PROVO — Amid a fall camp filled with injuries, BYU received another dose of bad news Friday — Big Ben won't be protecting Cougar quarterbacks this fall.
Ben Archibald, who started at right offensive tackle the last two years and had been named a preseason Outland Trophy candidate, suffered a season-ending injury during practice late Friday morning when he broke his left leg in two places.
Coach Gary Crowton called it "a tragic event."
The injury occurred while BYU's offensive linemen were participating in a blitz drill. "Another player got knocked into Ben as Ben planted his foot," Crowton said. "It was one of those breaks that wasn't pretty. There was a bone showing."
Archibald, a 6-foot-4, 317-pound senior, sustained a mid-shaft compound fracture to both his fibia and tibia. He was taken from the practice field by ambulance to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center where he underwent 2 1/2 hours of surgery Friday afternoon. Doctors inserted a rod into Archibald's leg to stabilize and repair the bones. He will be hospitalized for at least 2-3 days, said head trainer George Curtis.
"Losing Ben," Crowton said, "is a big loss for us."
The incident cast a pall over BYU's morning practice. The Cougars gathered for a prayer, then Crowton canceled the rest of the session. The team reconvened for its scheduled afternoon practice.
Curtis said Archibald's injury was the first compound fracture he's dealt with in his 17 years at BYU. "Ben's really the most-loved, most-respected guy on this team," Curtis said. "That's why it was so hard for the players."
It marked the second time in a little more than a week that the Cougars have lost a starter for the season due to an injury. On the first day of fall camp, redshirt freshman defensive lineman C.J. Ah You suffered an ACL injury to his knee.
"We've lost two starters and we're a young team anyway," Crowton said. "It was a fluke thing with both injuries. But we had a good recruiting class and we'll rise up and work around the situation."
Because of the plethora of bumps, bruises and breaks that have beset the Cougars, Crowton has resorted to some position-shuffling. Senior Isaac Herring has been moved from from right guard to Archibald's spot at right tackle. The man listed as Archibald's backup on the depth chart, junior Vincent Xanthos, is out for a week due to a concussion.
True freshman Jake Kuresa, a former Mountain Crest High star, has been switched from the defensive line to the offensive line. Kuresa will be a backup guard, Crowton said.
Starting left guard Ryan Keele underwent a knee scope Thursday and will be out for two weeks. He is probable for the season-opener against Syracuse on Aug. 29. Assuming Keele's spot in the lineup Friday afternoon was junior Quinn Christensen. Sophomore Hanale Vincent played with the first-team offense at right guard, in place of Herring.
Meanwhile, senior cornerback Todd Barker has sustained a season-ending shoulder injury, meaning his career at BYU is over. Projected starters at cornerback, Jernaro Gilford (knee) and Brandon Heaney (shoulder), were held out of practices again, though they are expected to return next week. To bolster the depth in the defensive secondary, Crowton moved true freshman Travonne Jackson from running back back to his original position, cornerback.
Another Cougar who did not practice Friday afternoon was starting wide receiver Reno Mahe, who is suffering from strep throat.
In other news, junior college recruit Walt Williams will not play cornerback for BYU this season. Williams needed to finish his JC coursework to be eligible, but he ended up one credit short. The Cougars are hopeful that Williams will enroll in January.
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com