Cougars Continue Fall Camp on Day 3
PROVO, Utah – Moving inside the indoor practice facility for a change of pace, the BYU football team continued fall camp with pads on for the first time.
The team was able to put on "shells" or shoulder pads and shorts to allow for a bit more contact and hitting. Coaches were able to indentify where more attention was needed with more live-play allowed by the pads.
"We learned a lot more today," head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "We weren't as sharp at the line of scrimmage but that will happen and we"ll keep the pads on and see."
Players spent more time conditioning at the start, similar to the first two practices of camp. Position mastery was a focus and work on special teams continued to be another theme of practice.
Several players continued to make an impact and show improvement. Ezekiel Ansah collected two sacks during the 11-on-11 team session at the end of practice while defensive lineman Jordan Richardson batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage.
The highlight of the day came when quarterback Jake Heaps connected with Ross Apo on the first play of the series on a deep pass good for a 70-yard touchdown. Heaps finished the day completing 4-of-5 passes for 100 yards and one touchdown.
Kicker Justin Sorensen stretched his legs, trying to find his range at the end of practice. After making a 47-yarder, teammates and coaches cheered Sorensen on as be backed up another five yards and drilled a 52-yard field goal. He then jumped back to attempt a 67-yard field goal but came up short on one attempt and on a second try the kick had the distance but went wide to the right.