Injury-plagued BYU is running out of running backs in dismal 2017 season

Provo • BYU’s running backs have their own meeting room at the Student Athlete Building on campus where they gather with assistant coach Reno Mahe to watch film and prepare mentally for the next opponent.

This season, they might as well meet in the training room.

At no point in nine games in 2017 has Mahe had every running back on the roster available to him, mostly because of injuries.

Fullback Brayden El-Bakri is the only ball-carrier who has played in every game. The only other ball-carrier who has not missed at least one game due to injury is Austin Kafentzis, who is really more of a quarterback because he takes snaps out of the wildcat formation.

“It has been a sad year,” El-Bakri said. “I hate to see my friends get hurt, and my brothers. It has been rough.”

It is probably one of the reasons the Cougars are 2-7 as they prepare for Saturday’s game at 5-3 Fresno State.

“It has been a crazy year that way, just keeping guys healthy,” said offensive coordinator Ty Detmer, who noted he has never seen more running backs get hurt on one team in all his years of high school, college and professional football. “Same with quarterback, at times. We are a little stretched.”

The latest to go down is sophomore KJ Hall, who left the San Jose State game at the end of the first half with an undisclosed injury after catching a 6-yard pass on 4th-and-4. Coach Kalani Sitake said Monday that Hall is “day-to-day” and “there is a chance he could play this week.”

Hall had rushed 10 times for 112 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 44 yards when he departed. Detmer said Wednesday that the depth chart at running back changes every week, but not because of performance.

“It is kind of, ‘who is going to be ready, and who is not?’” Detmer said. “Right now, the depth chart [for Fresno State] is still up in the air. I don’t know if there is a clear-cut [starter], because we are not sure if we are going to have KJ. We are kind of playing it true running back-by-committee now, like we kind of thought going in.”

BYU thought it had found its offensive identity when Ula Toluta’u emerged in the fourth game, against Wisconsin. But Toluta’u, who still leads the team in carries (72) and yards (303) has presumably been suspended after reports surfaced last week that he was cited for marijuana possession on Oct. 8.

If Hall can’t go, the bulk of the carries against the Bulldogs will likely fall to second-leading rusher Squally Canada, who missed two games due to injury (Mississippi State and East Carolina) but was healthy enough Saturday to rush 10 times for 44 yards and a touchdown.

Hall is BYU’s third-leading rusher. The fourth is junior Kavika Fonua, sidelined since the Utah State game with an undisclosed injury and a candidate to seek a medical redshirt. Redshirt sophomore Trey Dye suffered a high ankle sprain against MSU and has not played since, while Riley Burt remains an enigma who is used sparingly, for whatever reason.

The Cougars have also used five quarterbacks, but it appears junior Tanner Mangum solidified his role as the starter after playing well against SJSU. Beau Hoge is back from a concussion, and has worked with the scout team the past few weeks to stay sharp in practice.

Mangum said the constant shuffling of running backs has not been overly difficult to manage because the offensive line has been consistent throughout the season.

“Regardless of who is in, I feel good about it,” Mangum said. “And they know that too. That room has some wounded warriors in there, guys who are getting banged up. But next man up. Brayden El-Bakri has taken on a running role a little bit. So guys are ready. They know if someone gets hurt here or there they can step up and make plays. So I am confident in them.”