If it's BYU, then all eyes must be on the quarterbacks.
The Cougars took the field at Cougar Stadium Friday afternoon for their second scrimmage of the spring, and junior Kevin Feterik and sophomore Drew Miller took center stage.
While both quarterbacks had their chances to engineer the offensive squad, it was Miller who shined Friday, hitting receivers Margin Hooks and Aaron Roderick on a pair of 80-yard pass plays for touchdowns.
At this stage, coach LaVell Edwards isn't worried about stats. He's just glad he has a couple of QBs who have quality experience.
"It's coming along," said Edwards of his offense. "You can't tell by the yardage, sacks or whatever else. It's good to have two good quarterbacks. We're better than we were at any time last year."
In 1997, Miller saw more action than any true freshman during the Edwards Era and even started one game, a forgettable loss at UTEP. He says being in the system for almost a year has been invaluable to his development.
"Last year, during two-a-days, I was trying to make all these reads and it was confusing," he said. "This year, I can go to the line of scrimmage and see what the defense is doing right away. It makes a huge difference."
Having a reliable tight end in the program would make a huge difference, too. While the Cougars still don't have any experienced candidates, they have found at least a couple of guys with promise. Two prospects who impressed on Friday were Tevita Ofahengaue and Carlos Nuno.
After completing his high school career in Hawaii (where he played with former Cougar Itula Mili), Ofahengaue got married, had a couple of kids and attended BYU-Hawaii before enrolling at BYU last year. "He's a big guy that can run," said Edwards. "He's finally got a chance to get a lot of work."
Then there's Nuno, a junior from Modesto, Calif., who was switched from defensive line this spring. "He's a good blocker,"
said Edwards. "He's a tough kid."
Redshirt freshman tight end Brett Keisel did not play Friday due to illness, while sophomore Nate Foreman, who is still recovering from knee surgery, is not participating in contact drills.
At receiver, the Cougars appear to have a bevy of talented performers in Hooks, Roderick, Tacoma Fontaine, Ben Horton, Soren Halladay and Mike Rigell. And running backs Ronney Jenkins and Jaron Dabney give the Cougars considerable speed. There's still a concern with the offensive line, but coaches say they are seeing improvement.
With the annual spring game a week away and the opener at Alabama six months away, Miller is both excited and confident about the potential of the offense. "Once we get rid of the little mistakes, we're going to have a very good offense," he said.