PROVO — Other than the crowd-pleasing, stiff-arm runs of Fui Vakapuna, and an impressive touchdown catch by tight end Andrew George, BYU's 33rd annual Blue-White game at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday afternoon offered few thrills.

Of course, that was by design.

"The intent wasn't to win the scrimmage. The intent was to develop a little bit more depth, get nobody hurt and have a positive feeling going into the fall," said coach Bronco Mendenhall, who kept a number of starters out of action to avoid injuries. "I think we accomplished that."

The scrimmage, held in front of more than 10,000 spectators, marked the culmination of spring practice, and the Cougars are counting on the work they've put in the past month to serve as a springboard to a big season in 2006.

Though the one-hour, 48-play scrimmage wasn't much to e-mail home about, optimism was in full bloom. Players and coaches are already thinking about next fall, when they open the season at Arizona on Sept. 2.

"It's one step closer to the fall with a team that I think has improved and has great chemistry and enough players to help us compete for a (Mountain West Conference) championship," Mendenhall said.

Spring ball may be over, but preparation for the 2006 season intensifies on Monday, when the Cougars convene for a final team meeting before beginning summer workouts.

"It's a year-round thing, as it should be," said sophomore linebacker David Nixon, who was credited with a team-high four tackles, including a six-yard sack. "It's a tough game and you can't take a day off. You've got to get bigger, stronger and faster. As you do so, the results will come. That's what we want right now, to go out and win that Mountain West Conference championship. That's our main focus, and if we continue working hard during the summer, it's a goal we can definitely achieve."

The scrimmage pitted the offense against the defense, with no kicking game. The offense had 10 possessions, starting anywhere from its own 20-yard line to the defense's 20-yard line. BYU's offense managed to find the end zone four times — the 9-yard catch by George that completed a 65-yard, 11-play drive; a 10-yard run by Vakapuna that showed his ability to bounce to the outside and break tackles; and a pair of TDs by running back Wayne Latu.

Starting quarterback John Beck completed 2 of 5 passes for 21 yards and was sacked twice. The first-team offense scored only once, on a 20-yard drive, and found itself mired in a few third-and-long situations.

But keep in mind the first team played without a few stars — tight end Jonny Harline, running back Curtis Brown and wide receiver Nathan Meikle.

Mendenhall acknowledged that the first-team offense must improve on third-down opportunities. "From an offensive perspective, anytime there are sacks or penalties, you end up with third-and-long," he said. "Our twos did a better job of offense than our ones of moving the ball a little bit."

Backup quarterback Jason Beck was 7 of 14 for 77 yards, including the touchdown to George, who led all receivers with three catches for 26 yards. Isaac Taylor recorded two receptions for 24 yards and Zac Collie grabbed one pass for 30 yards.

Vakapuna gained a scrimmage-high 34 yards on four carries. "The player that made the most impact today was Fui, as he has all spring," Mendenhall said.

"I'm very excited about being in this offense," said Vakapuna, a sophomore who returned in January from an LDS mission. "It's like being back in the glory days. It's great to be back here at Edwards Stadium and feeling the power that's here."

Much of the focus during the spring has been on BYU's new 3-4 defensive alignment. The Cougars are confident that they will be much-improved over last season.

"This defense is going to be real good," said sophomore defensive lineman Kyle Luekenga. "This scheme is patterned after the World Champions, the (Pittsburgh) Steelers. We have one more cornerback and one more linebacker. This defense is going to become really good. I think it will be among the top in the nation."

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"(The defense) is amazing," Vakapuna said. "I know our defense is going to win us a championship. When we win that championship, it will be because of them."

But before that happens, the Cougars know there is plenty of work to be done. "I expect (the players) to train more diligently and more effectively than any other team that we will compete against, to give us a chance for competitive advantage going into the fall," Mendenhall said.

Told there are only 140 days left until his team opens the 2006 campaign at Arizona, Mendenhall replied, "It feels less than that to me." Then he paused. "We'll be ready."


E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com

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