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Winter has finally arrived on the Wasatch Front, which means the BYU Cougars practiced in the Indoor Practice Facility on Monday as 2015 spring camp got underway in Provo.

My initial report, that the word discipline will be uttered a time or two, or more, in the next four weeks at camp, can be found here.

The big news Monday was that quarterback Taysom Hill participated in practice far more than most people thought he would; Hill won't play in the spring scrimmage on March 27 (6 p.m., LaVell Edwards Stadium) or participate in any contact stuff, but QBs coach Jason Beck said he is further along than expected and should be cleared to do everything in May.

Of course, spring ball will long be over by then, but the outlook is promising.

As for running back Jamaal Williams, coach Bronco Mendenhall said he's a bit behind Hill in his recovery process and won't do much of anything in camp. Williams told reporters after practice that he will be ready to go when the Cougars play Nebraska on Sept. 5 in Lincoln.

There are always a few players who miss spring ball for non-injury related matters, mostly due to academics, and this spring one of those will be linebacker Manoa Pikula.

"Academics could be part of it. Or just simply team discipline. You will notice others along the way. But Manoa is currently one," Mendenhall said.

Mendenhall said to ask him again on Wednesday (next media availability) about position changes, then remembered a couple.

Steven Richards, the former Alta High product, will move from defensive end to tight end. Tanner Balderee, a sophomore from Sherwood, Ore., will move from defensive line to either tight end or big running back. Richards and Balderee are listed as tight ends on the roster distributed by BYU on Monday.

On Jan. 7, Mendenhall announced that he would "oversee" the defense again and take the play-calling duties on that side of the ball from Nick Howell. I asked Mendenhall how Howell has handled the change in assignment.

"Really, we have just gone back to how it was," Mendenhall said. "And I think we are both determined. We have an unbelievable relationship, based on trust and respect. He is one of my closest friends. So that has kind of overridden everything. He wants to win, I want to win. We want the best for our players.

What I know is that this is what I am supposed to be doing to help our team at this time, and he supports that. So, I couldn't have asked for it to be any better. He's been unbelievable."

The Cougars announced last week that the annual Blue-White Scrimmage will be held on a Friday night, March 27, at 6 p.m. at LES.

Why not on a Saturday?

"Just something new," Mendenhall said. "I think marketing-wise, it was something that seemed fresh and innovative and fun. Spring has a fun element to it; Football has a fun element to it. Man, you pray for nice weather. But it was basically that: to add a unique and fresh and fun experience for our players and our fans."

The Cougars will go Wednesday and Friday this week, then Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday next week. In Weeks 3 and 4, they will return to the M-W-F format. Mendenhall said the biggest goal is to establish what expectations are for this team and find players willing to live up to them.

"Just as the head coach and having day to day interaction, the discipline, the execution and the demand to do thing exactly right every day, in every drill, in every rep. And if we establish that this spring, it will be an early nice foundation for the fall," he said.

OK, here are more of Mendenhall's first-day comments, including full transcripts of his answers to my questions about the fallout from the Miami Beach Bowl brawl and the recruit from Texas who was arrested two days after he signed:

Mendenhall's opening comments:

"Fun to be back out with our team. They worked really hard today. Really fun to see Taysom back outside. He's really throwing the ball well and yeah, he's limited in terms of practicing full, but it just feels better to have him out there.

Nice to have Jamaal out there as well. They will both be out of spring [practices]. Jamaal is a little bit behind where Taysom is. Just having those two back made a big difference.

And then I think the influence our new strength coach has made, coach [Frank] Wintrich. He has worked them really hard. The players, we worked them hard today, but they were physically prepared and mentally tough, which has been a real focus for our offseason, and so yeah, a lot of work that we put in today, which was a lot of fun, with some players back that we have been missing for awhile."

Mendenhall on the message of the day being discipline and why:

"Maybe with just having a chance to reflect once the season ended, my very first year here, there were wristbands that had three words on them: accountability, discipline, effort. Normally, that really gets you through some really difficult times, difficult games. We lost two overtime games this year that could have given us 10 wins.

