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In the space of about a month, the BYU football team has lost its best two offensive players — quarterback Taysom Hill and running back Jamaal Williams — and one of its best defenders: nose tackle Travis Tuiloma.

If you don't think Tuiloma was all that valuable, go watch the second half of the BYU-Nebraska game when the Huskers gashed the Cougars up the middle several times for big gains. Coach Bronco Mendenhall said the junior from Topeka, Kan., will be out 4-6 weeks.

That means BYU won't have him Saturday when it plays host to Boise State at LaVell Edwards Stadium (8:15 p.m., ESPN2). Logan Taele will move over to nose tackle and Graham Rowley will join the starting lineup at defensive end opposite Bronson Kaufusi.

Another key defender, defensive back Jordan Preator, is questionable for the game with an undisclosed injury. Michael Wadsworth went in when Preator's helmet popped off against the Huskers, and made the big stop on third-and-3 when Nebraska tried a jet sweep late in the game.

"I was just happy I was able to get a shot. My heart goes out to Jordan Preator [with] his injury. I was able to be prepared and went in and made a contribution to the team," Wadsworth said.

The transfer from Hawaii said he is not sure what his role will be Saturday night, or whether Preator will play.

"He is just trying to take it easy right now. Same thing happened to Eric [Takenaka] last week — he missed practice a couple of days, and he was able to play, so I am not in a position to answer that question," Wadsworth said.

The defense will get linebacker Sione Takitaki and safety Kai Nacua back after both missed the NU game due to suspensions. Linebackers coach Kelly Poppinga said Takitaki will help in the attempt to get some pressure on Boise State QB Ryan Finley.

"Yeah, [Takitaki] is a very dynamic player. He is a great pass rusher. That is where I think he is going to have the biggest impact on the game is in the pass game," Poppinga said. "Hopefully if we play well on first down and second down and we can get them in those third and long situations, and some passing down situations, he can get in there and do what he is really good at."

Poppinga said Nacua is a playmaker who covers a lot of ground and is a good tackler, something the Cougars struggled with against Nebraska.

"He is experienced," Poppinga said. "He has a bunch of starts under his belt, and so, man, the guys love him. He is a team guy. Just getting him on the field, guys are going to be confident. There is going to be a little better communication. He is going to know how to adjust to things a little bit better, and so it is just the experience factor.

We are going to have a guy back there who has actually started a game, compared to where Jordan [Preator], who is a good athlete and a good football player, had never done it before. So just having the experience back there is going to help him."

Poppinga has emerged as sort of the spokesperson for the defense because defensive coordinator Nick Howell continues to refuse interview requests. To my knowledge, Howell hasn't spoken to the media since Mendenhall announced in January that he is taking over the defensive play-calling duties.

Here's K-Pop's take on how the defense played last Saturday:

"Really disappointed in the way we played in the first quarter. Really bad tackling. And then as the game went on, I think we calmed down. I think we tackled better. But man, we didn't handle the perimeter very well at all. So I imagine Boise State is going to attack us big-time after they watch that film, attack us out on the perimeter and our corners and our sam.

But as the game went on, I felt like we played really well in the second quarter. As bad as we played in the first quarter, we played that good in the second quarter.

And then coming out of half we didn't play very well, got in some sudden-change situations where we turned the ball over and we couldn't hold them out, and then on fourth down we turned the ball over back again on fourth down and that's how they got their second touchdown in the second half.

We need to handle sudden change better.

And then, man, once again in the fourth quarter we stepped up when we needed to, and so we need to start faster at the beginning of the halves, and then play like we did in the second and fourth quarters. If we do that, we have a chance to be really, really good. The potential there.

And the way they practiced [Tuesday], they were hungry and they were eager to show that they are better than what they showed on Saturday."

Poppinga said for the most part the Cougars played well in the secondary.

"We didn't give up any deep balls. We kept everything in front of us for the most part when they were passing the ball, besides the perimeter plays. I thought it was just game experience, the lack of that, kind of effected us that first quarter. But like I said, we settled in in the second quarter," he said.