Can ‘a committee of guys’ step in for injured LJ Martin and lift No. 8 BYU past explosive Iowa State?

When No. 8 BYU hosts Iowa State on Friday in a late-night special (8:15 p.m. MDT, ESPN) at LaVell Edwards Stadium, the best running back on the field quite likely will not be playing for the Cougars, believe it or not.

With reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year LJ Martin looking “doubtful” to play for BYU after sustaining a lower leg injury in the 17-10 win over TCU, according to head coach Kalani Sitake, the best RB in Provo could be Iowa State’s Aiden Flora.

A former walk-on, Flora ran for three touchdowns and a career-high 212 yards and passed for two TDs in a 45-42 win over West Virginia last Saturday. Monday, Flora was named the Associated Press national player of the week and the Big 12 offensive player of the week.

Sitake also said Monday that one of BYU’s best linebackers, Isaiah Glasker, probably won’t play.

“Yeah, we are still evaluating (Martin and Glasker) and will probably get more information (later),” Sitake said. “Right now, it looks doubtful for both of them.”

Defensive back and punt returner Cannon DeVries also left the TCU game early and did not return. Sitake said DeVries is “more likely probable” for ISU and anticipates the sophomore from North Ogden being ready to play.

DeVries has proven to be a valuable weapon on special teams, but right now BYU needs help at running back, having lost RB2 Sione Moa in the first half of the first game of the season, and now, probably, the uber-talented Martin.

Whether BYU (4-0, 2-0) can get past surprising Iowa State remains to be seen. Whether the Cougars can even stay within shouting distance of No. 3 Notre Dame next week in Provo without their best player is highly doubtful. Martin’s presence on the field, even as a decoy, opens a lot up for everybody else, including quarterback Bear Bachmeier.

Also Monday, ABC announced that the BYU-Notre Dame game will kick off at 5:30 p.m. MDT, which is primetime in the East. But first things first. Notre Dame should be able to name the score against Stanford this Saturday, a day after BYU tangles with the upset-minded Cyclones.

“It’s not ideal going into the season or the games with possibly having your first and second running back be out,” Sitake acknowledged. “But we feel like we’ve narrowed the gap quite a bit from one to two to three, and we have a committee of guys that can do it.”

Against TCU, BYU’s biggest running threat was Bachmeier, who ran 15 times for 66 yards and two touchdowns, literally carrying the team on his back in the fourth quarter when the passing game was ineffective, largely due to the drizzling rain and TCU’s stingy pass defense.

Safety turned RB Preston Rex, who has been RB2 or RB3 all season, gained 21 yards on eight carries and true freshman Journee Tonga, who joined the team when preseason training camp began, had 28 yards on seven carries.

“I think Preston Rex has done an amazing job, and Journee Tonga has gotten in there and done some really good things, too,” Sitake said. “And we’re gonna see Devaughn Eka get in there and do some things.

“But that room is deep, man. It goes even deeper than that. So we have guys that can play, guys who could have played at a lot of other places,” he continued. “They choose to be here. We talk about our depth, and we just gotta trust it and let these guys do some of the stuff that LJ was able to do. This is their time.”

Other RBs on the roster include redshirt freshman Logan Payne, redshirt sophomore Charlie Miska, junior Lucky Finau and freshman Micah Beckstead.

“The ability is there,” Sitake said. “We just have to give them their opportunities, and luckily these guys have played in other games. This isn’t a first for them. But it might be a first start, or might be a more significant role than they’ve had before. It was nice to see them perform earlier in the season, and now this should be something that they can actually be able to really anticipate and get excited for.”

How serious are injuries suffered by Martin, Glasker?

The seriousness of Martin’s injury probably won’t be known until BYU releases its Big 12-mandated availability report Tuesday night. However, the four-year starter told teammates he wanted to go back into the game last Saturday, but was held out by doctors for precautionary reasons, according to Spencer Linton of BYUtv.

Then again, many athletes have said that ankle sprains and the like don’t feel as bad immediately after the sprain as they do the next day, or the next several days.

On his “Coordinators’ Corner” show at noon Monday, offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said coaches will “find out more today when (Martin) is going to be available.”

Martin is still listed as BYU’s starting running back, while Glasker is not on this week’s depth chart at all. Cannon DeVries is still listed as the starting punt returner and the starting nickel back.

Defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga said on the coordinators’ show that he hopes to get Glasker back “in the next week or two” and that “it just depends on how he heals.”

Poppinga did say that injured linebacker Siale Esera is expected to play this week after having missed the last two games.

Kansas State transfer Jake Clifton will fill in for Glasker, as he did against the Horned Frogs. Esera is now listed as Clifton’s backup at rover linebacker. Suffice it to say that BYU is better equipped to handle the loss of Glasker than the loss of Martin.

Preston Rex ready to take on bigger role

Aside from the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Martin, no RB on the BYU roster has the complete package. But running backs coach Harvey Unga has done an admirable job of getting Rex, Tonga and Eka up to speed in terms of learning the playbook and getting a feel for the speed of the game.

“Yeah, LJ is the best back in the Big 12, so it’s gonna hurt any team when someone like that goes down,” Rex said. “But we learned from the best. Coach Harvey is the best in the nation. Journee is really good and, in between the tackles, I feel like I am a change-of-pace guy. We got the talent. It is our time to step up.”

Rex, who is the brother of former BYU tight end Isaac Rex and son of former BYU tight end Byron Rex, said the change from safety to running back is complete.

“Especially over the past year, I have gotten a lot of reps learning the running back position. I am fully a running back. I am not a safety anymore,” he said. “Whatever they need me to do, whether in the pass game or whatever, I’m ready to do it. We’re gonna have a good game plan for Iowa State. … We’re gonna make it happen, for sure.”

Tight end Roger Saleapaga said the other offensive players are also ready to step up if Martin can’t go.

“Yeah, obviously, we don’t know if LJ is going to play or not. I know how good LJ is, but we also do know how good Journee, P-Rex, and everybody in that room is,” Saleapaga said. “This is college football. You know it’s always next man up, and I think we’re just excited to see some of the young guys have a chance to show what they can do. … That room is really talented, and I can’t wait to watch them play this Friday.”