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PROVO — From Taysom Hill against Utah State to Jamaal Williams at Middle Tennessee, injuries have defined the last six weeks of BYU football. The depth and youth of the team has been in the spotlight with a focus on mistakes. After a four-game losing streak, the victory at Middle Tennessee and a bye week, the Cougars are confident in their personnel and itching to get back on the field.
Quarterback Christian Stewart now has the majority of the starts for BYU, and he believes in the guys he will have on the field with him, even if they aren’t the stars everyone expected on the field. Today he spoke about the absence of Jamaal Williams
“I feel like, yeah it hurts us big time,” Stewart said. “But at the same time, we have other guys who will step up and make big plays. I’m not too concerned about the loss. Obviously I want him out there, don’t get me wrong, but I know that Algie (Brown), Paul (Lasike), Adam (Hine), Nate (Carter), those guys are gonna step up big time this week."
Stewart also noted that Williams has faced injury for much of the season, so he’s used to the other backs starting. Stewart and the other running backs are settling into primary roles after being backups and injury replacements, but they spoke about the younger guys on the team who have solidified their roles and anchored the team through good and bad times.
“They're aggressive guys, and that’s what we need up front,” said running back Adam Hine of the starting freshmen offensive linemen. “That translates, it’s actually contagious, gets all the other guys aggressive, pushing hard. We love it, and we want to see more of it.”
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After getting the monkey off of their back and ending their losing streak, the Cougars will welcome 2-8 UNLV to LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday. A win would clinch bowl eligibility and mean a trip to the Miami Beach Bowl on Dec. 23. The Cougars are focused on starting fast and getting the victory regardless of the opponent. Offensive coordinator Robert Anae said the team hasn’t mentioned UNLV’s record once.
“I’ve found that to focus on your opponent is to prepare for their best effort,” Anae said. “They’ve had some really really good efforts on occasion throughout the season.”
UNLV struggles against the run, ranking 121st of 126 FBS teams. Hine says the backs are excited to get out there against a team he says they picked apart on film. The backs will all get more touches with Williams out, but Hine said more importantly the players want to start fast and stay aggressive.
“What I’m worried about is us getting up and staying up,” Hine said. “If that consists of me running a lot, that’s my role.”
Hine said UNLV plays man defense, and he wants to match up out of the back field with some linebackers. Christian Stewart agrees. He said the first key to the game is starting fast, and he hopes to capitalize on a strong run game that will open up passing lanes for his receivers in man coverage.
“I know that we can exploit these guys,” Stewart said. “We have great receivers and they're healthy. So I’m excited about it, it’s a quarterback's dream.”
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Taysom Hill was back in team meetings for the first time since his injury. Stewart said it’s good to have his friend around, but they haven’t talked much football.
The UNLV game is a blackout game for fans and will include all black uniforms. Hine said things like that bring extra energy to the game and many players like the black.
Anae was asked about the depth and future of the quarterback position. He said he is very excited about the players they have coming in (or coming back from LDS missions). He also said he does not know Hill’s plans for 2015. Mitchell Marshall is a KSL Sports Radio intern and broadcast journalism student at Brigham Young University where he anchors and produces sports. Find him @mitchellive on Twitter.
