BYU football held the team's first full-pads scrimmage on Saturday morning, three weeks before the Cougars' season-opener against Portland State.
Still without a starting quarterback and some serious depth concerns around the offense, this scrimmage would give a glimpse into how BYU is shaping up two weeks into fall camp.
The scrimmage was closed to outside observers, but head coach Kalani Sitake, offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick and defensive coordinator Jay Hill spoke to the media following Saturday's scrimmage.
"Today I thought we were a little bit sloppy," Roderick told the media.
All three quarterbacks in the running for the day one starter, Bear Bachmeier, McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet, all took reps as the No. 1, but none of the QBs separated themselves above — or below — the others.
"It's not gonna be equal reps forever," Roderick said about the quarterback battle. "There's gonna be a point pretty soon where we have to start establishing a pecking order."
There weren't any interceptions thrown , which instills relief to Sitake and Roderick, but overall, Saturday's offense was not where it needs to be.
Roderick did highlight the offense's run game, saying that it "is going to be really good this year."
There are serious concerns about depth at the running back position, with a noticeable gap between LJ Martin and RB2 Sione Moa, and then another big gap between Moa and the next men up.
Roderick said that the team is still holding out hope for a potential return for veteran Hickley Ropati, but added that no update has been given as to whether or not the NCAA will grant him this extra year of eligibility.
Another big question mark surrounding this year's offense is the wide receiver No. 2 spot, behind Biletnikoff Award watchlist member Chase Roberts.
When asked if a receiver has taken hold of the No. 2 position, Roderick did not name a specific person, but highlighted his optimism in the depth of receivers.
Roderick noted that JoJo Phillips and Parker Kingston are the two returning receivers that they know the most and have the most meaningful experience in the offense. After those two, he highlighted Stanford transfer Tiger Bachmeier, Snow College transfer Reggie Frischknecht, sophomore Cody Hagen and redshirt freshman Tei Nacua as players that could see significant playing time.
On the defensive side of things, Jay Hill had a much more positive outlook about the scrimmage, noting that the defense played well against both the run and pass game.
The big question mark the Hill brought up was the depth at cornerback. He seemed extremely confident in Evan Johnson, Tre Alexander lll and Mory Bamba after Saturday's scrimmage.
"Past that, we need somebody else to step up," Hill said. "I like those three guys, but we need more than just three. I can say this, there's been flashes by Marcus McKenzie, I thought Jonathan Kabeya had a great spring, but we need somebody else to step up in that room."
The defense looks as strong as ever, but the Cougar offense is a work in progress.
BYU will hold its third week of fall camp starting Monday, and will host Portland State on Aug. 30 at LaVell Edwards Stadium.