BYU football: It's step-up time again

PROVO — After learning the startling news that BYU wide receiver McKay Jacobson will be out four to six weeks due to a pulled hamstring, his teammates expressed both disappointment and resolve.

The program is well-equipped to deal with injuries and related depth issues, said fullback Manase Tonga.

"Any time you lose a guy with McKay's talent, it's always a blow to the offense and our scheme. But like we've seen in the past, we didn't have Harvey (Unga) when we played Oklahoma. (Backup) Brian Kariya stepped up. We're not going to have McKay for the next couple of weeks. But I'm more than confident that a receiver — I don't know who — is going to step up. That's just how the program has developed. That's the mentality this program has. It's built around people who are given opportunities to step up, and they make the best of it. It's sad we lose McKay, but at the same time, we'll be pulling for him, and we'll be hoping for a speedy recovery. I think we'll be fine."

Jacobson's injury occurred during warm-ups prior to last Friday's 35-17 win over Utah State. It was originally reported that Jacobson's hamstring had tightened. For that reason, he was held out of the game.

Saturday, Jacobson underwent an MRI that revealed the extent of the injury.

"It was a significant pull," said coach Bronco Mendenhall. "Interestingly, he did it during stretch. He wasn't even running. He was stretching and bending over. So it's way, way up high, kind of at the origin part of the muscle."

Last March, Jacobson, who returned home from a mission in January, suffered a hamstring pull that forced him to miss almost all of spring practices. Mendenhall said this is a different injury than the one Jacobson suffered during the spring. Team trainer Kevin Morris told Mendenhall that it's "pretty rare" for a player to injure himself while stretching.

If Jacobson is out for the full six weeks, that would put him back on the field in time for the Air Force game on Nov. 21. The Cougars have a bye on Oct. 31.

As BYU's main deep threat, the speedy Jacobson has caught 11 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns, including an 80-yard score against Florida State. He averages a team-high 25.5 yards per catch.

With Jacobson unavailable, quarterback Max Hall will be looking for other receivers to step up — including junior Luke Ashworth and sophomores O'Neill Chambers and Spencer Hafoka — on Saturday when the Cougars visit UNLV (8 p.m., The mtn.).

In the win over USU, Ashworth caught five passes for 91 yards and a 48-yard touchdown, the first of his career. Chambers had two receptions for 15 yards.

For the season, Chambers has 18 receptions for 205 yards, Ashworth has 11 catches for 184 yards and Hafoka has five grabs for 57 yards and a TD.