The BYU football team wrapped up its last day of spring work Thursday, taking part in position drills and a scrimmage in the chilly weather.

The team went back to the no-pad look it sported during the first few days of the spring season, after wearing shoulder pads nearly every day during the past 2 1/2 weeks.

"We've had a good spring," said coach Bronco Mendenhall. "We are looking forward to getting some more work in at some key positions during the blue and white game."

The team took part in two-minute drills, with the offense in hurry-up mode. Junior quarterback Max Hall was accurate, connecting on most of his passes, including several hard-thrown balls in the middle, and a couple of slants.

At one point, Hall hit junior wide receiver Austin Collie on a deep post route to the east sideline. Collie hauled the pass in but stepped on the boundary marker, being called out of bounds by defensive backs coach Jamie Hill.

On the next play, Hall hit senior wide receiver Fui Vakapuna with a bullet at the opposite sideline, and then the team hustled up to the line of scrimmage, with Hall spiking the ball as soon as they were set.

After a false start against the offense, Hall looked for Landon Jaussi, a sophomore wide receiver from Wylie, Texas. Jaussi was able to get his hands around the ball briefly, but had it stripped out on an athletic play by freshman defensive back G Pittman.

"We've had a great spring, and we just want to keep it going during the off-season," said senior running back Fui Vakapuna. "The training in the off season has made a made a big, big difference. If you don't train before you start practicing, then you're not in sync with the team, and not in sync with the game."

The team will conclude the spring session with the annual blue and white game on Saturday. The annual offense/defense contest is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The free scrimmage is open to the public.

Before the scrimmage, current BYU players will be on hand for a free football clinic for grade-school youth between the ages of 5 and 12.

Stadium gates will open at 11 a.m. A promotional football poster will be available to the first 2,500 fans.

"You will see a lot of our rising stars playing on Saturday," Mendenhall said. "Most of the ones ... the known starters, won't see much time on Saturday. It (the scrimmage) will consist of about 30 to 40 plays, with the focus being on getting work for some key positions in what will be a game-like atmosphere."

Coach Mendenhall mentioned several players that he thinks have made significant progress this spring, and would likely play on Saturday. Freshman running backs J.J. Di Luigi and Bryan Kariya, a recently returned missionary, were both mentioned.

Also to see significant time on Saturday are freshman wide receiver Spencer Hafoka, sophomore wide receiver Luke Ashworth, Snow College transfers Andrew Rich and Coleby Clawson, freshman defensive back Steven Thomas, freshman tight end Kaneakua Friel and junior linebacker Vic So'oto, a former tight end who has transferred to the linebacker position.

Recruiting notes: BYU has 15 available scholarships available for the 2009 class, with 12-13 missionaries returning. BYU has already grabbed five commitments, leaving 10 on the table.

Copyright Brigham Young University 11 Apr 2008