Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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PROVO — In another week, we'll have real, live college football to mention in that space.
Until then, enjoy this sampling of the latest BYU sports happenings.
Nebraska standout receiver, returner sidelined 6-8 weeks
Does anyone want to play in the season opener at Nebraska?
After Huskers coach Mike Riley announced opening-game suspensions for five of his players last week, news came out of Nebraska fall camp that standout punt returner and wide receiver De'Mornay Pierson-El will miss six to eight weeks with a foot injury suffered in practice Tuesday.
Freshman receiver Lavan Alston, who had been reported to miss the opening game with a knee injury, will also not suit up against BYU.
Pierson-El ranked second in the nation in punt return average with 17.5 yards per return to go along with three touchdowns. He also caught 23 passes for 321 yards and four touchdowns.
Riley talks about BYU opener, nine-win seasons and improving on predecessor
Speaking of Riley, the new Huskers coach spoke with the Associated Press a little about his surprise move to Nebraska, which came in part after former coach Bo Pelini's sudden departure from the school.
Pelini was known as a man who averaged nine wins per season in the Big Ten, but who also built teams with reputations of losing in big games. So is Riley going to be a significant improvement?
"That's really a hard one for me because all I think about is winning the first game and then winning the one after that," Riley told the AP. "I want to win them all, and then that will translate real well. But I also know you can't win them all if you don't win the first one. BYU is a really tough first opponent."
Lasike opens up about path Arizona Cardinals camp
Former BYU running back and rugby star Paul Lasike never imagined a future in American football while he was growing up through some of the top rugby academies in his native New Zealand.
The Arizona Cardinals fullback wrote about his path to training camp in Glendale, Arizona, in a post on The Players' Tribune, an online outlet started by Derek Jeter that allows athletes to write their own features, columns and opinion-based pieces across the gamut of professional sports.
Lasike talks about his two-year LDS Church mission to Alabama, where he was converted to the "religion of the south" — football — after spending a year on the BYU rugby team.
"At this point, I still had no idea what a 'touchdown' was," Lasike wrote. "I never even went to a football game my freshman year at BYU. Then I got assigned to go to Alabama on my mission. In Alabama, football is a religion, and I became a disciple pretty quickly."
