- LJ Martin will miss BYU's Pop-Tarts Bowl game due to surgery.
- Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick plans to utilize multiple running backs in Martin's absence.
- Freshman Jovesa Damuni is highlighted as a promising option for BYU's run game.
ORLANDO, Fla. — It's been no secret (quite the opposite, even) that BYU's bell-cow running back has been LJ Martin, powering the Cougars to a No. 12 ranking, the precipice of College Football Playoff consideration, and a spot in the Big 12 championship game.
Martin, a former Alamo Bowl MVP who will have a decision to make later about returning for his senior season or foregoing his last year of eligibility to declare for the NFL draft, led BYU and the Big 12 with 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns en route to Big 12 offensive player of the year honors by the Associated Press.
But what happens when the cows' bell stops ringing? That's the Cougars' predicament with Martin taking advantage of a limited window to have surgery that will keep him out of Saturday's Pop-Tarts Bowl (1:30 p.m. MST, ABC).
"Any time you are missing the Big 12 (offensive) player of the year, that is going to be a big loss," offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick acknowledged Wednesday morning in Orlando. "We went into every game this year saying LJ has to carry the ball 20 times and then everything else follows. That is what kind of player he is."
In Martin's absence, Roderick said BYU would turn to a variety of potential options at running back, in addition to the dual-threat capability of quarterback Bear Bachmeier who ran for 527 yards and 11 touchdowns in his freshman campaign.
Leading the way is Enoch Nawahine, the fifth-year senior with 30 games of experience that include nine as Martin's primary backup since Sione Moa went down with a significant injury after just three games. There's also Preston Rex, the son of former BYU All-American tight end Byron Rex and younger brother of Isaac, who moved from safety to running back and played in 10 games this year, including a start at Arizona.
But perhaps the most intriguing option — and Roderick admitted as such — is Jovesa Damuni.
The 6-foot, 190-pound freshman from Providence redshirted the 2024 season after returning from a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Santiago, Chile. Before that, the son of former Utah State tight end Waqa Damuni and nephew of BYU director of football alumni relations Jack Damuni was a highly rated multipositional athlete at Ridgeline High.
Damuni earned 4A all-state first-team honors at wide receiver and defensive back as a senior, when he caught 44 passes for 806 yards and seven touchdowns and added 15 solo tackles and an interception before signing with the Cougars over interest from Utah State, Nevada and New Mexico.
He's carried the ball just 12 times for 63 yards in 2025, and seemed to be added to a short leash when he fumbled in a 38-24 win over West Virginia back on Oct. 3.
But he remains as intriguing of a prospect as BYU has in the run game behind Martin.
"I'm excited to see Jovesa play, who he is and what he can do for us in the future," Roderick said. "He has speed and makes some plays in practice sometimes that make you think, OK, that is going to show up in a real game when his time comes.
"It wasn't quite his time yet because we were trying to get the ball to LJ so much," he added, "so I am excited to see what Jovesa does."
The 22nd-ranked Yellow Jackets (9-3) rank 93rd nationally in rushing defense, allowing 169.7 yards per game with 19 touchdowns. That's just ahead of Big 12 foes Kansas (96th) and Cincinnati (97th), for comparison's sake.
That, combined with the Cougars' lack of a tested running back, could open opportunities for the visiting team on the road just over 400 miles from Georgia Tech's native Atlanta.
I do have confidence in those guys," Roderick said. "We are going to spread the ball around and see if one of them gets hot, then maybe they will field more carries. But right now, we have a plan to use all three of those guys."
