PROVO, Utah (ABC4 Sports) – In less than three weeks, BYU is going to take the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium for real, so their first scrimmage on that same field this past Saturday felt like it’s right around the corner.

“Yeah, it’s exciting,” said quarterback Kedon Slovis. “Obviously we have a couple more weeks of camp, and we need it. We’re not ready today, and I think at this point in camp, guys are looking forward to not playing against each other any more and start playing some other opponents.”

“It’s been good to get back and shake the rust off,” said linebacker Ben Bywater. “It’s been fun. It’s been really good to get out there and play with the boys. Three weeks is actually crazy how fast it’s coming.”

“These next three weeks are going to fly by,” said defensive coordinator Jay Hill. “We have a lot to get better at still. We have a lot to work on, but we also have a lot that we’re doing well.”

Kedon Slovis is looking like he has command of the offense. Turnovers have plagued his career, throwing 24 interceptions over the last two seasons. But going against Jay Hill’s swarming defense has really helped him.

“I tell Jay Hill all the time that the best thing for our quarterback room is just being able to go against our defense everyday,” Slovis said. “They give us a lot of good looks. Jay said himself that we’re going to make you a better quarterback because of the looks you get.”

“I thought Slovis played outstanding,” Hill said about the scrimmage. “I can see why that guy is a big-time guy. He just plays with so much poise and calmness, and he’s got some good playmakers around him.”

“Our offense does a great job with so much misdirection,” Slovis said. “They throw the whole kitchen sink at you, so you’ve got to be prepared doing whatever.”

UNLV transfer running back Aidan Robbins is looking to carry the load, following in the footsteps of Chris Brooks and Tyler Allgeier, who are both in the NFL right now. But Robbins has company in Colorado transfer Deion Smith, Hinckley Ropati and Miles Davis.

“All our running backs are balling,” Robbins said. “There are eight of us, and all eight of us can go. We just come out here and push each other.”

Coming from Las Vegas to Provo has been a bit of an adjustment for the Louisville native. But Robbins, who rushed for 1,025 yards and nine touchdowns last season for the Rebels, is starting to feel more at home.

“It’s definitely different because I’m in a different program,” Robbins said. “But this is probably the best I’ve felt three weeks into camp than I have felt any other place I’ve been.”

There are still some position battles going on, but head coach Kalani Sitake has had his team get physical early in camp, with the hope that live hitting will help the Cougars hit the ground running.

“We’ve been really physical since we started camp,” Sitake said. “In all our practices since we’ve been able to put full pads on, the first day we went full pads, we went live. This scrimmage was the first time we went straight live. We know this is just weeks away, so the guys are hungry for it.”

“We have a long way to go,” Hill said. “But I can’t wait to play in this stadium packed in front of all of our fans. It’s going to be awesome.”

BYU kicks off the 2023 season September 2nd at home against Sam Houston State.