From Deseret News archives:
A beginning and an end for 2 Cougars
Veteran BYU running back Fahu Tahi will take to the turf in Provo for the last time when BYU hosts Utah. Freshman receiver Michael Reed will get his first taste of what it's all about, but it's already not what he thought it would be, and kickoff is still three days away.
Reed is disappointed Utah quarterback Brian Johnson won't be on the field Saturday for the rivalry game, the finale for the Utes and Cougars.
Reed and Johnson were teammates on the same Texas high school team, Baytown Lee, near Houston. They are also cousins. And this week, Johnson called Reed after his knee injury last Saturday in the New Mexico game and told him he will not play, but he will be on the sidelines at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
"It's unfortunate we can't be on the field at the same time this Saturday," Reed said. "We were both looking forward to it all year, and we talked about it often. I talked to him this week and told him my prayers were with him and hopefully he can hurry and get back. He's not going to rush anything to come back. He's going to have some of his family here for the game, and I'm going to have some of my family at the game, so we're still looking forward to it."
Reed has 15 catches for 194 yards and 1 touchdown. Tahi has 84 rushing attempts for 485 yards and 5 touchdowns and has 35 catches for 337 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground.
Reed has played a role as outside receiver, trading time with Todd Watkins this season. A redshirt freshman, he has proven his wares, not only in the pass catching department but blocking downfield. Saturday will be his first on-field Utah-BYU rivalry experience.
"We were jabbing each other all year long. Even before we came to school here, we talked about playing against one another. But we've got plenty of time down the road to do that now, and he'll be back."
Reed said the Ute defense he'll face is different that any the Cougars have faced this season — a scheme that plays almost exclusively man coverage in the secondary. "I believe this is the first time we've seen that coverage. They have a lot of talented players on that side of the ball, all very skilled and athletic. We just hope to get open."
Reed said the Cougars have practiced this week just as they have all season, tried to work hard and stay focused.
"Nobody's looking at any newspapers or listening to any radio stations. We're trying to keep our focus on playing football and doing the things we have to do. We've tuned everything out. This is just another game that just happens to be with our rival. We just want to go out playing as hard as we can and get a win."
