PROVO — On the third play of BYU’s scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium Saturday, BYU wide receiver Nick Kurtz juggled, then dropped, a deep pass from Taysom Hill that could have gone for a touchdown.
“I thought I had it. I ran a pretty good route,” Kurtz said. “I just tried to roll my shoulder over and catch it and unfortunately — I heard the crowd cheer because they thought I caught it — then it kind of bounced out. I actually laughed about it because whenever you get down on yourself, it’s not a good thing.”
The 6-foot-6, 205-pound junior bounced back in a big way.

Toward the end of the scrimmage, Kurtz hauled in a 48-yard TD pass from quarterback Taysom Hill.
“I just laughed about (the drop) and went back on the field and tried to make plays after that,” Kurtz said. “Then I ended up scoring a touchdown. You’ve got to work on keeping your mind in the game when something like that happens.”
Kurtz’s dropped pass was his first of fall camp. He finished the scrimmage with three receptions for 60 yards.
The only other touchdown on the day was a 62-yard strike from Tanner Mangum to Colby Pearson that was nullified by a holding call.
THE TAKITAKI SITUATION: News broke Wednesday that linebacker Sione Takitaki has been suspended for the Nebraska game stemming from being cited for misdemeanor theft charges.
Speaking publicly for the first time on the situation, coach Bronco Mendenhall explained: “That was 7-10 days old. I had already addressed it with Sione. I’d really like to keep things private when I can … He’ll miss the Nebraska game, pending anything else that might happen before then.”
What effect will Takitaki’s absence have on the defense?
“They’re already practicing without him in terms of the starting lineup or a significant role,” Mendenhall said. “It helps the team gain confidence in our system, our structure, our accountability and consistency. You have to do what you’re supposed to do.”
POSITION CHANGES: Mendenhall confirmed a pair of position changes. Freshman Riley Burt has been moved to running back and he had four carries for eight yards Saturday.
Freshman Micah Simon has been switched from wide receiver to cornerback and he recorded one tackle in the scrimmage.
KICKING GAME UPDATE: The Cougars put in a lot of work on special teams Saturday. Placekicker Trevor Samson hit 8 of 8 field-goal attempts, including a 51-yarder.
Junior punter Jonny Linehan, a rugby player, and freshman Rhett Almond both looked more consistent Saturday and each had long punts.
“Trevor continues to kick field goals really well in terms of accuracy and percentage,” Mendenhall said. “Jonny Linehan is doing a nice job with the rugby punting.”
HANNEMANN STILL OUT: Mendenhall said he doesn’t expect cornerback Micah Hannemann to be out long-term.
“Taking longer, not because of his health but because more tests they want to run and correspondence between doctors. I still don’t anticipate it being a big deal. Even though it’s been a week, it’s just a unique circumstance with communication and different doctors wanting different tests trying to get a consensus.”
EXTRA POINTS: Freshman wide receiver Moroni Laulu-Pututau did not participate in the scrimmage due to an injury … Among the players who are “emerging” during the first week of camp include wide receiver Josh Weeks, cornerback Michael Shelton, linebacker Manoa Pikula and Mangum, Mendenhall said … Freshman running back Francis Bernard led all rushers with five carries for 22 yards. Adam Hine ran three times for 21 yards.