BYU Football: Time for the rest of the Tight Ends to step up

BYU Football suffered a big loss with the season-ending injury to tight end Moroni Laulu-Pututau. Now it’s time for the other three tight ends to step up.

It’s bad enough that BYU Football got shellacked by Washington on Saturday. Losing Moroni Laulu-Pututau for the rest of the season makes it even worse.

The junior tight end took to Twitter on Sunday night to let fans know that he’s torn his ACL. It’s his second season-ending injury in as many seasons.

It’s a devastating injury both for him and for the offense. MLP has been one of the most reliable targets for Tanner Mangum this season, hauling in 14 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. Only Aleva Hifo has him beat in catches and yards.

The Value of Depth

Fortunately for the Cougars, Tight End is one of the deepest positions on the team. They’ve still got Matt Bushman, a Freshman All-American last year, along with this year’s freshman phenom Dallin Holker.

Add senior JJ Nwigwe into the mix, and there are still three good tight ends that Offensive Coordinator Jeff Grimes can put on the field.

The only problem is, none of the three have been nearly as reliable as Laulu-Pututau.

The All-American

Bushman’s main problem has been blocking. While he’s an elite pass-catching tight end, his blocking isn’t where Grimes needs it to be, and he’s been on the field for fewer snaps as a result.

He’s still a dangerous weapon. He caught a long touchdown pass against Arizona, and had a 39-yard catch on third down against Washington.

With MLP out, he’s going to get more time, and he’s going to have to step up his blocking.

The Senior

On the flip side, Nwigwe is an excellent blocker as a converted offensive lineman, but he’s not a great receiver, and he hasn’t caught a pass so far this year.

He’s likely to see the field more, and he can make defenses pay if he can get himself open and make plays when the opportunities arise.

The Newcomer

Then there’s Holker. The freshman is solid in both blocking and receiving, but his inexperience has shown in certain situations. He’s caught seven passes for 50 yards, but he’s also had a few drops that should have been caught, as well as some missed blocking assignments.

He’ll be gaining that experience faster now with Pututau out. If he learns from his mistakes, he and Bushman can become the same dynamic combo that Laulu-Pututau and Bushman were expected to be.

In order for the offense to improve and for BYU to return to a bowl game, the three remaining tight ends will have to play much bigger.