BYU football: A different feel in Provo
Dick Harmon
Quarterback Max Hall, looking confident as a cat guarding a bird cage, said he shot a 76 at Riverside Country Club the other day and it marked the end of his free time for a while.
"He's, well, all of us are very anxious to get this thing started," said quarterback coach Brandon Doman.
Hall's sidekick, Austin Collie, had all the eyes of a media army on his right leg when he made his way onto the practice field after a report of a stress fracture ricocheted around Cougar Town the previous 12 hours. No, he didn't limp. No, he wasn't on crutches and no, his ailment isn't expected to keep him out of action long. Especially after magic kicks in.
On a campus known for clone-like students, Mendenhall allowed the traditional shaved haircut ritual to be just partially completed Saturday. You had all kinds of carved designs on top of noggins. Freshman linebacker Jefferson Court's head looked like a catalog page out of a tattoo parlor. One, walk-on lineman Lawrence Pico, left an Olive Oyl bun on the back of his head, and there were plenty of mohawks to scare the cafeteria folks at the dorms.
The Cougars were surprisingly active, considering they went to bed past midnight on Friday after a team activity, then were summoned around 4:30 a.m. Saturday for a jog up to Y mountain. There, Mendenhall drilled in to his players his patented theme and handed everyone a token, an actual coin, engraved with a player holding a banner representing the school.
Hall to tight end Dennis Pitta and running back Harvey Unga was bread and butter, but during a spirited 11-on-11 to conclude the day, the defense rose up and stopped Hall and company cold.
"I was impressed with our defense," Unga said. "We've taken it up a few notches over last year at this time as a team, but I was especially impressed with our defense. I was shocked, actually, because we are missing some pretty good guys off the team from a year ago and they really did well today."
Among the newcomers, it was hard to hide freshman defensive back Shiloah Te'o from Kahuku High in Hawaii. Te'o made plays all over the field and drew high praise from coordinator Jaime Hill.
Not bad for a first day's work.
The praise had nothing to do with the fact his kin, Manti Te'o from Honolulu, remains the Cougars' top recruit and one of the best Class of 2009 prep defenders in the country.
"He earned it," Unga said. "I was really shocked to see how good Te'o is. Boy, the kid can move, he's got a bright future ahead of him just by his looks and athleticism. It's not just him but a lot of the freshmen."
Recent comments
If the report re the haircuts is accurate, it is extrememly disappointing...
hbg41 | Aug. 5, 2008 at 1:46 p.m.
re: healthy cougars go undefeated | 10:15 a.m. Aug. 5, 2008
...
mash 4077 | Aug. 5, 2008 at 11:58 a.m.
re: This just in... | 1:31 p.m. Aug. 4, 2008
The double...
old joke | Aug. 5, 2008 at 11:52 a.m.
