Matt has been a great addition to our team and he’s worked hard to be a legitimate target for us. We love having those guys over the middle. – Junior quarterback Tanner Mangum
PROVO — Ty Detmer may be closer to getting BYU back in the tight end business.
It was evident Saturday when BYU staged its first full-contact scrimmage in LaVell Edwards Stadium.
It was slippery, cold, rainy, cloudy and an all-around uncomfortable day. And coaches held out experienced converted wide receiver tight end Moroni Laulu-Pututau after he tweaked his hamstring. And they didn’t need the most experienced guy at that spot — Tanner Balderree wasn’t needed.
But what surfaced was 6-foot-5, 225-pound freshman Matt Bushman, just six months off his two-year LDS mission. The rookie made play after play and grabbed the soaked pigskin out of the sky like he was working a little Velcro.
The Tucson, Arizona, native’s catch, spin and run for a 65-yard touchdown from freshman Kody Wilstead — pulling away from defenders — was reminiscent of the Andrew George overtime touchdown catch and run between two Utah defenders in LES in 2009. Only it was twice the yardage. And where George ran free to paydirt, Bushman out-sprinted his defender.
On that catch, it reminded Detmer of his own tight end back 27 years ago, All-American and NCAA record holder Chris Smith.
“Yeah, he did,” said Detmer. “He looked really similar to him when he turned and those knees started going up and down. It looked very familiar, kind of a flashback.”
BYU’s staff designed the practice around vanilla formations, real basic stuff. It wasn’t designed for scheming against one another, but for looking at individual performances in live action, said Detmer.
What popped up was tight end play. And Bushman, who had a pair of touchdowns with another freshman, 6-4, 280-pound Joe Tukuafu, who is awaiting word if he’ll be eligible this season after signing with Utah State out of high school.
“Matt Bushman is great. Moroni is doing well too,” said junior QB Tanner Mangum. “Matt has been a great addition to our team and he’s worked hard to be a legitimate target for us. We love having those guys over the middle. It makes our job easy to have and it makes it tough for the defense. They are some big dudes and they can run as well. And it makes it hard for linebackers to cover.”
Bushman, who suits up for BYU’s baseball team as a reserve infielder but hasn’t played, said he grew up watching and looking up to BYU and Baltimore Raven tight end Dennis Pitta, who led NFL tight ends in catches this past season. "My uncle played with him. He’s a great role model, so are all the BYU tight ends, and in the league right now, I like Travis Kelce (Kansas City). I’m just trying to learn as much as I can right now,” he said.
Bushman had four catches for 105 yards and two scores. He had two other catches for 22 yards and a score in a 6-on-7 skelly drill. Tukuafu’s 47-yard catch of a Mangum pass was Mangum’s longest throw of the day.
Bushman’s speed and reaction to the ball stood out. Perhaps looking at a baseball going into his mitt gives him a unique perspective as a receiver.
“I just feel good right now. Just got back from my mission and I’ve been trying to get back in shape. That’s as fast as I’ve run in a while. Honestly, I was just trying to catch the ball on a rainy day, and the quarterback and line did a great job and I tried to make a couple of plays."
Bushman said he was a little surprised at his success on a sloppy day. But Detmer said Bushman has been making plays every day in practices. Tight end coach Steve Clark said Detmer is targeting tight ends twice as much as last spring.
“I’m a little bit surprised today, but I was honestly just trying not to slip in rainy conditions. I’m just grateful to be out here and get a lot of reps learning from these great coaches,” Bushman said.
Bushman said he needs to get stronger and learn how to block.
“Ty Detmer and coach (Steve) Clark are great coaches. They’re recruiting a lot of tight ends, and they're trying to have success and do our best,” said Bushman, who said Detmer was telling all the QBs to look for the tight end Saturday.
Detmer said, “They were running the same defense every play, basic stuff. After a while, the quarterback is going to see what’s open. It changes from day to day.”
Bushman made the most of it. “Getting into the end zone and getting points for the team is a great feeling, the best feeling in football. I was happy, grateful enough to do it today,” he said.
Detmer said Bushman’s improvement is evident this spring, his progress steady. “He’s getting better and better with reps. It was impressive for him to run away from people right there. We usually catch it, tag up and bring it back. So, those are the things you are looking for in a situation like today; the individual ability of a player to come out in a live situation.”
Head coach Kalani Sitake called his tight end group “very athletic.”
Maybe, in the name of Gordon Hudson, Chad Lewis, Itula Mili, Pitta and others, Sitake may be on to something with this group.
Bushman certainly made it look so.