One fall practice down, and BYU is still undefeated.

Uh, well, when he's not battling a stress fracture.

An MRI on Friday revealed the injury in the junior wide receiver's knee, so he's got two weeks of rest and rehabilitation before he can start on the field.

"It had been nagging me for about two and a half weeks," Collie said. "They just told me to stay off it. I'll work with (head trainer) Kevin Morris on the underwater treadmill to keep my cardio up. Once I get back, I'll just take up where I left off."

Collie called the injury a "minor setback" and BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said he wasn't worried.

"I'm not concerned about Austin's readiness to play in the opener," Mendenhall said. "It will be a chance for us to develop younger players like Luke Ashworth, Spencer Hafoka and O'Neill Chambers. So it (the injury) might be a blessing."

Meanwhile, Saturday was Mendenhall's first chance to see his group in action since spring football. The players get together for summer workouts under the direction of strength and conditioning coach Jay Omer, but the other coaches aren't allowed to watch.

"I don't think I know anything I didn't know four hours ago," Mendenhall said at the end of practice. "I believed we had a good team five hours ago and I think that's been confirmed. I think we have young men that really would like to play well this year and they support each other. I was very impressed and that's what I expected."

There were 24 new players in camp on Saturday, and it was an eye-opening experience for many of them.

"I don't think it's possible for them not to have big eyes on the first day," he said. "Yesterday there was a swagger as the young players were coming in and today I saw a lot of heads down and shuffling. We'll build them up again on Monday, but I think probably three of four of them will play for us this year."

One young player who likely won't play in 2008 wants to take a major role anyway. Former Timpanogos quarterback Christian Stewart, who threw for 3,518 yards and 44 touchdowns last fall, is walking on the BYU team.

"This year my goal is to be the scout team quarterback," Stewart said. "I want to get some reps and learn the college game better. After this season I plan to go on a mission and hopefully when I get back, there will be a scholarship for me.

"This is a lot different than high school football, that's for sure. The tempo is more upbeat and players and bigger and stronger. But it's fun being here surrounded by good people. I'm just excited to the season to be here."

Yeah, you and about a million BYU football fans.

The Cougars earned a No. 17 ranking in the first USA Today Coaches Poll on Friday, but Mendenhall already cautioned his players not to get caught up in the hype.

"This morning I told them the last time BYU was ranked to start the season was 1997, and they finished the year 6-5," Mendenhall said. "Preseason rankings can't predict you'll have a great year."

Mendenhall said he was pleased with the team's effort on Saturday.

"If I were to say what I would I have liked to have happened with execution on both sides, attitude and retention from spring, I think it was a very good first day," he said.

• Big strides: Mendenhall liked what he saw from junior quarterback Brenden Gaskins, who led the No. 2 offense on a touchdown drive during team drills. Gaskins, who's battling junior Kurt McEwen for the backup role behind Max Hall, was 7-of-9 on the drive, including a short touchdown toss to freshman J.J. DiLuigi.

"Gaskins was impressive today, not only on the field but in the conditioning test this morning," Mendenhall said. "I was impressed, probably more impressed with Brenden than any other player, just based on today's practice."

Starting quarterback Max Hall was 11-of-12 passing during team drills, with the one incompletion a dropped pass. Defensively, junior linebacker Jeff Bell had an interception on a tipped Gaskins pass. Junior linebacker Vic So'oto and junior defensive end Ian Dulan both had sacks.

• Mean as a copperhead rattlesnake: Senior guard Travis Bright broke his leg in the Las Vegas Bowl in December but seemed to show no ill effects taking reps with the No. 1 offensive unit.

"He has been a pleasant surprise, beyond where we thought he would be at this point," Mendenhall said. "He changes the complexion of the entire team because of his toughness. I think he's soft-spoken dealing with you (the media), but I think most of the team is afraid of him. He's physical and I really like having him around."

• Kick it: Mendenhall said he thought senior punter C.J. Santiago seemed to have more power in his leg on a couple of punts. As for the kickers, he said choosing a starter looks like it might be a difficult decision to make.

"(Freshman) Justin Sorensen can kick it a mile," he said. "That's not hard to see. But since he's gotten here, Mitch Payne's accuracy has been very impressive."

• Personnel: Absent from the group of players expected to report today were receiver Atem Bol and running back Seta Pohahau. Mendenhall said Bol is planning to attend Snow College while Pohahau will look to enroll at BYU in January. Mendenhall also said junior college transfer Bernard Afutiti will not be able to practice until the necessary academic paperwork has been received from his junior college.

Linebacker Grant Nelson is expected to miss the 2008 season after battling a kidney ailment that will require surgery. In addition, fellow linebacker Matt Bauman is expected to be slowed during the first few days of camp while recovering bruised foot he sustained as a result of a scooter accident. Bauman will be re-evaluated next week. His place with the No. 1 unit was taken by former Lone Peak standout Matt Ah You, who returned from a mission before spring football.

• On the move: Two players from the recruiting class of 2007 have received mission calls. Tight end Austin Holt will be leaving this month for St. Louis, Mo., and wide receiver Jake Murphy has received his mission call to Sydney, Australia. Murphy, the son of Atlanta Braves All-Star Dale Murphy, will report to the Missionary Training Center in December.

• Tying the knot: There are a total of 27 players on the Fall Camp roster who are married, including the most recent newlywed, tight end Dennis Pitta. The All-America candidate recently married quarterback Max Hall's wife's sister, Mataya.

• Trusting: Mendenhall said he doesn't plan on a lot of scrimmaging during fall camp because he is very concerned about injuries.

"How do you get to know your team well enough through fall camp without getting them hurt?" he said. "Is it worth willing to risk possibly having some of those players hurt while identifying who can play? It's a tough call.

"Eventually what I fall back on is trust: Will those guys be who I think they are? That means we probably won't run into each a whole bunch during fall camp to determine that. I'll have to rely on the past three years I've know them. Then I have to put them in on game day and hope they're ready to go."

• 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 Read his blog at http://blogs.heraldextra.com/Darnell

Camp Cougar

Player of the Day: Freshman wide receiver O'Neill Chambers. All freshman have an adjustment period, but Chambers certainly passes the eye test: He's smooth and powerful.

Play of the Day: A nice leaping catch by sophomore receiver B.J. Peterson on a pass from junior quarterback Kurt McEuen during team drills.

Quote of the Day: "Speaking as someone who is riding a motorcycle now, I don't have much leverage." -- BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall when asked what he thought of his players riding scooters. Linebacker Matt Bauman was injured before camp while riding a scooter.