BYU's first full scrimmage of the fall answered one question: Who will back up Ty Detmer?
"I think we've found a good backup quarterback in Joe Evans," Coach LaVell Edwards said after Saturday's scrimmage in Cougar Stadium. "We're pretty well set there."Evans did look sharp, after a shaky start, playing against the first-team defense. His first few passes were wobbly, and two were picked off, by Josh Arnold and Brian Mitchell.
But he then settled down to complete his next eight passes, finishing with an unofficial nine completions in 14 attempts for about 85 yards. And several of those completions came after he scrambled to avoid defensive linemen.
Evans' chief competitor, sophomore Brent Smith, fared less well. He appeared frustrated by his second-team line's inability to protect him, and the coaches called only three pass plays during his stint.
In general, the first-team offense moved fairly easily against the second-team defense, and the first-team defense looked solid against their second-string opponents.
The most impressive defensive unit was the line, which repeatedly put a lot of heat on the backup quarterbacks.
On offense, both Chris Smith and backup tight end Matt Zundel made some tough catches, and the running backs as a group were impressive. Stacey Corley, Matt Bellini, Peter Tuipolotu, Scott Charlton and Mike Salido all ripped off big runs.
And LaVell's evaluation? "The big thing is we didn't get anybody hurt seriously," he said. "For the first scrimmage it was good, the hitting was good.
"The players are tired and we have a lot of guys nicked, but the attitude has been good all fall."
Highlights in a scrimmage are hard to come by, but this session offered a few:
- Corley trying to turn the corner and getting cut off, then reversing direction for a 65-yard touchdown run. On a later play, Corley seemed about to make only a short gain on a pass, but he faked defender Tau Harrington to the ground and picked up a dozen more yards.
- Wide receiver Brent Nyberg taking what looked like an interception in the end zone away from Brian Mitchell for a touchdown.
- Halfback Matt Bellini starting to run around the right side, then pulling up and hitting a wide-open Nyberg for a 46-yard score.
In other developments:
- Micah Matsuzaki, the sophomore wide receiver who underwent a bone scan for a possible back injury on Wednesday, should be back at practice this week. A suspected fracture turned out to be only a painful bulging disc, which will allow him to play.
- Sophomore split end Nati Valdez, who has been out with a pulled hamstring, may also return to practice this week.
- Two players have left the team: sophomore linebacker Steve Holmes and senior nose guard Fred Katoa. Both suffered from recurring back problems.
- With so many capable running backs, Edwards said earlier this week that he might consider shuttling plays in with them instead of wide receivers or tight ends, as in the past.
- After Saturday's practice, Detmer handed out candy suckers to his offensive linemen. Smith jokingly remarked: "Ty's campaigning for captain again."
- The Cougs' next scrimmage will be Wednesday afternoon.
- KBYU-TV (Channel 11) will preview the upcoming season with Edwards and Detmer on a live call-in show 8 p.m. Monday.