Exactly one year ago, BYU was scrambling to find an opponent for its season opener (a deal with Navy that would come on Aug. 6, 2020), as football programs around the country faced the uncertainty of the global pandemic.
One year later, BYU opened fall camp on Thursday with both an opponent in place — and an overwhelming sense of gratitude after what the Cougars had endured.
“We need to make sure we keep appreciating,” offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said. “A year ago — it was a tough year for a lot of people. We made the most of it, and I think we did a good job of making the most of it, but don’t wanna lose sight of how precious every opportunity is. Every rep of every day is a gift and we have to make the most of it.”
Yes, what a difference a year makes.
And now, what difference will a year make?
The Cougars aren’t blind to what’s on everyone’s minds heading into the 2021 season.
Senior defensive lineman Uriah Leiataua said the team is hungry. And the excitement to get back to playing football led to some chippy moments Thursday, Leiataua said.
“I feel like a lot of guys have a lot to prove, especially when everyone keeps saying that our schedule was cupcake last year,” Leiataua said. “I think everyone’s ready to show them that it wasn’t and that it wasn’t just a fluke. And like, we don’t need Zach Wilson to do that. … I think everyone’s just determined to play and show what we’ve got.”
There’s a job to be done and Thursday was just the start of that.
Arguably the biggest position question that needs to be answered, and sooner rather than later, is the quarterback battle between Jaren Hall, Baylor Romney and Jacob Conover. The three contenders shared reps throughout Thursday’s practice and are likely to continue to do so at least another week.
During the 20-minute media observation, Hall had a couple of explosive plays — particularly a long pass to wide receiver Neil Pau’u — but overall all three contenders looked solid considering it was the first day of camp.
Roderick stuck with his previous statement that the starting quarterback decision most likely won’t be made until midway through fall camp.
As far as the rest of the offense, that could be decided sooner.
“We’ll have most of out offense in by middle of next week,” Roderick said. “... We’ve got a lot of position battles [like] who’s the third running back? Who’s the fourth running back? Those are some interesting situations. They’re going to be fun to watch.”
Although coach Kalani Sitake said he won’t be happy with the depth until they are able to have 123 starters — not as in 123 players playing at the same time, but all of the 123 players would be ready to start at any time — the Cougars do boast a lot of depth in various positions.
However, the position battles, as well as practices, will be conducted without pads. Players won’t experience being hit until Sept. 4 when they face Arizona.
Sitake said it helps the team to not only work together, but knowing when to hold off and when to be 100% aggressive and physical.
“The guys have to learn how to work together and work against each other when we don’t have the pads on yet, but they’re still really physical,” Sitake said. “They just don’t have the shoulder pads on to really help or even get more physical and aggressive, but the guys are still banging bodies and are still competing.”
