This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Sorry about that, but I had to write it at least once.....

The Cougars continue to be a banged up football team right now. The latest news out of practice, which just wrapped up on an unseasonably warm afternoon in Provo, is that starting outside linebacker Jameson Frazier will miss the next 3-4 weeks with a broken thumb. Frazier broke the thumb in the first quarter against Nevada on the hand that was already in a cast. Coach Bronco Mendenhall said that true freshman Kyle Van Noy and Jadon Wagner, a junior, will rotate at the position. He did not say who will start, but it will most likely be Van Noy, who has played the most thus far. In other injury news, Mendenhall said that safety Steven Thomas is still recovering from a concussion suffered against Florida State and will not play Friday against USU. Travis Uale will start in his spot. Trainer Kevin Morris can't say if Thomas will be back for the Oct. 9 game against SDSU. "It is hard to say. Concussions, you got to be safe. But we are not treating him any differently than in the past. Some take longer to clear than others. That's kind of where he is at right now," Morris said. Matt Reynolds has ankle and shoulder issues, but still practiced Monday and Tuesday and "looked good," Morris said. Receiver Cody Hoffman left the Nevada game with a sprained ankle, but went back in. He has practiced and should play this week.——————————————— It is obvious that Mendenhall is still upset over the block that has sidelined nose tackle Romney Fuga for the season. He said he sent the clip in, but got the word back that no sanctions will be taken against Nevada lineman John Bender. "Well, I sent the clip in to our head of officials, and they ruled it a legal block. Not illegal. A legal block. They said it was from the side, and it was legal. So they looked at film from all different angles, and they said it was a legal block, and didn't see any reason for sanctions," Mendenhall said. Told by radio personality Hans Olsen that he should send it back and demand they look at it again, Mendenhall looked at the ground and said, hmmm.The coach said that Eathyn Manumaleuna will start at nose tackle in Fuga's place, and Matt Putnam will take EM's spot at defensive end. He said at times EM will move to DE, and Jordan Richardson will move in at nose tackle. Redshirt freshman Thomas Bryson will also play some defensive end, along with true freshman Graham Rowley, whose redshirt was taken off with Fuga's injury.—————————————— Quarterback Riley Nelson watched practice today, his right arm in a sling after having surgery on it — done by his father in Logan — last Friday. Nelson was upbeat and positive, and had a lot of interesting things to say, which I well get into in another post. Nelson said he will attend Friday's game in Logan, and stand on the sidelines with his teammates. He said he's not really worried about any verbal abuse he might take from USU's fans, after having transferred to BYU from USU after his church mission. He joked that he would rather take the abuse than have his teammates who are actually playing in the game take it. Nelson said point-blank that he does not plan on transferring away from BYU, and that he surely plans on returning in the spring and playing quarterback. "I'm not switching positions," he said. "Put that rumor to rest."