Harvey Langi could play 3 positions in BYU's home finale against Utah State

PROVO — Any BYU fan wanting to see Harvey Langi and the other 20 seniors in the Cougars’ regular-season finale against Utah State this Saturday night shouldn’t be disappointed.

The only question will be: Where will Langi be playing?

Langi had a career day at fullback in BYU’s 51-9 win over UMass last week, running for 56 yards and two touchdowns. The move worked out well enough to immediately move him to backup fullback behind Algie Brown on this week’s projected depth chart released by the athletic department.

“I think there is a part of the scheme where Harvey would fit perfectly with what we are trying to do,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake told reporters Monday.

“There are a lot of guys that you can put at running back, and I don’t know if (Langi’s) services will be needed as much as last week, but you never know.”

Langi is also listed as a co-starter with Butch Pau’u at middle linebacker, and a co-starter with Sae Tautu at defensive end. Jamaal Williams leads three players on the projected depth chart at tailback.

Williams practiced Monday while recovering from an ankle injury that he reaggravated prior to the 28-27 loss at Boise State, and Squally Canada also saw some work.

Of course, it’ll be hard to keep the fifth-year senior Williams off the field for senior night. His senior leadership will be important against an in-state rival playing in its final game of the season.

“If we are able to get Jamaal back and have him at 100 percent, he’ll be our featured back,” Sitake said. “The offense runs through him at running back first, and then we’ll see what happens.”

KJ Hall also inserted himself into BYU’s depth chart behind Williams and Canada after rushing for 101 yards and a touchdown against the Minutemen (2-9).

“KJ has also played really well the last couple of weeks, and he’s earned a spot,” Sitake said.

Sitake won’t tip his hand whether Langi will play both ways, but the possibility remains intriguing going into Saturday’s battle for the Old Wagon Wheel that kicks at 8:15 p.m. MT on ESPNU and KSL NewsRadio.

Either way, the Aggies (3-8, 1-7 Mountain West) will likely prepare for BYU’s all-time leading rusher.

“(Williams) is one of the best backs that we will have faced this whole year and his numbers and his stats, they speak for themselves,” Utah State defensive end Ricky Ali’ifua said. “Obviously, he wouldn’t have those numbers without the offensive line in front of him, so that’s an indication that they’re a great offensive line and doing what they’re supposed to be doing and opening up holes for him.”

Dynamic Duo

BYU’s KJ Hall, Harvey Langi form unlikely running back partnership

BYU defensive end Harvey Langi stopped midsentence after making his debut at fullback for the 2016 Cougar football team.

SENIOR NIGHT — Sitake said BYU will celebrate its 21 seniors in a program prior to the evening’s kickoff, but he wouldn’t say what a presumably new tradition to honor the school’s senior class will include.

In the past, former head coach Bronco Mendenhall presented each senior with a special blanket to commemorate their time at BYU, which seemed fitting for the families of those players as they spent one final night in Provo in late November to watch a football game.

This will be Sitake’s first senior class as a collegiate head coach, but he preferred to downplay his role in the evening.

“It’s a great group, and we’ve relied on them heavily, especially in my first year as a head coach to keep the good things they already had established,” the former BYU fullback said. “I leaned heavily on those seniors to be my voice in the program, and they’ve been ideal. They’ve been perfect at everything we’ve asked them to do.”

WINTER IS HERE — Saturday is expected to bring an overnight low of 32 degrees with a slight chance of rain showers throughout the day with the sun setting three hours prior to kickoff.

Bundle up, stadium-goers.

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