When coaches of the now-No. 22 BYU Cougars said they were deep at the running back position, they weren’t bluffing

Back in June, when word was starting to get out that BYU’s top returning running back, LJ Martin, was dealing with a shoulder issue, head coach Kalani Sitake and running backs coach Harvey Unga assured reporters that the Cougars would be OK at the position.

That confidence has proven to be accurate through four games, as substitutes such as Hinckley Ropati, Miles Davis, Enoch Nawahine, Sione I. Moa and Pokaiaua Haunga have rotated in with varying degrees of success, but success nonetheless.

None seem to have the vision, burst and quickness that Martin, who has been sidelined the past two games with a sprained ankle, seems to possess. But they are all effective in their own right, the latest being the 5-foot-10, 215-pound Moa.

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The freshman returned missionary (San Bernardino, California) from Timpview High who claims his hometown as Victorville, California, had 15 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown in the 38-9 win over No. 13 Kansas State Saturday night in front of the largest crowd at LaVell Edwards Stadium in the past 15 years, 64,201.

Moa also rushed for a TD last week against Wyoming, but it was called back by a holding penalty. Not this time, as he made an energizing, tackle-breaking 21-yard TD run to put a bow on the 29-point dismantling of the visiting Wildcats.

“I was pretty surprised that I got a lot of those reps,” Moa said. “… We have a lot of great running backs. Even with Folau (Ropati) and LJ out this game. Miles and Enoch, they have been running their butt off. As well as Pokai, too, the freshman.”

Nawahine, who figured to get the most carries when BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick acknowledged last Wednesday that Ropati and Martin were out, had five carries for 25 yards. BYU ran only 48 plays, compared to 72 for Kansas State, so there weren’t a lot of carries to be had.

“I had a run earlier in the game where I got down to the 2- or 3-yard-line, and I was kind of mad at myself, because I felt like I could have been in the end zone,” Moa said. “So when I got another opportunity to score again, I just gave everything I had to get that touchdown, and we got it.”

Moa’s middle name is Ikaika, according to his profile at BYUCougars.com. He is listed as Sione I. Moa on the roster because BYU has another Sione Moa on the roster, a transfer linebacker from Utah State who grew up in Ogden. Weber High’s Moa had one tackle on Saturday.

“There is no end (to BYU’s supply of running backs),” Sione I. Moa said, noting that Jovesa Damuni and Charles Miska of Lorton, Virginia, are also capable. “Our running back depth is deep, and I don’t think a lot of people realize that. And coming into BYU, I had mentors like LJ, Folau, Enoch. … They helped me prepare for this stage, this moment. If I were to go down, Pokai would pick up. If Pokai went down, anyone else would pick up.”

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Defensive end Tyler Batty said Moa has shown what he could do in preseason training camp, when Martin and Ropati were given light duty due to the previous injuries.

“We have seen glimpses of it in practice. It is like, ‘oh, he has got really good bounce.’ He runs really aggressively,” Batty said. “Again, I don’t think he surprised himself. He probably surprised some of us. I was surprised. We had seen glimpses, but you never know.

“For him to get out there and run the rock like that, especially that touchdown, it was like little Marshawn (Lynch) junior running around out there,” Batty continued. “It was something to see.”

Sitake wasn’t surprised at Moa’s performance. In fact, he says he saw it coming.

“We have been telling you that we have good running backs. I wanted to show it off to you guys, so Harvey has done a good job with that entire room. They are all capable,” Sitake said. “You saw Pokai play, and we know what Miles can do, and Enoch Nawahine can do some stuff. It is a deep and talented group. We want the other guys back, but we have been saying that we are going to be fine at the running back position.”

Whether Martin and/or Ropati will be back for Baylor on Saturday remains to be seen. Baylor (2-2, 0-1) dropped its Big 12 opener at Colorado 38-31 in overtime after the Buffs completed a Hail Mary touchdown pass from 43 yards out on the last play of regulation.

The Big 12 announced Sunday that the BYU-Baylor game will kick off at 10 a.m. MDT from McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas, and will be televised by Fox Sports 1.

After a raucous celebration at LaVell Edwards Stadium, Sitake said the players “gotta go to church tomorrow (Sunday), and then we get ready for Baylor. Every week is a different chore, so we gotta get over this one.”

Although Sitake believes the Cougars have improved each of the past two weeks after the wins over SMU and Wyoming, there is still plenty to work on. He said there were some missed assignments and blown tackles that enabled KSU to rush for 228 yards (5.3 yards per rush) and pass for 139.

“There were some great learning moments for us, and that is what I am looking forward to (this week),” Sitake said. “This team takes stuff to heart. We teach them things and they learn from experience. I think they are going to be good when we get to Monday and learn some lessons from this game.”

BYU is off to a 4-0 start for the 11th time in program history, and third time in Sitake’s nine-year tenure. The Cougars also did it in 2020 and 2021.

The last time BYU kept its first four opponents from scoring more than 15 points in a game was in 1984, when it won the national championship. Minnesota and BYU are the only two schools in the country that haven’t allowed a touchdown pass in 2024.

“We got to improve and get better. They played their butts off and made some big plays, but yeah, we can play better,” Sitake said. “I would like to see us play better as a team in all three phases.”

BYU entered the national rankings for the first time since 2022, landing at No. 22 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and the US LBM Coaches Poll.

“We already know what we are capable of. It’s really just showing other people what we can do,” said linebacker Isaiah Glasker. “In summer workouts, we were such a close team, and we just know for ourselves that we can dominate the Big 12.”

Cougars on the air

No. 22 BYU (4-0, 1-0) at Baylor (2-2, 0-1)

• Saturday, 10 a.m. MDT

• At McLane Stadium (Capacity: 45,140)

• Waco, Texas

• TV: Fox Sports 1

• Radio: 102.7 FM/1160 AM