BYU football injury report: LJ Martin doubtful to play vs Kansas State

The running back room in Provo, Utah has been depleted in the early season, and BYU football may have to play through another week without their top running back options.

When leading rushers LJ Martin and Hinkley Ropati went down early against SMU, Aaron Roderick had to dip deep into his depth chart to fill the void at running back. This week, sources close to the program are doubtful about the chances of Martin and Ropati's return, even with a huge matchup against Kansas State growing closer by the minute.

Running back Enoch Nawahine, who ran in a touchdown against SMU in his teammates' absence, will be back for this game after missing last week's contest in Laramie. The Hawaii native could see plenty of snaps against the K-State defense.

While the good news for the offense may not be overwhelming, BYU's defense expects to receive some reinforcements as Micah Harper, Mory Bamba, and Logan Lutui have all been activated. That's right--the Cougars' already stellar defense just got deeper, and that depth couldn't be arriving at a better time.

Keanu Hill has also cleared protocols, and will be clear to play this weekend. We'll hope the wide receiver-turned tight end can add onto last week's strong performance against Wyoming.

Injuries are an inevitability in the physical game of football, so the true measure of a good football team isn't always exclusive to what you see on the field. Stepping up in the absence of your starting units will be essential if the Cougars want to remain competitive in the Big 12. We'll get to see how BYU adjusts tonight against a physical Kansas State team.

More BYU Cougars News: