This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

How bad are the injuries that quarterback Riley Nelson and receiver Cody Hoffman suffered in BYU's 20-14 loss to San Jose State on Saturday night? So far, the only information out of BYU has come from Nelson, who said after the game that he believes he suffered a dislocated rib on that play when he ran for nine yards and fumbled late in the third quarter. Nelson recovered his own fumble, but on the next play he was sacked by former Cougar David Tuitupou and lost the ball again. Tuitupou recovered that one. Hoffman was wearing a sling after the game as the Cougars waited to board one of three team buses that was supposed to take them to the airport. One of the buses broke down, delaying the charter flight back to Provo by about a half-hour. Nelson said that Hoffman suffered a "separated shoulder," but stayed in the game. A BYU football spokesperson said Sunday night that there would not be an official report on any injury until after practice Monday night. The Cougars will practice from approximately 5-7 p.m. at the indoor practice facility on campus. Here's my follow from the game, and look ahead to Saturday's 1:30 p.m. contest at New Mexico State. One forgotten aspect of Saturday's loss to SJSU was the fact that the Spartans won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. BYU kicker Justin Sorensen promptly booted the ball out of bounds, setting SJSU up at the 35. The Spartans needed just four plays to go 65 yards and score, setting the tone for the rest of the first half. However, BYU's special teams recovered and played well the rest of the way. Monday, BYU punter Riley Stephenson, who has been solid all season, was named the FBS Independent Special Teams Player of the Week. Stephenson, a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, punted five times for a 50-yard average. Two of his punts were downed inside SJSU's 20-yard line.