will wreck havoc, cause turnovers and drop fools for losses. The outcome of a play is often determined by one-on-one battles and I think the Cougars are going to win a lot of those battles consistently on the defensive side of the ball.

3. What BYU football position group is under the gun the most on Saturday against Arizona?

DICKSON: One of the things that BYU has done well against Noah Fifita and the Wildcats in previous games is pressure. Fifita is talented and can really hurt you when he escapes the pocket. not just as a runner but out in space he’s super dangerous in finding open receivers. The key for the Cougars is pressure Fifita into throwing before he wants to throw the ball. That’s where you can get him in trouble. That’s a big task to not only pressure him but to keep him from getting outside the pocket. It’s a good challenge for Kelly Poppinga and his defense to take on in Game 2. Guys like Isaiah Glasker, Cade Uluave, Bode Schoonover, Tausili Akana, Hunter Clegg and Nusi Taumoepeau are going to have to be really good on Saturday.

GURNEY: I think it’s without question the safety position, and by extension the team’s slot corner, which appears to be Cannon DeVries. I’m sold on starting cornerbacks Evan Johnson and Tre Alexander, and they should be able to lockdown their assignments against Noah Fifita and his crew, but DeVries will certainly be tested time and again to a much greater degree than he has so far at any time in his career.

And then there’s Tommy Prassas filling in for Raider Damuni. I like Prassas’ ability, but like DeVries, he’ll be tasked with a much greater responsibility as the team’s primary backend safety than he has at any time during his brief career. Fifita could very well prove to be the best quarterback the Cougars face this season, and the secondary is going to have to be up to the task if they hope to come away with a win.

4. OK, a big-picture college sports question: Should athletes who have been on professional rosters be allowed to come back to school and play?

GURNEY: I mean, sure, why not? Yeah, the prospect is absurd, but what isn’t absurd about college sports these days? I think the mistake some are making is still calling it ‘collegiate sports’ in lieu of what it really is now, which is a professional sports league. These guys are getting paid, and given that there’s no salary cap and not even any reported contracts, why not have NFL players come back and play for what is now another professional league with literally no real rules?

Do I like it? I hate it, and it speaks to just how ridiculous the entire everything has become. But I can’t blame players for coming back and trying to make a dime. I would like college coaches to exercise at least some discretion here and put up their own road blocks, but why would they? It’s a competitive professional league now, and who can really blame anyone for not doing everything possible to field the best team they can within the context of almost no contraints?

DICKSON: The minute they started paying college players, they ceased to simply be student-athletes. They are pros now, so the old set of rules no longer applies. The line has to be drawn somewhere, doesn’t it? I mean, a guy that tries out for an NFL team but gets cut in the preseason, should he be eligible to return to college? What about a guy that plays in the G-League? Or overseas? It’s such a grey area right now nobody knows what to do.

BYU men’s basketball has a specific example in Jaxson Kohler. He finished his career at Michigan State and played with the Utah Jazz summer league team. Now, he’s committed to play for Kevin Young and the Cougars. I really hope fans get a chance to see him in a BYU uniform because they will love how he plays. If he never signed a contract with the Jazz, he should be allowed to play college ball. But there are plenty of other situations that need more discussion. It’s such a mess right now.

5. Were you encouraged or discouraged after the BYU women’s volleyball team lost to No. 2 Pitt 3-1 last Friday?

DICKSON: Alex Bower told me she was “super” encouraged (college athletes put “super” in front of everything these days) but Cougar head coach Rob Neilson said he was a little of both. Here’s what I saw on Friday: BYU was able to play at Pitt’s level for two sets and easily could have been up 2-0 instead of tied 1-1. But the Cougars couldn’t maintain that level of play and lost in four. I was encouraged that senior Claire Little Chambers put up great numbers against a really good team. I was encouraged that she got a lot of help from the middles and opposite Kate Prior, who is one of the great comeback stories in college sports so far. I think Neilson has this group heading into the right direction.

GURNEY: I’ll go with encouraged here, given how close the Cougars were in winning the first two sets. Sure, Pittsburgh finished out strong over the last two sets, but we’re talking about the No. 2 team in the country here. I think it’s a sign that BYU is ready to roll into Big 12 Conference play as a legitimate threat to just about any team within the conference and as a serious candidate to make it to the NCAA tournament and then do some damage.