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McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet and Bear Bachmeier will likely never forget the battle they've had this summer to replace departed Jake Retzlaff . The QB1 derby has forced all of them to meet the challenge and be better. A race is always good unless it goes on too long and nobody separates themselves from the other two.
After the weekend, offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick met with head coach Kalani Sitake and pass game coordinator/receivers coach Fesi Sitake and the decision was made to narrow reps to USU transfer Hillstead and true freshman and former Stanford commit Bachmeier.
Then, Bachmeier took the majority of the reps as QB1. This is fascinating because it shows that this freshman, a four-star recruit with offers from Michigan , Notre Dame and Stanford, to name a few, has pushed the others hard enough that coaches must choose to go with experience (Hillstead) or evaluated raw talent (Bachmeier), who is higher on charts like Rivals and 247sports, that track those traits.
McCae Hillstead prepares to throw a pass during the first day of fall camp in Provo, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. | Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo
In last Saturday's initial 100-play scrimmage, BYU 's defense dominated and the offense misfired and looked sloppy, according to coaches. On the other hand, the offense had no turnovers, a primary goal by Roderick.
Meanwhile, the preseason AP Poll released this week has BYU and Utah just outside of the top 25.
With Saturday's scrimmage challenged by "sloppy" play by the offense, is this an area of concern for Aaron Roderick as he breaks in a new QB1?
Jay Drew:Head coach Kalani Sitake and offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick both mentioned sloppy, penalty-filled play by the offense in last Saturday's scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium. It might just be an anomaly. We will learn a lot more after the Cougars' next scrimmage.
I've got a feeling that it could be a season-long issue. We've already seen some screw-ups and one bad snap in the media-viewing portions of fall camp practices. Without a seasoned, veteran quarterback, that's probably to be expected. But what happens when BYU's offense, and whichever QB gets the starting job, starts facing live bullets?
Expectations are high for this offensive line after the way TJ Woods' unit performed last year. But don't forget that three key pieces are missing — Connor Pay, Caleb Etienne and Brayden Keim, and those guys won't be easy to replace. Not only were they dominant, but they mostly played mistake-free. If there are more reports of sloppiness and procedural penalties after the next scrimmage, it is probably time to hit the panic button.
Dick Harmon:No school has passed for more college football yards than BYU. During that time, Cougar staff members have figured out how to get offenses in sync, develop quarterbacks, and protect them. Oh, there have been ups and downs. When you break in a new QB1, it takes time.
I remember when Steve Young came in for Jim McMahon at Colorado . He struggled, but led BYU to a win. When Marc Wilson came in for Gifford Nielsen at CSU in 1979, he set an NCAA record with seven touchdown passes. We can remember Baylor Romney coming in and "rising up." Nobody can say Christian Stewart in for Taysom Hill was a failure.
Just because one of 11 is gone doesn't mean a team defaults to failure. But a senior returning starting QB is huge.
The sloppy play in the first scrimmage is concerning, but not unusual. Offenses must execute and timing and choreography is everything. Seeing an offense struggle early is simply football science. Hold off on the panic. Defenses are not as nuanced and can just tee off. I think some of BYU's offensive struggles in the first scrimmage was the result of just how good Jay Hill's defense is. Word is that tackle Keanu Tanevasa is exploding things up at the point of attack and that is leading to jitters.
While we still have to see if offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick can elevate one of these three QBs as he did with Jaren Hall , Zach Wilson and Jake Retzlaff, he did make a curious statement Monday when he told reporters the offense was just where he wanted it to be. He praised the run game.
BYU's offense will take its biggest step forward when it isn't auditioning three or even two QBs to be the starter. Once one of these guys is given the reins and gets 90% of the reps, the offense will find more continuity and chemistry from the line to the backs and receivers.
BYU's defense, as expected, has taken early dominance in fall practice sessions as the offense held tryouts for QB1 and centered on execution. Here are our camp stories from the past few days:
DB Beasley finds home on Provo campus ( Jay Drew)
Does the RB position lack depth? ( Jay Drew)
Coaches promise QB clarity soon ( Jay Drew)
Leadership surfacing for BYU football (Dick Harmon )
QB role at BYU demands these things ( Dave McCann )
A-Rod: There's beginning of a separation ( Jackson Payne )
Breaking down scrimmage with Fesi Sitake ( KSLsports)
BYU most dissed team by AP voters ( Jeff Fuller)
Provo 5 for 5 in creating pro players ( @BYUMBB )
Comments from Deseret News readers:
Enough of this. Let's play already. I am a little disappointed that after two weeks they haven't whittled it down to two yet. I find it hard to believe that at least two of the QBs haven't separated themselves by now. Reps with the first team are at a prime this close to the start of the season.
— Valhalla
I'm guessing the Bear is a lot better than the coaches realized. They thought Hillstead would distance himself quickly but the competition is very close. We could probably beat Portland State with the other freshman QB, but Stanford will be ready to blitz the heck out of whoever we play, but especially a freshman.
— CA.Reader
Up Next
Aug. 14| 6 p.m. | soccer | @ Minnesota
Aug. 18 | 7 p.m. | soccer | @ Cal Poly
Aug. 23 | 3 p.m. | women's volleyball | @ Idaho State
Aug. 23 | 7 p.m. | soccer | UCLA
Aug. 29 | 12 p.m. | women's volleyball | FDU
Aug. 30 | 6 p.m. | football | Portland State
Sept. 6 | 8:15 p.m. | football |Stanford
