BYU DB Chris Wilcox out for season with leg injury; be prepared for more late kicks


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PROVO — BYU cornerback Chris Wilcox has emerged as a key force in the Cougars’ defensive back field, which has helped hold opponents to just 22.1 points per game.

But he won’t be emerging any further.

Head coach Kalani Sitake confirmed in Monday’s media briefing that the junior defensive back will miss the final three games of the season with a leg injury suffered during last Saturday’s 21-16 loss at Boise State.

Though Wilcox’s lower-leg injury will not require surgery, there is no chance he can return for BYU’s final three games and a potential bowl game should they get to six wins, the coach said.

"He's a starter for us, but we have a lot of young guys who have stepped up," Sitake said of Wilcox. "This is an opportunity for the young freshman corners to step up and play."

Most lower-leg fractures, depending on the severity, require anywhere from six weeks to several months of recovery time, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

The junior was helped off the field on the blue turf in Boise, and Sitake made his absence official Monday afternoon.

In Wilcox’s absence, redshirt freshman D'Angelo Mandell has been promoted to starting cornerback on the depth chart. Keenan Ellis will also see time at Wilcox’s position, as will freshmen Malik Moore, Isaiah Herron and Jaylon Vickers, the true freshman from Salt Lake's East High School who has not played in 2018. Sitake said the Cougars originally planned on using the NCAA’s new four-game redshirt rule on Herron and Vickers, though those plans could change as a result of the injury.

"They all have experience," BYU safety Austin Lee said. "They are young … but as far as this season has gone, they all have experience. I’ve been really impressed with how they have played."

Herron and fifth-year senior Michael Shelton are listed as the top cornerbacks on the other side of BYU’s defense, though Shelton has been seeing increasingly more time on punt return, as well.

"Unfortunately we lost Chris, and we love him. He’s a great athlete," Lee said. "But we’ve got some guys who can come in and defeat."

Two more to go

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of Saturday’s loss to Boise State was the hole it leaves BYU in to get to bowl eligibility after last year’s 4-9 campaign.

After the Cougars’ surprise 3-1 start to the season, a bowl-eligible 6-6 record seemed like a foregone conclusion. But the four-win Cougars must win two of three remaining games that include trips to UMass and Utah and the season’s final home game against New Mexico State.

Add to it a revenge game factor: BYU’s trip to UMass on Saturday (10 a.m. MST, BYUtv and KSL Newsradio) will be the first between the two schools since the Minutemen stunned the Cougars 16-10 in Provo last year.

"That was a real big bummer," BYU fullback Brayden El-Bakri said of the last meeting. "It was a slower game, and you felt like it was going to break it open. But they lulled us, and after the game, I didn’t know what happened.

"I'm really excited to play these guys again, and trying to help out more than I was able to last year."

BYU quarterback Zach Wilson (11) scrambles away from Boise State linebacker Desmond Williams (9) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018, in Boise, Idaho. (Steve Conner, AP Photo)
BYU quarterback Zach Wilson (11) scrambles away from Boise State linebacker Desmond Williams (9) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018, in Boise, Idaho. (Steve Conner, AP Photo)

Another late kick

BYU also announced kickoff times for the final home game against the Aggies.

After returning from New England, BYU will host New Mexico State on Nov. 17 at 8:15 p.m. MST at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and KSL Newsradio.

The game will be BYU’s first outing against the Aggies since a 50-14 win in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 2012.

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