PROVO — BYU fans have no idea who he is. Heck, most of his own teammates don't even know his real name.
But Marco "Moose" Thorson is expected to play a key role in the Cougars' offense this season in providing protection for quarterback Max Hall and opening holes for the running backs.
The 6-foot-3, 321-pound sophomore has taken over at left guard on the offensive line — the spot vacated by Jason Speredon, who suffered a season-ending torn rotator cuff injury last week. Thorson is cross-training at center and right guard as well.
"I'll go in where coach needs me to go," Thorson said. "I feel comfortable at left guard and I like it there, but I'm also willing to go wherever he throws me in."
Meanwhile, starting left tackle Matt Reynolds has been out with a fractured hand. Coach Bronco Mendenhall said Thursday Reynolds is "possible" for the Sept. 5 season-opener against Oklahoma. If Reynolds can't play, freshman Braden Hansen will earn the start at left tackle.
Given those injuries, BYU's offensive line has undergone plenty of adjustments already.
"Jason was having an excellent camp before he went down," Thorson said. "I definitely feel for him because he worked so hard. But the work must go forward. You fill in. It gives opportunities for guys to step up. Almost every time there's a chance for a someone to step up, someone does. It's worked out kind of nice, actually. You have to be able to adapt when guys go down. It's not easy to do, but it's something you've got to do."
Right guard Terence Brown has been impressed with both Thorson and Hansen.
"Braden is really good. Moose is also good," he said. "Honestly, it's amazing how someone gets hurt and someone steps up. We're doing a really good job of dealing with those things. We're still going to be good."
The adversity faced by the O-line in fall camp has brought the group even closer together. "You're with five guys, there's no attention on you, and you just play together," Brown said. "It's like your own little family within the family out there. It's been great. We have fun together and things are coming together on the field. We all enjoy each other, and that has helped a lot. We've got a couple of guys down, no big deal. Someone else will step up and we'll play together."
Mendenhall said the offensive line has improved since being whistled for countless penalties during last Saturday's scrimmage.
"I think they're getting better. We've done some things with the snap count to make it a little bit cleaner," the coach explained. "The number of assignment mistakes are decreasing daily. Now it's giving them a chance to play more confidently, more physically, than what they were before. We'll need every day between now and our first game. But I've seen enough progress the last three or four practices to feel like we're making significant strides."
Thorson has made significant strides since arriving at BYU in 2005 as a walk-on out of Ramona High School in Ramona, Calif. After redshirting, he served a mission to Rancagua, Chile, where Thorson lost 108 pounds. He returned last summer and worked out all last fall, adding weight and muscle to his frame. Now on scholarship, Thorson played well during spring drills and built on that momentum during the summer.
Now what about that nickname?
"It just stuck in the eighth grade," Thorson said. "I was on the school news channel. They called me Moose and I'd sign off as Moose. The whole school knew me as Moose. I wouldn't tell them my real name, so they thought I was Moose. All my teachers in high school called me Moose. My name on the roster was Moose. My mother would introduce herself as, 'I'm the mother of Moose.' "
At BYU, Thorson's teammates and coaches also call him Moose. "Most people don't know my real name, but I love it. It's cool," he said. "My mom and coach Mendenhall call me Marco, but pretty much everybody else calls me Moose."
Now, Moose is ready for the responsibility of helping the Cougar offense thrive.
"This is what I've been working for. This is what I came here to do," he said. "I came here with a mind-set to play, not just to be part of the team, but to get on the field and help the team that way. That's been my goal from the start, to get the opportunity to play. I'm excited."
e-mail: jeffc@desnews.com