Coming into spring football, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said his main objectives were to establish the depth chart and develop younger players.

"It will be an hour to an hour and 15 minutes," Mendenhall said. "It will be for the rising stars and it will be a developmental scrimmage."

One of those rising stars who will get an opportunity is redshirt freshman running back J.J. DiLuigi, while veterans Harvey Unga, Fui Vakapuna and Manase Tonga will watch with the coaches from the sideline.

"That's my test," DiLuigi said. "The coaches will be looking at me and evaluating what I do. I've been able to improve everything this spring, all parts of my game. I've been getting through the hole quicker, and working on my pass protection and reading blocks. I feel like I've taken it up a couple of notches and hopefully I'll be able to show that on Saturday."

Mendenhall also mentioned freshman running back Bryan Kariya, redshirt freshman tight end Kaneakua Friel and wide receivers Spencer Hafoka and Luke Ashworth -- both recently returned missionaries -- as other offensive players getting their chance to shine.

"If we can get them 30 plays of quality work in the stadium, that's a real positive," Mendenhall said.

With starting quarterback Max Hall not participating, backups Brenden Gaskins and Kurt McEuen will trade off running the offense during the scrimmage.

On defense, Mendenhall said the primary focus will be on the secondary, with freshmen G Pittman, Gary Nagy and Steven Thomas, along with junior college transfer Andrew Rich at safety. The defensive coaches will also take a long look at junior linebacker Vic So'oto, who moved over from tight end at the beginning of spring practice and has gotten rave reviews.

"It will be a good chance to see Vic in more game-type situations," Mendenhall said.

The scrimmage is free and scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Grade-school youth between the ages of 5 and 12 will be able to participate in a free football clinic beginning at noon. Members of the BYU football team will be on hand to teach basic fundamentals.

Stadium gates will open at 11 a.m. A promotional football poster will be available to the first 2,500 fans. Concessions will open by 11:30 a.m. on the west (upper & lower level) and east sides (lower level) of the stadium. Parking is free.

• Patience: McEuen has probably waited longer than anyone else on the team to get his opportunity. The 6-foot-2, 213-pound sophomore graduated from Wasatch High in Heber in 2003, served an LDS mission to Dallas, Texas, and will be going into his third fall camp in August. This spring, he and Gaskins -- last year's backup to Hall -- have been trading off with the No. 2 offense.

"I feel like for the most part it's gone really well," McEuen said. "This has been my first real opportunity to get any reps in team drills instead of just 7-on-7. I feel I understand the offense well. It's just a matter of getting reps and feeling comfortable running the offense. On Saturday, I've just got to make things happen."

• So'oto voice: So'oto has had an outstanding spring learning the outside linebacker spot. Inside linebackers coach Paul Tidwell said even when the vocal So'oto was on the offensive side, defensive coaches liked his enthusiasm and leadership.

"In Vic's case, the biggest thing for us to look for was 'could he cover in space against the pass?' He proved the first couple of practices he could come off the edge for pass rush and could be physical," Tidwell said. "We think he's gonna be fine back there (in pass coverage)."

Meanwhile, with the knee injury to junior Terrence Hooks, coaches are looking for someone to step up and join the three-man rotation at inside linebacker that includes juniors Matt Bauman, Shawn Doman and Matt Ah You.

"We've got to get Matty healthy," Tidwell said. "We need to have Dan Van Sweden and other guys in the program step up. And the incoming freshmen linebackers will have to help us with depth, too."

• Welcome, prospects: BYU is holding a modified Junior Day in conjunction with the spring scrimmage -- modified because of today's ACT testing. Juniors are invited to come to the scrimmage and a barbeque afterward but there won't be any formal meetings with Mendenhall or tours of the campus. Tidwell, the team's recruiting coordinator, said BYU held a Junior Day in January and has another one scheduled for June 13.

Tidwell said the coaching staff wasn't expecting any oral commitments this weekend.

• Coming and going: One of Mendenhall's goals in recruiting was to better coordinate the missionaries leaving and coming back to the program. He said the Cougars have 15 scholarships available for the Class of 2009 with five already committed, leaving 10 openings. He also said there will be 12 or 13 missionaries coming back for fall of 2009.

Those expected to return for 2009 include wide receiver McKay Jacobsen, who was in the receiver rotation during the 2006 season, and defensive tackle Romney Fuga. Others include offensive lineman Ryan Freeman, defensive back Robbie Buckner, running back Mike Hague, wide receiver Marcus Matthews and the fourth Reynolds brother to play at BYU, lineman Houston Reynolds.

• Daily Herald Sports Editor Darnell Dickson can be reached at 344-2555 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

35th Annual Blue-White Spring Scrimmage

• Where: LaVell Edwards Stadium

• When: Today, 1 p.m.

• Cost: Free

• The Word: The scrimmage will be mainly for younger players. ... A football clinic for grade-school youth between the ages of 5 and 12 begins at noon.