BYU will be down a key piece in the secondary when Arizona State comes to town this week. On Monday, Evan Johnson disappeared from the depth chart, a clear sign the Cougars expect their top cornerback to miss Saturday’s matchup.
Johnson was hurt on UCF’s final offensive snap in double overtime, a play that left him in visible pain and forced him to be carried off the field. Kalani Sitake said Monday that the injury is not season ending, but he also made it sound like Johnson’s chances of playing this weekend are slim.
"[It's] probably gonna be difficult for [Evan Johnson] this week," Sitake said. "I don't think he's gonna play this week, but, you know, possibly we'll see how it goes.
I don't know if you guys saw the end of the game, that play. I mean, it was brutal...it ended up not being completely horrible..."
It's unlikely he will play this weekend...that one might take some time."
Johnson had been logging plenty of snaps at nickel after Cannon DeVries went down against TCU. This week, DeVries is listed as the starting nickel and has started fielding kicks again. Jayven Williams and Therrian Alexander III are the projected starting cornerbacks.
BYU has already had to juggle things in the defensive backfield when DeVries, Williams and Alexander were out for portions of the Notre Dame game. In that stretch, Matthias Leach and Jordyn Criss stepped in for the injured starters.
Kevin Doe is also on the depth chart as a backup corner, though he has not played this season. Doe made noise in fall camp before suffering an early-season injury and working his way back.
He was not on the injury report for the UCF game.
Losing Johnson is a tough break for a BYU defense that’s about to face one of the sharpest receiver tandems on its schedule. Arizona State’s Reed Harris and Omarion Miller have already piled up 1,190 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns together this season.
The Sun Devils, though, may be dealing with their own quarterback uncertainty. Mikey Keene took over for Cutter Boley against Texas Tech and played well enough to win the starting job the following week against Kansas State. He then exited that game with a leg injury and had to be carried off, just like Johnson.
Pete Thamel reported that Keene will be "questionable" this week. If he can’t go, Arizona State is expected to turn to freshman Jake Fette.
In Other News...
BYU Fans Have Every Reason To Be Furious After That Finish
The frustration around BYUs latest Big 12 finish is not coming out of nowhere. The conference has now acknowledged officiating errors in recent games involving BYU, UCF and Notre Dame, a blunt reminder that the discussion around missed calls has moved well beyond one isolated moment. ESPNs Rece Davis added to the criticism by pointing to the repeated administrative mistakes that have started to define too many late-game conversations across college football.
For BYU fans, the aggravation is only sharpened by how these decisions can tilt a game at the exact point when every snap matters most. Davis cited specific breakdowns, including an incorrect 10-second runoff and a roughing-the-kicker call that stirred debate in a double-overtime game, while a separate Week 1 controversy in the Big Ten involving Western Michigan and Michigan showed the problem is hardly confined to one league. The bigger concern now is not just the individual miss, but how often the sport seems to be asking fans and teams to live with them. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Suddenly Faces A Bigger Question After UCF Stunner
The shock of UCFs double-overtime upset over No. 2 BYU left the Cougars with more than just a blemish on the record. It also turned attention to how quickly a ranked team has to reset after a game that demanded everything, especially with UCF quarterback Keyone Jenkins central to the win and now confirmed to keep the job heading into the next week.
For BYU, the bigger question is what comes next in a Big 12 race that can flip fast, and Baylor is waiting with its own uncertainty after firing Dave Aranda and turning to Joe Klanderman as interim head coach. Scott Frost and his players talked afterward about sustaining the same edge that carried them through the upset, but the Cougars will be trying to answer for a loss that changes the conversation around them almost immediately. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Caught Heat Over A Rivalry Week McAfee Controversy
Rivalry week took an awkward turn for Utah after its Instagram page shared a video in which students took shots at Pat McAfee, calling him corny and creepy. The clip landed just ahead of his ESPN GameDay appearance, and McAfee made clear he was not amused by the school putting the moment out there on its own platform.
He later said the football program is strong and praised the student section, but the social media episode clearly left a mark. McAfee said the experience made him uncomfortable, and he went so far as to say he hopes never to return to the university, adding another layer of tension to a rivalry week that already carried plenty of edge. [Read more 🡒]