OGDEN — Weber State football held its first fall scrimmage Saturday afternoon as camp enters its dog days with two weeks left.

“For 10 straight practices, they’ve had the right mindset and they’re competing at a high level. I thought we played a pretty clean game … and I like where we’re at right now,” head coach Mickey Mental said.

Without watching film, Mental said there wasn’t anyone who jumped out from the scrimmage. He said that’s a good thing, “with the effort and energy of the group being as high as it was … I love the kids’ efforts and energy at this point in camp.”

With schemes largely installed, position battles are the name of the game at this point. Some starting groups seem pretty well-solidified.

At linebacker, for example:

“Jack Kelly has done a lot of good things. Him and Garrett Beck and Winston (Reid), there can’t be a better linebacker corp in the country. There can’t be. Impressed with them,” co-defensive coordinator Grant Duff said.

In other groups, Saturday’s scrimmage showed an apparent pecking order. Damon Bankston and Kris Jackson appear as the top running backs and Hayden Meacham as the first tight end, all as expected. A fairly clear No. 1 offensive line of Noah Atagi, Cole Casto, Ethan Atagi, Jordan Lutui and Gavin Ortega took the field together as well.

At quarterback, junior Kylan Weisser seems to have the best combination of accuracy, decision-making and grasp of the offense to settle in at the top for now.

Mental said Weisser has dialed in his focus as it comes to daily routine, attention to detail and consistency.

“I’m a guy who believes in consistency and not just a flash on one day. It’s a body of work for me,” Mental said. “Coach (Zach) Larson and myself are going to keep looking at what guys are executing consistently over a period of time, not just in one scrimmage or practice, to where I feel like a guy has taken the next step.”

Creyton Cooper and Brian Harper got most of the other QB reps in the scrimmage, though Richie Munoz threw a few impressive dots in pre-scrimmage passing drills. Dylan Gutierrez and Jakob Hollingshaus got a series here or there, and Tiger Adolpho was not in pads.

“All of them are good players, all of them bring something a little bit different to the table. Now, it’s who’s doing what they do well the best and doing it consistently, and then we morph our offense into who that guy is,” Mental said.

After injury last season, junior Okiki Olorunfunmi has emerged from the offseason as a possible force at weak-side defensive end. He’s been seen in camp using his speed and length to disrupt plenty of plays. On the other side of the line, Brayden Wilson and Keahnist Thompson are battling to start, though both will likely log significant reps come game time.

Marque Collins and Maxwell Anderson are clearly solidified at cornerback and Naseme Colvin at strong safety. Jalon Rock and Abraham Williams are pushing to see the field at corner — WSU often plays three cornerbacks against pass-happy offenses anyway — and Tre Parks-Vinson has been moved from receiver to cornerback.

“Abraham Williams is taking steps to solidify himself as a guy,” Duff said. “Tre Parks-Vinson … I think he’s going to be really good. He’s learning the nuances of the position but he’s a superb athlete.”

At free safety, senior LJ Anderson brings the most game experience while sophomore EJ Evett was seen Saturday taking most of the No. 1 reps. EJ and LJ are joined by Trevian Tribble and BJ Carey vying for depth-chart position.

There are positions to sure up and battles to be won but with the talent, combined with nearly the entire coaching staff returning as Mental takes over, there’s a feel that it’s business as usual at Weber State.

“I look at our talent and obviously, Madden rankings aren’t real life, but if you were to look at our rankings, so to speak, we’ve got some dudes that are off the charts,” Duff said. “Now it’s our job as coaches to make sure that they are able to play at the level of their ability.”

WSU’s next fall scrimmage is open to the public on Saturday, Aug. 19, at Bonneville High School. Details are forthcoming but the night should begin somewhere around 7 p.m. and include autograph signing after the scrimmage.

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