If the BYU football team has ever been deeper at running back, no one can remember when.
Consider the official depth chart: At halfback, senior Matt Bellini is the starter. He needs just 39 catches to break the school career receiving record. His backup - or alternate - is senior Stacey Corley, an electrifying runner who averaged 8.6 yards a carry last season. And behind Corley is junior Eric Mortensen, who was among the national leaders in kickoff returns in 1988 before he injured his knee.At fullback, the starter is junior Peter Tuipulotu, a converted halfback who averaged 6.5 yards a carry in '89. His backup is senior Mike Salido, who started as a sophomore and has a career average of 5-plus yards per carry. And at third string is junior Scott Charlton, a bruising 220-pounder who is virtually unstoppable on the goal line.
Three seniors and three juniors who, through a variety of breaks (some of them involving legs), have come together to give BYU more offensive weapons than it has ever had.
"They are more experienced and probably as talented as any we've had," Coach LaVell Edwards said of this group of backs. "They're all good players and most of them have played a lot."
And that may be the key. Of the six-man group, only Charlton has carried fewer than 50 times in his career. They know the program, and they have been successful in it. And they know they are good.
"I think by far, since I've been here, it's the best talent as a group," Salido said.
"We have five or six guys who have started," Tuipulotu pointed out. "We can rotate more guys in and keep us fresh."
So does this wealth of talent mean the Cougars might consider - gasp! - running more and throwing less?
Edwards says the only noticeable change will be more frequent substitutions, but his players hint that there may be a little more running.
"I think that they're trying to mix it up more now," Tuipulotu said. "And that's going to open up the passing even more."
Usually, at BYU, it's the other way around, with the pass opening things up for the run. But that isn't always the case. In 1986, with Steve Lindsley the starting quarterback, the Cougs attempted only 356 passes and ran the ball 534 times. In the past three years, BYU has averaged nearly as many rushing attempts (438) as passes (462).
"Obviously, BYU can throw the ball," Salido said. "But if it ever comes down to where we had to run the ball, there's no doubt we can do it."
Regardless of how they choose to acquire yardage - on the ground or in the air - it's a cinch the Cougars are going to gain in bunches this season, and that their loaded backfield will account for a hefty portion of it. Here's a look at the guys who will line up in that backfield:
Bellini - Mr. Versatility. Played wide receiver and running back in high school, which made him perfect for BYU's do-everything halfback position. He's beefed up 30 pounds since entering the program as a 175-pound receiver. He had 51 catches as a freshman and 94 over the past two seasons. He isn't as quick as some of the other backs and doesn't have all the moves, but he runs precise patterns and catches everything that's thrown to him.
Corley - Edwards told a preseason gathering that he ought to figure out some way to get the ball to Corley more. Told of that statement, Corley said: "A comment like that is nice to hear, but regardless of what happened to me last year we were successful as a team, and that's what matters. I want to win; that's why I came here."
Obviously, this is not a guy with an attitude problem. But that doesn't mean that he wouldn't like the ball more. He caught only two passes last year, and when asked if he would like to catch more said: "Anyway I can get the ball is fine with me. If they want to roll it to me, that's fine. I just enjoy playing."
Mortensen - He missed most of fall practice with a nagging hamstring injury. Edwards said he keeps aggravating it by trying to come back too soon. He's averaged 5.5 yards a carry, and 38.5 yards on kickoff returns, when he's been healthy.
Tuipulotu - He moved to fullback last fall as Fred Whittingham's backup because of injuries to Salido and Charlton. It was the chance he'd been waiting for. "I was real happy with that move, because halfback was really crowded," he said. "I'm really comfortable at fullback. I feel more relaxed. In the halfback position at BYU, you have to think as a receiver and as a running back."
He's less comfortable these days, with Salido and Charlton breathing down his neck. "You can never relax and think you have the spot," he said. "Those guys work really hard."
Salido - The squad's hard-luck guy. He seemed almost doomed from the start, suffering a knee injury in a high school all-star game after his senior season. That caused him to delay entering the program one year. He played with the junior varsity in '86, then got a chance to start as a sophomore in place of an injured Whittingham. He was the Cougars' leading ground-gainer against Utah State and Wyoming, but then he committed a curfew violation in Hawaii. The next week Whittingham was back, and starting, but Salido thinks he would have remained the starter if not for the broken rule. "I was running well," he said. "I don't think I would have relinquished the spot."
He was the team's third-leading rusher in '88, and then came the big blow. In spring practice last year, he broke his leg. He redshirted last season and is a senior now, finding himself the No. 2 fullback for the third time. The leg is 100 percent, but other aspects of his recovery have been more difficult.
"I'm starting to get back to my old self," he said. "As far as getting back the feel of things, for the flow of the game, I don't feel I'm quite there yet. But that will come with each game."
And despite his string of ill fortune, Salido isn't complaining. From his first couple of fighting-the-system years at BYU until now, he has developed character. "I feel pretty fortunate to be where I am," he said. "It's been something of a rocky climb for me. I kind of feel like I've been giving other people breaks."
Charlton - At scrimmages this fall, Charlton has been the goal-line specialist in the Cougars' backfield, running over defensive backs en route to the end zone. He entered the program in 1987 as a 190-pounder, and now packs 220 pounds on his 6-foot frame. Salido succinctly describes Charlton as "a force." He hasn't scored a touchdown in a varsity game yet, but expect that to end this season.