BYU football notebook: DT Romney Fuga out for season

PROVO — For the second time in as many weeks, BYU has lost a player for the season due to an injury.

The school announced Monday that nose tackle Romney Fuga will undergo season-ending knee surgery after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament injury during last Saturday's 27-13 loss to Nevada.

The 6-foot-2, 307-pound junior is expected to return for fall camp next August.

Fuga's absence creates a big void on the Cougar defense.

"Romney's played very well in every game," said coach Bronco Mendenhall. "He's consistently doing exactly what he's supposed to do — not only during practice but also during the game. He added a sense of composure and experience to our team. He's played, in my opinion, as good as any nose tackle since I've been here as I've been the head coach."

"He's a playmaker up front," said sophomore linebacker Austen Jorgensen. "It's a big loss."

Last week, it was announced that quarterback Riley Nelson would be sidelined for the rest of the season with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder.

Fuga was injured when Nevada offensive lineman John Bender hit Fuga's leg from behind. No penalty was assessed on the play.

"It is legal to cut (block) somebody, but I'm not sure it's legal to cut somebody from behind," said BYU offensive lineman Jason Speredon. "That's what it looked like. It was a cut to the legs behind the guy. It just looked really brutal. But I don't that his intention was to injure him like that."

As of Monday morning, Mendenhall said he had not talked to Nevada coach Chris Ault about the situation.

However, Ault did address the issue Monday with reporters.

"It was a clip. There's no question about it," Ault told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "John didn't do it on purpose. It was a reaction to a screen pass, and it should have been called. That happens. I've gotten some e-mails today and understand that. There's nobody sicker than John Bender, but that is a reaction to a play that happened. He thought the guy had a chance to (make the tackle). He took an angle and clipped him. That's tough. John didn't do it maliciously. He didn't do it on purpose. It's a reaction to a play."

Defensive lineman Vic So'oto wore Fuga's No. 98 jersey in the second half of the game as a tribute to his fallen teammate.