BYU football notebook: Battle for No. 3 QB wages on between Jason Munns and Taysom Hill

PROVO — With Riley Nelson entrenched as the starter, and James Lark manning the backup spot, the battle to be BYU's third-string quarterback continues.

Offensive coordinator Brandon Doman said that junior Jason Munns and freshman Taysom Hill "are kind of competing for that third spot. That can go on all season long as far as I'm concerned. As long as Riley gets the reps Riley needs, we can keep those guys battling all year long."

Doman said Hill and sophomore Ammon Olsen will both serve as the scout team quarterback.

"Those reps will be shared between Ammon and Taysom. As we go through this season and get those guys as many reps throughout the week as we can get them, we're going to try to see if Taysom can help us on the field with his athleticism in ways. We don't know if that's going to be the case yet. We haven't even tried it in practice yet. Those are things we're exploring. We don't foresee redshirting (Hill)."

Hill completed 3-of-4 passes for 68 yards Wednesday, including a 35-yard touchdown pass to Brett Thompson.

Lark was 0-for-2, with one pass intercepted by Mike Hague. His other attempt was nearly picked off by DeQuan Everett.

How does Doman assess Lark's performance overall in fall camp?

"He's done really well," he said. "It's a difficult thing for him because he's been in there with the twos for a lot of snaps. You're seeing a lot of inconsistencies in protection and route running. But he's done a good job."

KURESA'S EMERGENCE: Sophomore Alex Kuresa, a quarterback who is seeing action at wide receiver and kick returner in fall camp, caught a 60-yard touchdown pass from Nelson on Wednesday.

"He's done a nice job. He won't back down," coach Bronco Mendenhall said of Kuresa. "He has a good understanding of the game. His position and route mastery has a ways to go, but he kind of makes up for it with grit and determination."

Mendenhall is also impressed with Kuresa on special teams.

"He's doing a great job on special teams, kind of Riley Nelson-like running down, and our special teams guys love him," the coach said. "Besides returning, he might be covering, too. It's fun."

THE HOFF: What has Mendenhall noticed about wide receiver Cody Hoffman's progress and maturity this year?

"I would say more consistency and he's more prepared each year for camp," he said. "There's not much else to say than that. He's more physically prepared, more mentally prepared and more consistent in all of his training and his dealings off the field and getting ready to play."

Is Hoffman on the verge of a special season?

"I thought last year was pretty special, so I think you use that as the baseline," Mendenhall said. "I'm sure he wants more, and it would help our team if there's more."

TEAM CAPTAINS: Mendenhall said he will "most likely" announce this year's team captains by the end of the week, and no later than the last practice before the Cougars start to prepare in earnest for their season-opener against Washington State on Aug. 30.

email: jeffc@desnews.com