Usually, little boys with cerebral palsy don't line up in a Division I football team's backfield.
But on Thursday, as part of the True Blue Heroes program, BYU Football gave 10-year-old Matt Cooper the opportunity to take a handoff from Taysom Hill and to be run into the end zone by his father, Ken.
Matt's Big Day from Katie Cranney on Vimeo.
Matt's Cerebral Palsy has rendered him unable to walk or talk but he has 100 percent of his cognitive function and can communicate through a "Dynavox" machine.
In addition to Matt's experience with the team, Mack Richards, a family friend of the Coopers and a BYU wide receiver, presented Matt with tickets to Saturday's game against UMass and a plethora of other BYU "swag."
Each Thursday, BYU Football invites an individual or family who is going through a difficult time to tour their football campus, watch a practice and meet the team's players and coaches, according to BYUtv. This segment is called True Blue Heroes.
Stephanie Odle Nelson, who helped set up the visit, tweeted out a video of Matt playing with the team. The tweet was retweeted by ESPN analyst Merill Hoge whose son Beau is a backup quarterback for the Cougars.
At the end of the visit, Matt used his Dynavox machine to tell the team "thank you."