Provo • Morgan Unga, once a quarterback at Bonneville High in Washington Terrace, has made 16 tackles during his three-year career at BYU.
Half of those tackles came last week in the 41-20 win over San Jose State when Unga filled in at flash linebacker after senior Fred Warner left the field with a lower leg injury in the first half and didn’t return.
Unga’s numbers illustrate just how much injuries have depleted the 2-7 Cougars in 2017.
“I was surprised to be the leading tackler,” the junior said Tuesday as the Cougars continued preparations for Saturday’s late-night game at Fresno State (8:45 p.m. MDT, ESPN2). “I knew I was in on a few plays, but I was more concerned about the tackles I missed.”
With Warner questionable for Saturday’s game — coach Kalani Sitake said the captain was “day-to-day” along with running back KJ Hall — Unga probably will see more time. The other flash linebacker in the rotation when the season began, freshman Chaz Ah You, was injured in the Mississippi State game and has not returned to action.
Unga is the cousin of BYU graduate assistant Harvey Unga and second cousin of former Cougars linebacker Uani Unga. He turned down offers from several smaller schools to walk on at BYU before a church mission to Virginia.
Morgan Unga was a safety his freshman year (2015) but moved to linebacker when Sitake became the coach in 2016.
“It has been hard, but it has been worth it,” Unga said about life as a walk-on. “I still get to play the game, so it is good.”
BYU AT FRESNO STATE <br>When • Saturday, 8:45 p.m. MDT<br>TV • ESPN2
Last year, he married Sidney Reilly, a middle-distance runner from on BYU’s track team. The couple has worked a couple jobs apiece in the offseason to make ends meet.
“It is a grind, but it is all good,” Unga said. “Getting put on scholarship is definitely a goal of mine, but it is something I have to earn.”
Leading the team in tackles is probably a good start.
Linebacker lineup
The Cougars will finish the season without senior linebacker Grant Jones, who suffered a major knee injury against SJSU and has concluded his college career. Another senior linebacker, Matt Hadley, had his season and career ended by an injury four games ago.
Junior Butch Pau’u said the message to the younger guys such as Unga and Isaiah Kaufusi is simple: Step up.
“Isaiah Kaufusi is going to get some playing time this week if someone goes down,” Pau’u said. “The only thing you expect is for them to fill their role. I mean yeah, you might not be able to do as well as Fred Warner, but you can do the job. That’s all we want done so that we can win the game.”
Junior linebacker Adam Pulsipher said it has been difficult to watch all the linebackers get injured.
“It has kinda been the story of the season, but next man up,” Pulsipher said. “Morgan came in and had a huge game, had eight tackles, which was big.”
Warner offended
Pau’u said that Warner “was offended” when SJSU won the coin toss Saturday and chose to go on offense first. Teams usually defer to the second half when they win the toss.
“That kinda got the guys going,” said Pau’u, who was the second-leading tackler with seven takedowns, along with Sione Takitaki.
Briefly
Pulsipher’s parents grew up near Fresno, Calif., in the towns of Modesto and Merced, and his grandparents still live in Modesto. “It will be fun to see them and play in California,” he said. … BYU and Fresno State have played 10 times, with each team winning five. The Cougars lost 31-21 the last time they played in Fresno, 1998.
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