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Provo • Sophomore slot receiver and occasional running back Trey Dye said BYU's offense came out with a chip on its shoulder in a scrimmage Saturday after not looking so hot last week when the defense ruled the day.
It showed.
The Cougars moved the ball much more effectively in their second scrimmage, especially when the first-teamers were on the field. After 13 series, approximately 80 plays, and some extensive field goal and punting work, coach Bronco Mendenhall said his team has progressed well and is getting closer to being ready to face Nebraska on Sept. 5 in one of the most-anticipated openers in program history.
Starting quarterback Taysom Hill is ready now. That also showed on Saturday.
"I am ready to go. I have no problems," Hill said. "I would be ready to play tomorrow."
Getting five series of work, Hill directed four scoring drives — two for touchdowns and two for field goals. He completed 13 of 18 passes for 143 yards and also had a pair of runs that picked up 22 yards. He probably could have picked up more yards if he hadn't purposefully headed to the boundary.
"For the most part, I thought our first-string guys, we played pretty well. And then after that we need to work on our depth and establish a little more there. But I was happy with how we bounced back," said Hill, who has completed 26 of 38 passes for 337 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions in two scrimmages. That's a passer rating of 151.6.
The offense clicked early (Hill didn't play in the final five series) although center Tejan Koroma and running back Algie Brown were held out for the second straight week. Starting lineman Kyle Johnson also sat out, while top receiver Mitch Mathews played sparingly.
"We are kind of a big-play offense," Hill said. "To be able to [move the ball] consistently is where I've seen a big improvement. And then not just kind of one-hit wonders, where we have a big play and then we don't finish the drive. We have done a good job of continuing to build on what we did last year on that aspect."
The defense also played without some frontline guys — most notably nose guard Travis Tuiloma — so linebacker Harvey Langi wasn't ready to acknowledge the offense got the upper hand on Saturday.
"We all had great plays and we will break it down on film and see who took this," Langi said. "I was very impressed with our defense and all the plays that the offense did."
Sophomore linebacker Sione Takitaki, who will serve a one-game suspension against Nebraska, made the biggest defensive play, intercepting freshman quarterback Tanner Mangum. Sophomore linebacker Fred Warner had four tackles, while Jherremya Leuta-Douyere had three tackles and a pass breakup.
"Defensively, they showed quite a bit of consistency," Mendenhall said. "It still looked like it was difficult to score on them. … And I thought our offense looked better throwing and catching the football in general, especially on early downs."
Mendenhall was disappointed in the high number of penalties, especially false-starts and offside miscues committed by the linemen, but he attributed some of those to "just a different interpretation [of rules] by the officials."
Adam Hine produced both touchdowns, one on a 53-yard burst up the middle and the other a 1-yarder after Nick Kurtz caught a 48-yard bomb from Hill. Hine finished with 73 yards on five carries.
"It has been a while since I have been running the football," Hine said. "It is going to be nice to get more carries this season [in the absence of Jamaal Williams, who withdrew from school]. The more carries I get, the more chances I have to show my talent."
Mendenhall said he will probably conduct another scrimmage next week, but isn't sure where yet, or who will participate.
Twitter: @drewjay —
BYU's second scrimmage
• Quarterback Taysom Hill shines again, completing 13 of 18 passes for 143 yards and rushing for 22 yards.
• Sione Takitaki intercepts freshman QB Tanner Mangum and fellow LB Fred Warner makes four tackles.
• Running back Adam Hine carries the ball five times for 73 yards and two touchdowns, including a 53-yarder.