This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

BYU's secondary was a mixed bag last Thursday against Boise State.

The Cougars returned two interceptions for touchdowns, as linebacker Fred Warner (who plays a lot of pass coverage) returned a pick 59 yards for a TD and cornerback Dayan Lake returned one 50 yards to pay dirt.

But the Cougars were also torched by Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien to the tune of 442 yards. The pass rush got to Rypien three times for three sacks and minus-22 yards, but generally he had a lot of time to throw.

One of the bright spots for the secondary has been senior safety Kai Nacua, who on Monday was named one of 16 semifinalists for the 2016 Jim Thorpe Award. The honor is given to the top defensive back in the country by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

The three finalists will be announced on Nov. 21 and the winner will be feted at the College Football Awards Show on Dec. 8.

As was reported in this article Monday, Nacua is tied for the lead nationally in interceptions, with five. The Cougars, incidentally, are tied for the lead for most interceptions (14) with Cincinnati, Utah and Troy. The Cougars and Utes have played eight games, Cincy and Troy seven apiece.

Nacua also has made 35 tackles, one tackle for loss, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. He's BYU's career leader in interceptions since 2000 with 13 total picks. He had six interceptions in 2015.

There was no Monday morning press briefing today from BYU football coach Kalani Sitake because the Cougars have a bye this week.

It was announced that BYU's next game, on Nov. 5 at Cincinnati, will kick off at 1:30 p.m. MDT and will be televised by the CBS Sports Network. That's channel 221 on DirecTV and channel 158 on DISH Network.

It will be the first time BYU ever plays football in the state of Ohio.

Over the weekend, the Cougars received a commitment from Keenan Ellis, a receiver and defensive back from Bonita Vista High in California, near San Diego.

Ellis is 6-foot-1, 170 pounds and also runs track.

He is the 13th member of the class of 2017 to commit to BYU. Here's the updated list:

BYU FOOTBALL

2017 Commits

Jackson McChesney, 6-0, 170 RB from Highland, Utah (Lone Peak High School)

Isaac Rex, 6-4, 225 TE from San Clemente, Calif. (San Clemente High School)

Tanner Baker, 6-5, 225 DE from Acworth, Georgia (Allatoona High School)

Preston Lewis, 6-2, 225 DE from Highland, Utah (Lone Peak High School)

Ammon Hannemann, 6-2, 190 safety from Highland, Utah (Lone Peak High School)

Donovan Hanna, 6-5, 230 TE from Queen Creek, Ariz. (American Leadership Academy)

Ben Bywater, 6-3, 205 OLB from Salt Lake City, Utah (Olympus High School)

Tariq Buchanan, 6-2, 175 DB from Elgin, Texas (Elgin High School)

Seth Willis, 6-6, 315 OL from Newtown, Connecticut (Newtown High School)

Bentley Hanshaw, 6-6, 225 TE from Moorpark, Calif. (Moorpark High School)

Tongi Langi, 6-1, 180 DB from South Jordan, Utah (Bingham High School)

Ryan Rehkow, 6-4, 190 K from Versdale, Wash. (Central Valley High School)

Keenan Ellis, 6-1, 170 WR/DB from Chula Vista, Calif. (Bonita Vista High School)