One of the big concerns for the BYU football team heading into last week’s clash with then-No. 9-ranked Baylor was the fact that two of the top Cougar receivers, senior Gunner Romney and junior Puka Nacua, were out with injuries.

Fortunately for BYU, the Cougars had others step up to fill those roles, most notably freshman Chase Roberts, and that BYU offense did enough to get the win.

Still, most Cougar supporters would agree that they would feel better about BYU’s chances to win this Saturday’s game at No. 25-ranked Oregon if Romney and Nacua were available.

The latest update from Cougar wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake, however, didn’t really clarify the situation.

“They look a lot better than last week,” Sitake said Wednesday after practice. “It’s day-to-day. It’s going to be a game-time decision. They look really good. They’ve been practicing and doing individual drills. I just know they are running and they look good.”

So that means that while one or both of the two injured stars might be able to return, the other Cougar receivers need to prepare to play without them.

But that’s not a huge concern in Sitake’s mind, given what he saw from that group last week.

“It was really really gratifying and and I’m very proud of those guys,” Sitake said. “I had no doubts. I know it was a big headline heading into the game against Baylor that we’d be without those guys but our whole room knew that the next man was gonna step up and be ready. What a lot of fans don’t see obviously is the preparation that goes into all this.

“There are a lot of guys in all position groups who may not get on the field a lot but they’re ready when their name is called just because of their preparation. Those four are great examples of that. I’m just really proud of them. How they stepped up was really fun to see.”

Roberts got the chance to talk to reporters for the second time in just a few days (he also was part of BYU’s post-game press conference after the win) and said he tried to enjoy the moment and then move on.

“It’s been awesome,” Roberts said. “Sunday and Monday was awesome and I was able to enjoy that time, but once we got to the practices we focused on Oregon. We want to get to this next win, so we leave the last game in the past. Yes, it was a great game and I was able to perform well, but now it’s about just moving on to the next game and keep it rolling.”

He knows he won’t surprise anyone moving forward after his big performance but he’s confident he’ll still be able to make plays when the opportunities are there.

“I’m just here to play some football,” Roberts said with a grin. “I love it. I love football. That’s something that Gunner (Romney) told me is this is a game, so go out and play. I feel just chill, just comfortable. I’m going to go out and do my thing.”

When Sitake was asked whether he expected the next game to be tougher for Roberts because of added pressure or more attention from opposing defenses, he said he thinks it’s going to actually be easier.

“When you play football, despite the opponent or the atmosphere or all that stuff, when you have that first big, breakthrough game, in my opinion it takes the weight off of your shoulders,” Sitake said. “Every game brings different challenges and I’m not going to say it is going to be a breeze for Chase from here on, but my guess is he’s got that game out of the way and it was a good one.”

Roberts said he is confident that if Romney and/or Nacua aren’t able to participate when BYU faces the Ducks, they’ll continue to be motivators for him and the other receivers, just like they were during the game against Baylor.

“We’re all like brothers in the wide receiver room,” Roberts said. “They came up and embraced me all through the game. They were hyping me up and really making me feel like I could do it, like this was my time. It was awesome to feel their embrace and their love and just their motivation. Afterwards they just said, ‘hey, this isn’t over. Keep going.'”

Jaren WIlkey, BYU Photo

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