Observations From Rainy Practice At BYU Football Fall Camp
Aug 5, 2024, 7:32 PM
BYU football fall camp kicked off week two on Monday. (Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)
(Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)
PROVO, Utah – The BYU football team escaped the summer heat on Monday as week two of fall camp practice kicked off.
Local media members were able to observe the final 20 minutes of practice.
When the media was able to enter the practice fields at the Student Athlete Building, they were greeted with cloudy skies overhead. Then, during the team portion of practice, rain began to fall.
Cloudy skies with some rain to kickoff week two of #BYU football fall camp.#BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/IqlRYrdzoG
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) August 6, 2024
The rain was a welcomed arrival for players.
“It’s nice that it rained because it’s been really hot,” said BYU cornerback Jakob Robinson.
There was no lightning strike in the vicinity, so the team was able to conclude practice outside.
Robinson and the BYU defense rained down a lot of pressure on BYU’s offense.
BYU’s defense showed up on Day 5 of practice
The defense was the decisive winner during the 11-on-11 segment the media observed on Monday.
One of the standout performers on the defense was former Utah State transfer linebacker Sione Moa.
Moa, the older brother of BYU linebacker Aisea Moa, intercepted McCae Hillstead in practice.
A standout from Day 5 of #BYU fall camp practice was former Utah St. transfer Sione Moa.
The second-year linebacker had an interception and a fumble recovery.
Jakob Robinson highlighted Moa after practice, "He's been flying around getting picks and TFLs."#BYUFootball
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) August 6, 2024
The interception led defensive players who observed the play on the sideline to storm the field and celebrate with the redshirt junior linebacker.
Moa, who is in his second year with the program, was pointed out by teammates as a player who is making plays in camp.
“He’s been flying around getting picks, TFLs,” Jakob Robinson said about Moa after Monday’s practice.
BYU football making plays in the secondary
Other defensive notables included Micah Harper breaking up a low pass thrown by Gerry Bohanon intended for Chase Roberts.
Harper, who missed last season due to an ACL injury, has not been held back in practices this month.
Rainy day at #BYU football fall camp. 🌧️ 🏈
Week two is underway.@Mitch_Harper & @baiamontematt share their latest update.https://t.co/8Usd0TEo4y#BYUFootball #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/jImdrktWnE
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 6, 2024
Some of BYU’s cornerbacks made noteworthy plays on Monday. Therrian “Tre” Alexander deflected a pass from Bohanon intended for redshirt freshman Jojo Phillips.
Mory Bamba was again with the first-team defense at the cornerback spot opposite Jakob Robinson. Bamba was blanketing BYU’s receivers in coverage.
Stuffed at the line of scrimmage
BYU’s defensive line had its share of highlight plays during the closing segment of practice.
Defensive end Isaiah Bagnah and defensive tackle Josh Singh stopped Hinckley Ropati at the line of scrimmage.
Linebacker Siale Esera had a tackle for loss on running back Sione I. Moa (a different player than the previously mentioned linebacker).
Best play of the day for BYU’s offense
The best play from the offense was a completion to a walk-on wide receiver.
McCae Hillstead threw a beautiful deep ball downfield to Ty West from Crimson Cliffs High School for a touchdown.
Aside from that, it was a day filled with defensive highlights.
Running back Miles Davis did contribute a nice 15-yard run on the ground, showing another gear to his speed when he reached the second level of BYU’s defense.
Quarterback update
Both Gerry Bohanon and Jake Retzlaff took snaps with what appeared to be the first-team offense. Each quarterback had their share of struggles.
Bohanon was 0-3 on pass attempts during the observation period the media could watch.
Retzlaff had a pass thrown behind Keelan Marion over the middle.
Faces in the Crowd
Former BYU and NFL defensive tackle Chris Hoke attended practice on Monday. Hoke’s son, Nathan, is a freshman linebacker in the program.
Former BYU cornerback/nickel Eddie Heckard was at practice. Heckard received an NFL camp invite to the Denver Broncos organization in April.
Before Big 12 Pro Day, Heckard suffered an injury that prevented him from competing. He was an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 performer last season.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
