We were hopeful all the way until pregame today that he would play. It just didn’t come around. – BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — BYU senior wide receiver Cody Hoffman suffered a hamstring injury late in the week during practice.
But it wasn’t until after warm-ups that the Cougars realized they would be without their All-America candidate in a 19-16 setback at Virginia Saturday.
“We were hopeful all the way until pregame today that he would play,” said coach Bronco Mendenhall. “It just didn’t come around. It wasn’t one of those that you think is going to be a long recovery. But for some reason, it took longer than what we thought.”
Offensive coordinator Robert Anae said Hoffman’s presence on the field was missed.
“Cody Hoffman would have been a welcomed piece of the puzzle because there is that, ‘Man, who are we going to lean on when things get really tight?'” Anae said. “Cody Hoffman has been that guy for BYU for a couple of years. As soon as Cody’s healthy and back in it, his contribution will be just that — confidence. ... Tonight we were a little short of that.”
“He warmed up with us, but he wasn’t ready to go full speed,” quarterback Taysom Hill said of Hoffman. “Hopefully we can get him back for next week.”