BYU Cougars Look to Fill Big Hole Left by Harvey Unga

Former BYU running back Harvey Unga is hoping to hear his name called during Thursday’s NFL Supplemental Draft.

Meanwhile, with fall camp looming about three weeks away, the Cougars are trying to figure out life without Unga.

Look for a combination of three players who will try to step up to fill the void left by Harvey at running back in 2010.

Bryan Kariya

Bryan is the quintessential Bronco Mendenhall-type player.  He’s an unheralded, blue collar, punch-you-in-the-mouth type of running back.

The 6′0″, 214-pound junior from Davis High School in Kaysville, Utah doesn’t wow you with his athletic prowess, but he is a solid, dependable back who is effective at everything a BYU running back needs to do.

He is probably the best running back on the roster to have in the backfield with what will be a young starting quarterback. He can tote the ball and pick up the tough yards, he’s a reliable receiver out of the backfield, and perhaps most importantly, he’s a solid blocker in pass protection.

Expect Bryan’s leadership to show throughout this year with a lot of youth and inexperience at some of the key skill positions. He may well be one of the most important ingredients in the 2010 offense, especially in the first few weeks while a new quarterback and multiple freshman tight ends get their feet wet.

One can not think about Kariya without remembering how admirably he filled in for Unga at the beginning of last season. He bludgeoned the Oklahoma Sooners in last years opening season victory in the new Cowboys Stadium, gaining a total of 118 yards from scrimmage running and receiving. The following week he amassed 86 total yards in a blowout win at the Superdome against Tulane.

JJ Di Luigi

Many BYU fans may be surprised to learn that JJ actually averaged more yards per carry last year than Harvey Unga. Di Luigi averaged 5.5 yards per carry to Unga’s 5.2 yards. Of course, Di Luigi only carried the ball 45 times to Unga’s 208 attempts.

What the 5′9″, 198-pound junior brings to the table for the Cougars is the ability to make people miss. For that reason, the Cougar coaches had plans to utilize JJ in the slot position in 2010 to get him out in space; but that was before Unga left school.

Now expect to see JJ in more of a conventional running back role with occasional ventures into the slot. He’s also likely to see a lot of short passes into the flat and be allowed to do his thing in the open field.

His first two seasons at BYU were frustrating for the star from Canyon High in Canyon Country, California. Di Luigi spent the 2007 season on the sidelines with a broken foot. Then in 2008 he carried the ball just 13 times for a mere 48 yards while looking like he was having trouble adjusting to Division-I football.

But in 2009 JJ began to show some flashes of what Cougar coaches were hoping to see from him when they signed him out of high school. He seemed to relax and let the game come to him more, rushing for 248 yards and catching 12 passes for an additional 270 yards. If he continues to make improvements, 2010 may be a breakout year for Di Luigi.

Joshua Quezada

“Juice”, as he is known, is the real wild card in the BYU backfield this season. A coveted recruit, the true freshman made an immediate statement in spring drills. He may well be dubbed as the heir-apparent to Unga before the season ends, but he will have to go through the learning curve of playing running back in the BYU system before that can happen.

As senior at La Habra High School in California the 5′11″, 210-pound Quezada rushed for 2,114 yards and 26 touchdowns, while adding 186 yards and two touchdowns receiving. During spring practices in Provo this year, Josh looked as though his game will translate quite nicely to Division-I football.

He showed burst, speed, balance, strength, and vision. He also showed nice hands with the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, a prerequisite for any BYU running back.

The biggest question mark for Juice is how quickly he can come up to speed with his blocking assignments.  Like most top-flight running backs, he was not asked to do a lot of blocking in high school.

For that reason, expect to see Quezada garner spot duty only at the beginning of the season. If Jake Heaps happens to win the staring QB spot, its hard to imagine that BYU coaches will allow a true freshman running back in the backfield with a true freshman quarterback on very many plays.

Replacing Tonga

Lost somewhat in the story of Unga’s departure is the fact that the Cougars must also replace fullback Manase Tonga, who is looking like he has a good chance of making the roster of the Oakland Raiders. Tonga’s blocking, receiving, and leadership will be greatly missed this season.

Former Utah 5-A Player of the Year Mike Hague, along with bruising Zed Mendenhall and David Foote are possible candidates to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Tonga. The Cougars could also use a tight end, such as 6′5″, 240-pound Jordan Lower—a transfer from Snow College, in a fullback or H-back role.