LJ Martin is out after surgery.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) BYU Cougars running back LJ Martin (4) will miss his team’s bowl game after surgery.
BYU running back LJ Martin will not play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl this weekend as he recovers from surgery.
The junior was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year after leading the conference with 1,305 rushing yards. Martin might have racked up even more yards had he not suffered a shoulder injury against Iowa State in late October.
“There was a small window for him to do the surgery,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said of Martin, who missed the Cougars’ bowl game. “His decision will be whether he comes back for his senior year or whether he goes to the NFL. … If he waits and extends [surgery] too long, it wouldn’t be to his advantage anyway.’
Martin is expected to be in Orlando cheering on the Cougars — including a trio of backups that BYU will lean on.
Enoch Nawahine, Jovesa Damuni and Preston Rex were used sparingly during the season.
“I believe in those guys, but anytime you miss the Big 12. [Offensive] Player of the Year, that’s going to be a big loss,” offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said. “We’ve gone into every game this year thinking LJ has to carry the ball 20 times and everything else follows. That’s the player.”
Roderick said the Cougars will try to replace Martin by committee.
“We’re going to spread the ball,” he said. “If one of them gets hot, they might get more carries.
The coordinator picked Damuni as someone he would like to see play.
“It’s time to find out who Jovesa is and what he can do for us in the future,” said Roderick. “He’s got some juice. He’s got speed and he makes some plays in practice that sometimes make you think, ‘OK, that’s going to show in the real game when his time comes.’
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