BYU football needs all the help it can get to take down a Big 12 giant like Texas Tech. Seriously, despite being the only remaining unbeaten in their conference (that goes for in-conference and non-conference thanks to Cincinnati losing this past weekend), the Cougars travel to Lubbock to face a team that, well, is very heavily favored to toss their Provo-sent adversaries behind the woodshed to do 'behind the woodshed' things.
It doesn't help matters one bit when workhorse running back LJ Martin and blight of all offenses Jack Kelly went down with an injury in a hard-fought road win against Iowa State two weeks before. BYU is shallow at running back, and Martin has proved capable of carrying the offensive load drive after drive. Kelly is the heartbeat of DC Jay Hill's swarming pestilence on the other side of the ball.
When tackling a giant, it's all hands on deck. The more capable those hands, the higher the chance of success. As the army marches forward into battle, the rational minds among the soldiers will naturally question their chances for success without the support of their leaders. Fortunately for Brigham's camp, head Kalani Sitake is calling in some reinforcements.
Per Jay Drew, Coach Sitake informed the media that Martin and Kelly were "not out" for this weekend's marquee matchup in Lubbock, and are expected to practice this week. He went further, reminding that wide receiver JoJo Phillips, who underwent surgery after week one's win against Portland State, has likewise been practicing and is expected to return to the lineup soon. Backup running back Sione Moa is not expected to return this weekend.
BYU breaches the threshold of Jones AT&T Stadium this Saturday to the fanfare of ABC, College Gameday, and ESPN's number one commentary team. This is the game of the week, and unbeaten BYU has a chance to stamp their ticket to a date in Arlington and likely the College Football Playoff if they can maintain their trajectory and topple Tech. Lose, and the ship may need to plug a few leaks to reach the shore safely.
The crew may have gotten a bit stronger if these key players can take the field on Saturday.