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Provo • BYU receiver Jonah Trinnaman made a debut worthy of all the preseason hype he received, catching six passes for 49 yards in the 18-16 win over Arizona last Saturday.
Now the transfer from Snow College hopes to be able to do it against the school he considered signing with last year, the University of Utah.
Trinnaman, an American Fork product, committed to BYU when Bronco Mendenhall was the coach, but in January he made a campus visit to Utah and met with former BYU receivers coach Guy Holliday, who had moved up to the hill after three years coaching the Cougars.
The trip just reinforced his desire to play for his favorite team growing up, however, and he signed with BYU in February.
"Yeah, I like Guy Holliday a lot. He's a good guy," Trinnaman said Tuesday. "When Bronco left, it was kind of a weird time for me, trying to figure out what I wanted to do, what offense I wanted to play in. But Ty Detmer and all those guys came down and talked me into coming here. So I feel good about it."
Trinnaman, 6 feet and 190 pounds, expects a raucous atmosphere at 5:30 p.m. Saturday when he goes back to Utah for the first time since that visit.
"Loud [fans], probably pretty mean," he said. "But, I mean, sticks and stones, right? It is football. People are going to try and get in your head, so it is not anything new. We are expecting it to be loud and hostile, so I am excited."
Nacua's ninth pick
Senior safety Kai Nacua recorded his ninth career interception Saturday against Arizona and is now just one away from tying current defensive backs coach Jernaro Gilford, who had 10 in his career (1999, 2001-03), for eighth-most in program history. Dave Atkinson is the all-time picks leader at BYU, with 20 from 1970-73.
"I hope he gets nine more," Gilford said. "That's absolutely great for Kai, and I am looking forward to him getting more, and I am definitely rooting for him to get more. That's a great accomplishment."
Kaufusi's emergence
BYU basketball player Corbin Kaufusi made an impact in his first college football game, recording a sack and four tackles. Defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki said the 6-foot-9 defensive end played "about what we thought" he would play.
"Really pleased with him," Tuiaki said. "He is understanding football more and more. … His transition has been really cool to see. He is picking things up. He is a big boy."
Akile Davis update
Former three-star recruit Akile Davis, from DeSoto, Texas, was on the two-deep chart before the Arizona game, but did not make the trip to Glendale. Gilford said the plan is to redshirt Davis this season.
"It might be a situation that changes," Gilford said. "Who knows? He might end up playing, he might not. But we feel the best situation for him, and for the team, would be for him to redshirt and come back next year and be 10 times better than he is now."
Davis just lost out to freshman Troy Warner for the starting left corner spot the last week of fall camp. Warner made three tackles, but left the game at times due to cramping issues. His brother, Fred Warner, said Troy is "good to go" on Saturday.
Briefly
BYU was one of 28 teams around the country that did not have a turnover in its season opener. … After averaging 21.1 first downs per game in 2015, BYU had 24 against Arizona. … The Cougars are eighth in the country in time of possession, having controlled the ball 37:37 in the opener.
Twitter: @drewjay —
AP Top 25
Record Pts Pv
1. Alabama (54) 1-0 1,518 1
2. Clemson (2) 1-0 1,416 2
3. Florida St. (4) 1-0 1,413 4
4. Ohio St. 1-0 1,324 6
5. Michigan (1) 1-0 1,261 7
6. Houston 1-0 1,243 15
7. Stanford 1-0 1,140 8
8. Washington 1-0 884 14
9. Georgia 1-0 877 18
10. Wisconsin 1-0 759 NR
11. Texas 1-0 743 NR
12. Michigan St. 1-0 722 12
13. Louisville 1-0 686 19
14. Oklahoma 0-1 664 3
15. TCU 1-0 635 13
16. Iowa 1-0 588 17
17. Tennessee 1-0 573 9
18. Notre Dame 0-1 528 10
19. Mississippi 0-1 493 11
20. Texas A&M 1-0 477 NR
21. LSU 0-1 423 5
22. Oklahoma St. 1-0 409 21
23. Baylor 1-0 296 23
24. Oregon 1-0 242 24
25. Miami 1-0 137 NR
Others • Florida 117, UCLA 62, Boise St. 50, Utah 43, San Diego St. 37, North Carolina 23, Auburn 13, Nebraska 13, Pittsburgh 7, BYU 5, Navy 2, Colorado 1, West Virginia 1.