Offense makes a comeback

The offense came back Monday.

Just like it was supposed to.

Last Friday, the defense rose up and stopped the offense, allowing some runs and one long pass against second team coverage. The offense got all huffy, frustrated and lost composure while there was some finger pointing. Part of the issue may have been part of some Bronco Mendenhall mind games.

Mendenhall watched a week of the offense pounding the defense. Then he saw some progress on the defensive end as Jaime Hill started to get players in position and more familiar with assignments. In the first team segment mid-week, he had officials come and they didn’t throw many flags. He called them out publicly and even joked he might carry a flag. He must have made a point, setting up Friday. On the first day of pads, the offense got called with a ton of penalties, everything from illegal motion, illegal shifts (Yes, shifts), alignment problems and holding.

If you talk to defensive players, they’ll tell you the offense gets away with a ton of stuff, especially flagrant holding. So, they were happy to see some of the flags – it kind of evened out things. Flags, plus the defense being able to hit, really favored the defense, thus the frustration by Max Hall and Company.

But on Monday, the offense came out and looked sharp. The execution was excellent. Hall completed 10 of 11 passes for must over 100 yards. He hit Dennis Pitta and Andrew George for touchdown passes of 18 and 31 yards. He threw another TD to Austin Collie that was called back by coaches for a near sack. Of course, there were no officials there to throw flags and it went very smooth.

Both sides say the flag parade last Friday was exactly what the team needed. Offensive line coach Mark Webber said it gave the offense plenty to work on, to point out and ponder. And it humbled them.

Hall echoed those sentiments and also apologized for leaving Friday’s practice like a pouting malcontent.

In defense of the defense, corners G Pittman left practice with his ankle on ice, exiting the Indoor Practice Facility for the Student Athlete Center just minutes after practice began. Brandon Bradley was ill, sick enough to not even make practice. Chris Warner, a safety, sat out most of the drills on the sideline.

The ebb and tide of one side doing well, then the other side responding is a rite of spring practice. On Friday, the real only great weather day this week, Mendenhall will have another scrimmage and invite former players to be his guest for the day. These former players I’ve spoken to really respect this. They feel respected and recognized. In this regard Mendenhall has struck an important cord with he alumni – a tool he values for not only recruiting but political and financial support among BYU’s fan base.

Justin Sorenson and Austin Holt, the two Bingham High stars who signed in February, were in attendance Monday. Holt is getting his papers ready for a mission and hopes to leave at the end of May.

Also in attendance wasTui Crichton, a 6-foot-4, 290-pound offensive lineman from Timpview High School who committed to Mendenhall last Friday.

While there are some who may not rate Crichton as a blue chipper and only in the shadow of his much heralded teammate Xavier Sua ‘Filo, Crichton did make all-state first team and has started for the Thunderbirds for three years.

This past year was Sua “Filo’s first year playing the game and while he passes the get off the bus test and has a ton of offers already, I wouldn’t count out Crichton, who was offered by Utah when he was a freshman. He grew up next door to the Fred and Nancy Whittingham family in East Provo, parents of Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. The Utah coaching staff is very aware of Crichton’s abilities.