BYU football: Wide receiver McKay Jacobson now the veteran

PROVO — During his BYU career, wide receiver McKay Jacobson has caught passes from two seasoned, senior quarterbacks — John Beck and Max Hall.

But as Jacobson heads into his junior campaign, it's a completely different scenario.

That's because the guy taking snaps this fall won't be a polished veteran. Count on the new starting quarterback, whether it's junior Riley Nelson, true freshman Jake Heaps or junior James Lark, to experience some growing pains in 2010. None of the three has started a game for the Cougars, and only one, Nelson, has played at this level.

During spring practices, Jacobson and the other receivers have been doing what they can to help the quarterbacks' development and build rapport with them.

"We're definitely working on the chemistry," Jacobson said. "The quarterbacks have done well this spring. It's been a lot of fun working with them because they have a lot of good things they bring to the team."

During drills, does Jacobson pay attention to which of the three quarterbacks is throwing the ball to him?

"When the ball's spinning the opposite way, I know Riley's throwing me the ball," Jacobson said, referring to the fact Nelson is a left-hander. "Besides that, it's just about the same. They all do things a little bit different. They all have different skill sets. But it's fun to get out there and throw with them."

Jacobson's speed and ability to stretch a defense has been on display this spring.

"He's fast and active and making plays," said coach Bronco Mendenhall.

That's good news for BYU, which was without Jacobson for a significant stretch last year due to a hamstring injury. He had worked hard during the offseason last year to get back in shape following his two-year mission to Japan. After hauling in the game-winning touchdown pass from Hall in the season-opening victory over Oklahoma in September, Jacobson injured his hamstring during warmups just prior to the Utah State game in early October and missed a total of four games.

"It was definitely disappointing, not only for myself, but you want to be there to help your teammates," Jacobson said of his injury. "That's tough. Everybody's worked really hard so you feel like you owe it to your team to do your best. But sometimes, it's part of the game. Things just happen. It's hard to control everything. You just move forward and get better."

Now, Jacobson is healthy and eager to play this fall.