A running diary of everything that happened that I happened to see.
6:32 - A scrimmage tradition unlike any other: Opening kickoff returned for a "touchdown" by Bryan Douglas.
6:33 - New coaching staff, new scrimmage, new rules. First up is red zone - not your grandfather's red zone but rather the 25-yard line and in. Second team is up first. Kamalei Correa is a giant in an endless quest to find his missing pet turtle. The turtle might be in Ryan Finley's jersey. Correa decides to look there first.
6:34 - Thomas Sperbeck nearly gets decapitated by Jonathan Moxey. A flag is thrown in pity.
6:35 - A decleater by Chanceller James. No flag is thrown because we are two plays in and the referees are already desensitized to this new physical secondary.
6:36 - Referees wearing shorts. Band name, I called it.
6:41 - Jay Ajayi scores a touchdown! Of note, this scrimmage has already had more highlights than the past three Chris Petersen scrimmages combined.
6:49 - Ryan Finley goes untouched into the end zone on a read option keeper. Finley is Kaepernick, minus tattoos, 10 mph, and eternal smugness.
6:51 - Presnap shift, presnap shift, motion, motion. Someone pinch me, I'm in heaven.
6:56 - Remember that play where the quarterback starts running around the end, upfield, turns to a receiver standing by the sideline and tosses him the ball and the receiver scores a touchdown because everyone forgot that this is indeed a legal thing to do? Boise State has that play now.
6:55 - Referee shorts.
6:58 - The old 98-yard-line drill. Offense starts at its own 2-yard-line and has to either go the length of the field to score or not get tackled for a safety, it's either one or the other, I'm not 100% sure what the goal is. There were no safeties today, just an interception by Darian Thompson on a deep pass. "An interception is as good as a punt in that situation!" says the John Madden voice in my head.
7:02 - Punting practice. BRB, getting a churro.
7:05 - There are no churros.
7:08 - We're thirty minutes in, and I'm loving this Bryan Harsin offense! It's possible that this offense is actually quite similar to last year's Boise State offense and I'm just seeing things through Harsin-colored glasses in which case, shhhh, let me have my moment please.
7:14 - Our first big pass of the night: Hedrick to Holden Huff, down to the 2-yard line where Devan Demas punches it in for the touchdown. For some reason, the stadium announcer is keeping score. It's Offense 31, Defense 0. Come on, defense. Get your rears in gear.
7:19 - Ryan Finley has not got any receivers killed for the past 20 minutes. You're living on borrowed time now, Chaz Anderson!
7:21 - Scrimmage time out. Wut?
7:22 - There have been more passes to tight ends tonight than there were all of the 2013 season. Don't bother double-checking that stat, I'm pretty sure I got it right.
7:25 - Referee sub. This scrimmage is weird.
7:26 - Bodybuilding.com is missing a serious advertising opportunity on Chanceller James's belly muscles. I mean, they're right there for all to see, you guys! Synergy.
7:28 - Punt block party! BYOB. or BYO7up.
7:34 - These referee shorts, you guys.
7:39 - Here's a name to know: Terrell Johnson. Here's another one: William Henry Harrison. One scored a touchdown tonight on a beautiful 62-yard over-the-shoulder from Ryan Finley, the other was a U.S. President who got mono during his inauguration and died a few weeks later (probably don't Wikipedia that last fact).
7:45 - Scrimmage over in a tight hour-and-15. If nothing else, the Bryan Harsin era will be remembered as considerate of people's dinner reservations and bedtimes. (Until the 8:15 local time games begin in a few weeks.)
What about you?
Were you there? Were you watching? Did you find the churros? Comments welcome.