"Of course, Fui and Manase are there, and I'm going to learn everything I can from those guys," Unga said. "Right now, I've got four years left and those guys are upperclassmen and I respect them. I'll give them all the time they need. But I'll work my butt off to get the time I need. I'm going to work my way up there and see what happens. Right now, I'm very confident with what I'm doing. It keeps growing every day."

FAMILY HONORED: Following the scrimmage, the Cougars rallied around a family from tight end Vic So'oto's LDS ward that has been afflicted with cancer. The father has a brain tumor; the mother has breast cancer; and a son has leukemia.

Players and coaches huddled around the family at midfield and presented it with a "Y" flag and a helmet signed by the team. Then they sang the Cougar fight song.

"Vic took it upon himself to stand up in front of the team and have the flag and helmet signed," Mendenhall said. "If I was to say what the most important part of the day was, it would be that — to have that mind-set and perspective. It adds a lot of value to our program, and I wish the family well."

SPECIAL TEAMS WORK: The Cougars spent plenty of time shoring up their special teams Saturday. For now, Bryce Mahuika is the No. 1 returner for kickoffs and punts. Freshman cornerback G Pittman could return kicks as well. "We are encouraged," Mendenhall said of Pittman. "I like his field corner work. He's got a future there as a very, very good field corner."

Placekicker Mitch Payne was sidelined Saturday due to tendinitis, giving way to backup Brian Smith. The freshman from Mountain View in Orem nailed field goals from 38 and 20 yards, respectively, and missed a 42-yarder.

TOO MANY FLAGS: Mendenhall was concerned with the penalties whistled on his team during the scrimmage.

"Every year during two-a-days, I try to get officials to be at every practice," he said. "If I give it to position coaches, it's too competitive. Until you have the officials and see what they call, you can't see how the team is influenced to have the ball move backwards.

"I don't intend to let this teaching moment pass, and I already addressed it with the team. As you know, first games are often all about penalties, and hopefully we've learned a valuable lesson."

NOTES: True freshman Austen Jorgensen was injured on the final drive of the scrimmage. The extent of the injury was not immediately known, but it looked to be serious. Jorgensen was carried out of the stadium on a cart, and he had an ice pack taped to his chest ... Quarterback Brenden Gaskins, who engineered two drives, was the only backup QB to see action.

A final scrimmage is tentatively set for Wednesday. Mendenhall and his staff will decide early next week if another scrimmage is necessary ... Monday marks the end of two-a-days. The Cougars begin preparing for Arizona next Friday ... Linebacker Terrance Hooks, who has been serving a suspension, should return to the team Monday or Tuesday, though he must still go through the five-day acclimation period. He has been suspended for the Arizona game.

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E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com