And I don't think I really prepared the team at a level that just challenged them to the point where they could be disciplined regardless of circumstance.

For instance, statistically the defense last year was top 25 in yards per rush, top 25 in [fewest] passing yards, top 25 in yards per play, yet not in points.

A lot of that came on sudden change, or turnovers or field position became a little bit adverse. They are really disciplined to do exactly what they are supposed to do, even when the threshold is raised.

That was just one small example.

I thought it was appropriate for our team right now. I think that makes a lot of sense. I think it made sense to them."

On how much the post game brawl with Memphis played into the discipline theme:

"I think it certainly had an effect. I am not sure what percentage. Maybe that was just the capstone on other things that I had seen. So, what I really wanted to establish to our team today is there is an overtime and a double overtime game that were really the difference between eight and 10 wins.

And what the outcome of those games were decided upon was simply discipline and doing what you are supposed to do. And so the visibility of the fight afterwards might have been what everybody drew their attention to. I was looking more execution-oriented and effective number of wins."

On a general number of players who will be disciplined from brawl:

"The general number will be around 10-ish. And I won't really go into who specifically [will be disciplined], and or what they will get. Probably game week is when most of that will happen. We will try to maintain a competitive advantage as long as we can and protect the kids as much as we can.

I think everyone knows I thrive on accountability and don't back away from it, especially at BYU. So, I am comfortable with who we are discipling and how. We would just like to protect our players as much as we can also."

On whether the discipline is the same for each player:

"I would say mostly the same. And that's probably as specific as I will get — but mostly the same."

On what he saw from backup quarterback McCoy Hill today:

"Man, he tried really hard, and I think maybe he feels like the luckiest person on the planet knowing he is getting reps with our number ones. I did see him today, he had an ankle injury kinda coming into practice. So we are trying to manage that as well, as we don't have many quarterbacks for spring.

And so, it is a delicate balance between letting him go out — he's trying to carve a name for himself — and making sure he stays healthy."

On how hungry BYU is right now after three 8-5 seasons:

"I think we are really hungry. It is 10 straight bowl games, and it is a lot of wins. But they certainly want more. The seniors, there is a great positive so far from the offseason, this particular senior class has been really vocal, and has done a nice job of leadership, has really embraced all of the things they could have gleaned and learned from some unique situations last year and are eager to apply them moving forward.

I haven't had to do much. They really have been the motivating factors, which has been really fun."

On how returning to defensive play calling duties has changed his approach:

"Well, my voice is a little different already today, if you haven't grasped that out. Harder, and yeah, maybe not as much longevity, but I feel like I have more of a direct influence on what happens in the game, and daily in our program. So shifting gears, it is fun."

On whether they will re-examine how they vet the recruits out and whether they did due diligence before recruiting Charles West:

"I think it is an anomaly. I am always looking at every single year, and every single recruit that I am responsible for. Man, I don't think there's a program anywhere that vets them more. Sometimes, young people do things that are speculated, or whatever, that might not be in alignment, and I hope this isn't the case. But yeah, I am responsible for every young person, and I look every time at someone in our program currently, or we bring in that might have done something that seems a little bit gray or out of alignment, yeah, I look hard at that.

But I am comfortable, and I sleep really well [regarding] who we bring, and the standards to live up to, and am fortunate to do so. It actually makes my job easier, because the standards are so high."

On what approach they are taking with Charles West's case, and if it is wait-and-see right now:

"Absolutely. I don't intend to address it. Whatever legal proceedings there will be, I will let that get through first. And possibly at the end of that, I will make a comment."

On what postseason analysis of 2014 campaign showed the coaches in their research:

"Really fun to examine. Maybe the picture is presented as this, and maybe I thought that afterwards. Absolutely sudden change and field position [were biggest keys]. So yards per rush and yards per pass and yards per play, all top 25. Sudden change and field position, those two things, which comes down to mental toughness and discipline — being prepared for those difficult situations [was lacking]."

On whether he sees much change in strategy defensively or offensively moving forward:

"No. A few wrinkles here or there, based on personnel, but we have phenomenal systems, and they will always work."