PROVO, Utah -- No. 20 BYU is done with fall camp and has a little more than a week to get ready -- and healthy -- for third-ranked Oklahoma.
The Cougars have a long list of injuries after nearly three weeks of preseason practices. Most of the injured players should be back in time for the season opener against the Sooners on Sept. 5 in Arlington, Texas.
BYU closed camp with a scrimmage Wednesday without several injured starters. Coach Bronco Mendenhall was giving the Cougars the day off from practice Thursday, then planned to get back to work on Friday -- eight days before the opener.
Friday's practice may also be missing some starters, including running back Harvey Unga. Unga has been out since Monday with a pulled hamstring and said Wednesday he expects to be practicing again next week.
Defensive back Scott Johnson is out with a concussion and offensive lineman Matt Reynolds has a broken hand, but both are expected to be available for the Oklahoma game. Several other players have missed practices over the last few weeks with a variety of afflictions.
The most serious were to offensive linemen Jason Speredon and Houston Reynolds, who were both lost for the season. Speredon tore his rotator cuff early in camp and Reynolds -- the fourth of assistant coach Lance Reynolds' sons to join the Cougars -- tore his right ACL last week.
"It's always a setback when you lose good players and both of those guys are good players," offensive line coach Mark Weber said. "It lessens your depth, but we still have some good players in the group."
Matt Reynolds is the only returning starter on the line and he will be playing the opener with a padded splint on his left hand, which he broke when his finger got caught in a jersey during the first week of practice.
Houston Reynolds is in his first year of school after taking two years off to serve a Mormon church mission and had been working out with the second team.
A few Cougars do have starting experience. Center R.J. Willing started nine games at right tackle as a freshman in 2004, then went on his church mission and has been moving up and down the line since returning in 2007. Willing spent most of camp playing center, but did shift back to tackle a few times -- just in case the injury bug continues.
"There have been some challenges, but there have also been some guys who have stepped up, which has been nice. We see what tools we have," Willing said. "We may not have the starts, but we do have experience."
Marco Thorson, Speredon's replacement, is the only starter-to-be who has no experience. He redshirted his freshman year in 2005, then left on a mission.
Right guard Terence Brown lettered as a freshman in 2005, then redshirted last year and right tackle Nick Alletto was a reserve on the line the last two seasons.
"They waited their turn and prepared and they're ready to go. It's been fun working with them and seeing their eagerness," Weber said. "We have some experience coming back -- guys that have played. Guys who have been in the system."
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