PROVO — Injured BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum’s status for Friday’s game at Utah State remains uncertain, but offensive coordinator Ty Detmer said Mangum is gradually improving.
Mangum, who suffered an injury to his lower left leg against Utah on Sept. 9, is no longer getting around on a scooter.
“Tanner’s made some good progress. When he’s ready to go, he’ll get more work,” Detmer said. “Right now, it’s having him ease back until we know he’s back and 100 percent. That’s not my call, that’s the trainer’s call. Until then, we’ll get whoever’s going to play ready to play.”
If Mangum can’t play, sophomore Beau Hoge will get his second career start. Hoge completed 11 of 20 passes for 111 yards and two interceptions in his first start in a 40-6 loss to Wisconsin.
“I think he did OK, playing against a top-10 team in the country and a great defense,” wide receiver Micah Simon said. “He did some great things, showed some flashes. Everybody knows he can move with his legs and he throws some good balls as well. Obviously, he wants some plays back. I watched film with him and talked over things with him. We can all do better.”
FEATURED BACK: Freshman running back Ula Tolutau rushed 13 times for 58 yards against Wisconsin and is establishing himself as BYU’s featured back.
“Coming in, we felt like he could be that guy but with the injuries he had in camp, that set him back,” Detmer said. “It took some time to sort that out. Between him and Squally (Canada) and Trey Dye, that’s a good group to have. Looking back at it, maybe having five or six guys in camp is too many because there’s not enough reps to go around. We’ve kind of narrowed that down a little bit and we’ll go from there with that rotation. Ula’s done a great job of understanding it and he’s getting more reps. Hopefully as we go throughout the season he gets a good feel for things.”
LACK OF PLAYS: One factor contributing to BYU’s offensive shortcomings is its inability to convert on third downs and remain on the field.
The Cougars ran only 38 plays against LSU and 46 against Wisconsin.
“When you’re playing 38 or 46 plays in a game, it’s hard to get any continuity and consistency and feel like you’re putting things together,” Detmer said. “We’ve got to stay on the field on third downs and get a chance to get into a bit of a rhythm. In those games against LSU and Wisconsin, we didn’t have it a lot.”