Cougar offense shines

PROVO — During BYU's first full-contact practice of the spring, the offense had the upper hand on the de-fense.

Of course, considering the offense returns most of its players from a year ago, while the defense has only four returning starters and is adjusting to a new 3-4 scheme, that's not surprising.

During a controlled scrimmage Tuesday, tight ends Jonny Harline and Vic So'oto hauled in several passes from quarterback John Beck, while running back Fui Vakapuna racked up plenty of yardage on the ground.

"I was really impressed with our offense today," said coach Bronco Mendenhall. "Fui Vakapuna's running ability and John Beck's decision-making ability with his throwing."

As for the defense, well, it's a work in progress.

"Defensively, I think we have a long ways to go, obviously," said linebacker Cameron Jensen. "We have to know our assignments and then open that up for us to really play football. We're really focused on what we need to do. We have a long ways to go with this new scheme. It takes a while to not only

know the scheme, but to play it well. There are so many little things you have to know. We're learning a lot each day and we're definitely getting better. But learning a new scheme definitely takes time."

PRAISE FOR JACOBSON: Freshman wide receiver McKay Jacobson earned Texas 5A wide receiver of the year honors last year at Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas, before enrolling at BYU in January.

Mendenhall is thrilled with Jacobson's contributions so far.

"He's exactly aligned with the way we do things here. He showed up that way. He has the right beliefs, he has the right values, he has the right academic habits and he has the right work ethic," he said. "I couldn't be happier with what he's brought to our program in terms of integrating himself, because of who he is. It's very rewarding to recruit young men who are already aligned with all phases." Mendenhall also likes the intangibles that Jacobson brings to the program.

"He's a winner. The most important thing is, he's won a lot of football games. That expectation comes with him. He didn't come here to finish second. He's coming here to win. He's played in one of the most competitive states in high school football in the country. He's been a state champion at the highest level within that program."

DEEP SNAPPER SIGNED: BYU announced the signing Tuesday of long snapper Matthew Johnson, who will be eligible to play this fall.