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PROVO — Aaron Roderick doesn't do this often, and it may have significantly affected the way he planned the BYU football program's game against Notre Dame last week in Las Vegas.
The veteran offensive coordinator didn't think much about promoting Jaren Hall's backup quarterbacks to his starting spot, but an injury suffered in the second half a week prior against Utah State dramatically altered QB1's practice plans.
Candidly, Roderick admits that Hall hardly practiced. And normally, that would've meant going to backup Jacob Conover, or maybe even Cade Fennegan, Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters or any of the other signal callers on the Cougars' roster. It's a common refrain around college football: you don't practice, you don't play.
Instead, Hall kept his spot — even if he wasn't completely right. The undisclosed injury wasn't severe, but "banged up" was the way several coaches and players phrased it.
And Hall's start to the game in Allegiant Stadium showed it.
"The game definitely wasn't his best game; he played like a guy who didn't practice," Roderick said of Hall, who threw for a season-low 120 yards and two touchdowns and an interception. "He still made some great plays and gave us a chance in the second half, but practice reps are important. Fortunately, this week he hasn't missed any time.
"The first pass was bad," Roderick added. "He knows it. He didn't look great in that first half, and he knows it. He's been very accountable to our team. But he did a lot of things in that second half that gave us a shot.
Hall admitted after the game that he "felt better than he did at the start of the week," but the damage was done. From the first play of the game, when Hall's attempt to receiver Gunner Romney was dramatically underthrown and was picked off for just the second time this season, something wasn't right.
Still, he battled, and even gave the Cougars a chance to win before a 28-20 loss to the Fighting Irish sent the visiting team tumbling from No. 16 in the Associated Press Top 25 into the "others receiving votes" column.
So how is Hall feeling this week as BYU prepares to host SEC foe Arkansas on Saturday afternoon (1:30 p.m. MDT, ESPN)?
"Practiced every day. I'm back to it," Hall said. "It's midseason; everyone gets dinged up, and I was dinged up a couple of weeks ago. I've been battling through that. But I feel a lot better this week, had more practice reps, and feel confident for Saturday."
For as much as BYU has relied on Hall through the first half of the 2022 season, perhaps the real MVP through the first six games is the Cougars' sports medicine staff and roster of athletic trainers, team doctors and rehabilitation specialists that have brought several players back to health (and a few even through multiple injuries).
It's no secret the Cougars (4-2) have struggled with injuries, though not (perhaps) to the extent of the 2021 season when they finished 10-3 with a sometimes sluggish 5-0 mark against the Pac-12.
But the injuries have been no less impactful.
For just the second time this season, BYU could line up both Romney and Puka Nacua at wide receiver against the Razorbacks, something the Cougars couldn't say before last week's Sin City tilt after Nacua was hurt twice and Romney started late while recovering from a lacerated kidney suffered in training camp to return against the Aggies.
And yet, BYU's wide receiving corps has been remarkably efficient, given the loss of its top two pass catchers from a year ago. Keanu Hill solidified his preseason backing as the No. 3 receiver with a team-high 334 yards and four touchdowns, and Kody Epps leads all receivers with 25 catches for 298 yards and five scores.
Additional receivers, from Brayden Cosper to tight ends Isaac Rex, Masen Wake and Ethan Erickson, have also found their way into the passing game, all guided by Hall's arm — injured or not.
"Our offense hasn't missed a beat with all the guys who have been out there — Kebo, Cosper, Kody, and all the guys who have been there, with our tight ends," Nacua said. "The staples of the offense have been there, too, with Jaren keeping things rolling.
"You thought that we could get all of our guys by Game 1 or Game 2, but it's come along right now. We feel really good, and we've just got to make sure we keep pressing forward."
Roderick said Chase Roberts is close to returning from an injury hiatus, and he remains hopeful for this weekend's home tilt. Ditto for running back Miles Davis, who was banged up against Notre Dame, as Christopher Brooks ran for 90 yards and a touchdown to help pace a second-half near comeback.
Perhaps those injury concerns have made BYU's offensive start more impressive, averaging 417 yards for 32 points per game with an ever-changing lineup. In some ways, it's even better than last year, when the Cougars could rely on NFL-bound running back Tyler Allgeier (now with the Atlanta Falcons) to guide the offense.
And yet, Roderick admits there is plenty of improvement left to be seen.
"We're not playing as well as I would like to, but we are ahead of where we were last time this year, by far," said Roderick, adding he's particularly concerned about the slow starts and first-half doldrums. "We scored more points than last year through six games … but we've been more up and down. It's too inconsistent, especially in the first half. I'd like to establish a little more rhythm."
Injuries haven't only affected the Cougars on offense, either.
Defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki's group has been hit by the injury bug, with the latest casualties coming to Tavita Gagnier and Josh Larson, two reserves in the front seven who are likely out for the season.
Defensive lineman Blake Mangelson is also likely out for another 1-2 weeks recovering from an injury, and though standout interior lineman Gabe Summers isn't likely to miss any time, he is playing through a torn posterior cruciate ligament, Tuiaki said.
"He's just battling," Tuiaki added. "He's got issues that he is dealing with, but it's really just pain tolerance and he's a tough kid. He's giving us everything he's got."
Of course, BYU learned a year ago that trials — including those spurred by health concerns and injuries — often spark growth. That's been true for personal growth as well as team growth, Nacua admitted.
"My freshman year, I broke my foot and went through that injury ordeal," the Washington transfer said. "It's a blessing to have an opportunity to come back and play.
"It's a little bit of a grind, but that makes practice more fun. I've missed a lot of them."
