facebook-pixel

Eye on the Y: On Saturday, we were reminded of what’s truly important

Keenan Ellis is up and walking once more, but his injury scared us all.

(David Becker | AP) BYU defensive back Keenan Ellis reacts to an apparent injury after defending against Arizona running back Michael Wiley during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, in Las Vegas.

  | Sep. 6, 2021, 6:03 p.m.

Man, what a game.

The environment couldn’t have been more exciting — I could physically feel the buzz — but that all went away the moment Keenan Ellis went down. Suddenly, all of Allegiant Stadium fell quiet.

And we were reminded of something: Football is just a game, the players’ health is more important. It was a grim reminder in a day when sports are seemingly getting back to normal and stadiums will be filled once more as we continue to navigate this pandemic.

The fans weren’t shown the replay of Ellis’ awkward hit on the field, but it was replayed multiple times on the screens in the press box. I winced each time.

Luckily, though, it seems Ellis will be just fine.

Sunday’s update on Ellis said the defensive back was already out of bed, walking and reported no neck or back pain. Saturday’s CT scans came back normal.

All in all, it proved to be the best outcome for what looked like a really bad injury. Not everyone gets to walk away from something like that.

Now, all eyes will be on how BYU can continue to improve. While the Cougars still got the win, it wasn’t pretty. While BYU fans were expecting a less-than-impressive Arizona, the Wildcats proved they have some fight in them.

Compared to what Arizona has done the past couple of years, that could be considered a win for them.

Quick hits

• If you’d like to catch up on the game, go here. If you’d like to read my breakdown of the game, go here.

• If fans liked having the BYU game a few days ago in Allegiant Stadium, get ready because the Cougars will reportedly play there again next season. It’s looking like BYU and Notre Dame will finally play the third game in the Shamrock Series sometime in October next year.

• BYU is also on the cusp of joining a Power Five conference. According to reports, BYU could join the Big 12 as soon as this week or next. Buckle up.

• And, in case you missed it, here’s how Tyler Allgeier almost left BYU after the 2019 season.

Other voices

• Tony Romo believes Zach Wilson could be one of the top three to five quarterbacks in the league “very quickly,” from Yahoo Sports!

• No. 13 Cougars claim BYU Invitational title, from the Daily Herald.

• BYU unveils uniform for home opener against Utah, from Sports Illustrated.