When they’re out there kicking on their own, they can kick that thing 70 yards. But when the pressure’s on, it’s a little bit different for them. – Special teams coach Kelly Poppinga said.
PROVO — There's nothing like making a debut in front of 87,000 red-clad fans.
That's the situation facing BYU's punter when the Cougars visit Nebraska and its massive Memorial Stadium on Sept. 5.
Junior Jonny Linehan, star of the four-time national-champion BYU rugby team, is vying for the starting punting job along with freshman Rhett Almond. While Almond punted at Hart High in Valencia, California, before his LDS mission, Linehan, a native of Auckland, New Zealand, has never played in a football game before.

The Cougars are trying to replace Scott Arellano, who turned in a strong senior season a year ago.
Through the first week of fall camp, coach Bronco Mendenhall has said the punting has been “a mixed bag.”
Both Linehan and Almond have turned in good and not-so-good days. They performed well at last Saturday’s scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium, but they're trying to be more consistent.
“When they’re out there kicking on their own, they can kick that thing 70 yards,” special teams coach Kelly Poppinga said of his punters. “But when the pressure’s on, it’s a little bit different for them. There’s going to be growing pains and we know that. That’s what we went through with Scott.”
Poppinga admitted the season opener could be an adventure.
“There’s nobody in the country that has a punter that has zero experience that’s going to come in and be perfect," he said. "It’s going to take time and a lot of reps. Will there be some miskicks in the Nebraska game? Probably, because those guys have never been in that situation before. We’re hopefully going to limit that to the least amount of bad kicks as possible. But chances are, it’s going to happen.”
Both punters have attempted many rugby-style punts in fall camp. Of course, those come more naturally to Linehan, who has boomed some long ones in practices.
“Huge decision and field position is at stake which means wins are at stake,” Mendenhall said of rugby-style punting. “We’ll be watching that closely.”
Poppinga said the punters “need to be more consistent ... They’ve never played college football before. But they are extreme talents.”
Last spring, when BYU beat Cal to claim its fourth consecutive national rugby title, Linehan explained why he wanted to give football a try.
“It’s kind of like what rugby is to a lot of American kids. It’s new, it’s exciting, it’s something they’ve never done, it’s a new challenge,” Linehan said. “For me, seeing how big football is in the (United) States, more especially at BYU, and how nuts they are about football, I think it’s awesome. It’s neat to be able to play rugby. If you can play both, I feel like you should try to play both. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to have a shot so why not grab it with two horns and just go for it. It’s exciting because it’s new and something you’ve never done, and it’s something people are crazy about. It’s cool to see if you can be the best at something that you’ve never tried before.”
LANGI A LEADER: Mendenhall said junior Harvey Langi, who switched from running back to linebacker after his LDS mission, has emerged as one of the leaders of the defense.
“Harvey’s an emotional leader. From the offseason, any group that’s with him performs at a higher level. He brings energy, he brings physicality and brings an intent that elevates his teammates. He’s still learning the position, he’s still learning the game.”
FIRST SCRIMMAGE: BYU held its first scrimmage of fall camp last Saturday with another one scheduled for this Saturday.
“The first scrimmage to me is usually the most important because it helps me frame the rest of practice,” Mendenhall said. “I wasn’t quite sure what it would be like. But it gives me a great reference point now, knowing it’s probably the most plays we'll do with the most significant players until we play (at Nebraska)."