BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said Tuesday that the Cougars have some guys who are “banged up” after the 34-13 win over East Carolina, and noted that the team “took a few lumps” in that highly physical clash more than 2,000 miles away from Provo.
Wednesday night, BYU fans learned more about that injury situation, as BYU released its first-ever player availability report going into a Big 12 game, as mandated by the conference. Most notably, BYU will be without running back Sione Moa, who has sustained a lower leg injury of some kind.
It is a huge blow to BYU’s offense, which has been run-oriented through three games as freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier gets accustomed to high-level college football. The No. 24 Cougars (3-0) play at Colorado (0-1, 2-2) on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. MDT at Folsom Field in Boulder in their Big 12 opener.
The Buffs, who will also be without some key running backs, lost 36-20 at Houston in their Big 12 opener two weeks ago, and are coming off a 37-20 conquest of Wyoming last week. Ball-carriers Simeon Rice (21 carries, 143 yards) and DeKalon Taylor (19 carries, 83 yards) won’t play for the Buffs against BYU.
The other BYU players listed as out for the Colorado game are defensive back Jonathan Kabeya, receiver JoJo Phillips and linebacker Choe Bryant-Strother. Those injuries were known before the ECU game, but Moa’s comes as a surprise, considering he rushed seven times for 28 yards against the Pirates, and caught three passes for 24 yards.
The Cougars were already a bit shorthanded at running back. Sophomore Pokaiaua Haunga, who was in the mix with Moa to be RB2, withdrew from school over the summer for “personal reasons,” according to Roderick, and is now at Snow College. Veteran ball-carrier Hinckley Ropati attempted to get another season of eligibility, but that appeal was denied by the NCAA, the Deseret News reported last week.
Of course, junior LJ Martin continues to be the Cougars’ workhorse back, with 40 carries for 342 yards and a touchdown. Martin is averaging 8.6 yards per carry and has eclipsed the 100-yard plateau in each of his first three games this season, wins over Portland State, Stanford and ECU.
The Cougars can ill-afford to lose Martin, arguably the most important player on the team in 2025. Moa is also extremely versatile. The sophomore from Victorville, California, who prepped at nearby Timpview High has 17 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown and five catches for 34 yards this season.
Bachmeier is BYU’s third-leading rusher, with 22 carries for 90 yards and four touchdowns. He has lost 25 yards on sacks.
When it was suggested that CU struggles to stop the run, Roderick replied that the Cougars have “tons of respect” for coach Deion Sanders’ team and will remain humble and hungry.
“We gotta go play at their place,” Roderick said. “It is going to be hostile, and crowd noise will be a factor. We got our work cut out for us, for sure.”
BYU rushed for 180 yards in the 36-14 win in the Alamo Bowl, with Martin getting 88 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries and Moa picking up 25 yards and a touchdown on four carries.
“This will be the best, most talented team we have played yet this year,” Roderick said. “They have a lot of team speed. They are tough, and really well-coached.”
Without Moa in the lineup, will BYU use Bachmeier in the running game even more? Roderick said he doesn’t want it to come down to that.
“Bear is a physical player and he likes contact. So we have to be smart about managing that. So far, we are finding the right balance of mixing in a little bit of QB run when we feel like it can help us expose the defense,” Roderick said. “But we are not going to be reckless about it, either. Those hits add up over the course of the year. And so we have to be wise about when we use those.”
How did BYU get thin at running back?
BYU didn’t actively pursue an experienced running back out of the transfer portal in the offseason, despite having had success with transfers such as Chris Brooks, Ty’Son Williams and Aidan Robbins in the past. Coaches probably didn’t want to risk the chance of Martin bolting if there was any indication that he wasn’t the clearcut RB1.
Another running back, freshman Cale Breslin, went through spring ball at BYU but hit the transfer portal and is now at Montana State. He hasn’t appeared in a game yet for the 2-2 Bobcats.
Freshman RB Logan Payne, who hasn’t seen action yet as a Cougar, is listed as questionable on the aforementioned availability report, while redshirt senior Enoch Nawahine is listed as probable.
Nawahine had three carries for 5 yards against ECU, and is probably RB3 if he’s healthy. The Utah State transfer is not on this week’s depth chart, as redshirt freshman Jovesa Damuni and converted safety Preston Rex are slotted at RB3 and RB4, respectively.
Nawahine appeared in 10 games last year, and started against Baylor. He scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 9-yard run against SMU on fourth down before leaving that game with an injury. He finished the season with 30 carries for 98 yards.
Could redshirt freshman Jovesa Damuni be the answer?
Although Roderick raved about Rex’s successful transition from defense to offense in the offseason, the redshirt sophomore and brother of former BYU tight end Isaac Rex has yet to get a carry this season.
But Damuni, who is the cousin of starting safety Raider Damuni, has seen some action. Jovesa Damuni had seven carries for 44 yards against Portland State and one carry for 6 yards against Stanford.
“I kinda had the goal of being (the third running back) in mind since the beginning of fall camp and I just kept working towards it, and that is sort of how it all worked out,” Jovesa Damuni told the Deseret News after the Portland State game. “I was able to make some plays in fall camp, and obviously the (offensive) line made it easy for me to do that.
“It is great working with LJ and Sione, because they were able to give me some good advice on how to run the ball, how to be a running back,” Damuni continued. “I feel like I took their advice and really tried to apply it to my game and I guess it is all really paying off now.”
Damuni’s brother, Levani, plays linebacker for Utah. After a standout career at Ridgeline High School in the Cache Valley, Jovesa Damuni served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Santiago, Chile.
“My job is just to stay ready in case they need me. Obviously, I am not going to be starting or anything,” Damuni said. “I don’t know what my role will be, but when they need me, I will be ready.”