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Provo • Projected starting BYU cornerback Michael Davis, who was charged on Aug. 20 with misdemeanor assault and rioting after a dispute over a parking spot at a Provo apartment complex, practiced on Wednesday as the Cougars continued preparations for Saturday's season opener at Nebraska.
However, Davis was not made available for interviews Wednesday morning after news of the criminal charges broke Tuesday afternoon.
BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall is not scheduled to address the media again until after Saturday's opener, and Davis' status for that game remains unclear.
Reading from the police report, Provo police spokesperson Nisha Henderson provided additional details from the altercation.
She said Davis, 20, was cited shortly after 7 p.m. on July 29 at the Old Mill Apartments, 728 W. 1720 North, where he had allegedly gotten into an altercation with a male of similar age over a parking stall.
That male, who is pressing charges, called police and allegedly had "visible injuries on his neck" that did not require medical attention when authorities arrived at the scene.
Davis was accompanied by two other males before the alleged assault occurred, but Provo police will not release their identities because they were not involved. No weapons, alcohol or drugs were involved, according to the report.
Davis was issued a citation at the scene but was not taken into custody. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in August and has obtained legal counsel and requested a jury trial.
Calls to his attorney were not immediately returned Wednesday.
Shuffling linebackers
Assistant coach Paul Tidwell said Wednesday that senior Jherremya Leuta-Douyere was moved from inside linebacker to outside linebacker midway through preseason camp because coaches want to get their best four linebackers on the field at the same time.
However, Leuta-Douyere will start at inside linebacker — the position he played last year after being on the outside in 2012 and 2013 — on Saturday against the Huskers.
"And then in the second half, [Leuta-Douyere] may move to outside; it just depends on how the situation goes with the game," Tidwell said.
Leuta-Douyere later said the other starting ILB will be fellow senior Manoa Pikula, so that revelation, coupled with Tidwell's statement, leads one to believe that junior Harvey Langi will not play in the first half against the Cornhuskers. Langi is listed as the starting middle linebacker on the depth chart released Monday.
"Whatever they ask me to do, I feel comfortable doing," Leuta-Douyere said. "I will be fine at either spot."
With Leuta-Douyere moving inside for at least the first half, look for junior Sae Tautu to get the start at weak-side linebacker. Sophomore Fred Warner is the expected starter at strong-side linebacker.
Tidwell said Langi, who played running back for the University of Utah before serving an LDS mission and transferring to BYU, has made big strides in learning the middle linebacker position, partly because he moved in with safety Chris Badger.
"And they have studied and learned and learned," Tidwell said. "So his acceleration in learning the defense has just been unbelievable, because of his effort, and who he is living with."
Twitter: @drewjay
Correction • An item in Wednesday's edition said cornerback Michael Davis was arrested. He was not taken into custody. —
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