BYU suffered its first major scare of the football season Saturday during a scrimmage in Cougar Stadium, as senior fullback Kalin Hall went down with what originally was thought to be a broken leg.
Hall was stepped on by noseguard Lenny Gomes and subsequently hauled off the field on a cart; X-rays later showed no broken bones. The diagnosis now is tendon strain, which probably means he'll be out about 10 days, according to BYU officials.As for the scrimmage itself, both offense and defense played well, although the defense - especially the pass rush - dominated the early going. Outside backers Todd Herget and Nathan Hall, and outside linemen Travis Hall and Randy Brock, put all kinds of heat on the BYU QBs, getting close enough to sack (tag) them eight times. And on the second team, redshirt freshman Andy Nash showed good speed on the outside.
"That's a quicker defensive front than we've had in recent years," Edwards acknowledged.
When they managed to avoid the rush, BYU's top three quarterbacks performed well. Sophomore John Walsh took the first snaps and completed 8 of 11 passes for 149 yards, with one interception (by cornerback Patrick Mitchell). Junior Tom Young hit on 10 of 15 for 143 yards, and junior Steve Clements was 9 of 11 for 111 yards.
"I feel good about all three of them," Edwards said. "I don't think that's going to be our problem."
Running back also doesn't promise to pose problems. Besides the starting duo of Hall and halfback Jamal Willis, six other Cougar backs carried the ball Saturday. The highlights: Fullback Chad Knowles, a sophomore from Sandy who was the state 4A MVP in 1988, got the most work, rushing 10 times for 38 yards. Fullback Rob Morris, the highly regarded freshman recruit from Nampa, Idaho, rushed three times for 15 yards and made two catches for 36 yards. And sophomore fullback T.D. Biegel carried three times for 14 yards and had two receptions for 46 yards.
In true Cougar fashion, 14 players made catches Saturday. Wide receiver Eric Drage totaled 85 yards on four catches; starting tight end Terence Saluone had three receptions for 45 yards; and third-team tight end Chad Lewis, a 21-year-old freshman walk-on from Orem, had three catches for 41 yards.
The area of biggest concern for BYU is the kicking game, and the scrimmage did little to settle anything there. The punts and kickoffs were unspectacular, with the exception of one punt by Alan Boardman that traveled some 65 yards with good hang time. Joe Herrick, listed as the first-string placekicker and second-string punter, sat out the scrimmage with a pulled leg muscle.
Field goals were more noteworthy. Sophomore Steve Evans from Clearfield and junior Bill Hansen from St. George each drilled a 27-yarder and 42-yarder.
INJURY REPORT: Starting offensive lineman Jim Edwards broke his thumb Wednesday but could play while wearing a soft cast as early as this week. Defensive lineman Matt Redden broke his arm Friday and will be out about eight weeks. Scrimmage injuries included defensive back Kyle Roberts, who broke fingers and was to have surgery Saturday night; starting safety Frank Christianson, who strained a knee; and defensive tackle Justin Yarro, who also injured a knee. Cougar officials did not say when the latter three might return to action.