Provo • After their latest dismal offensive performance, a 233-yard effort in Saturday night’s 19-13 loss to Utah, the BYU Cougars once again went searching for answers.
They think they might have found one: Freshman running back Ula Tolutau.
Although Tolutau had just five carries for 25 yards and a touchdown — all in the second half — he ran fearlessly and physically and displayed the same vision and toughness that made him one of the leading rushers in state history out of Salt Lake City’s East High in 2014.
A disappointed coach Kalani Sitake acknowledged that Tolutau probably should have got the ball earlier and more often. After Tolutau’s TD run cut Utah’s lead to 16-6 in the third quarter, he got just two more touches, and one was negated by a holding penalty on Tuni Kanuch.
“Ula’s recovery from injury is the main reason he hasn’t been out there that much,” Sitake said. “We feel like we are more comfortable with him being on the field now. I think we have found a good running back in Ula, and that is what we thought when we recruited him.
“We are looking forward to him being ready to go next week, and for him to be the guy,” Sitake continued.
Tolutau rushed for 8 and 13 yards on his first two carries, then registered his first career touchdown on his fourth.
“It felt good to get in the game today and get some touches,” he said. “It felt good to run today. I feel like our team is good. We just haven’t shown our full potential. We’ve got to get that running game going. … It is time to come together, especially with the O-line. They are making holes, we just need to attack it and get some yards.”
Speaking of the next game, it just gets more difficult for the struggling Cougars (1-2) and their sickly offense.
The No. 9-ranked Wisconsin Badgers (2-0) will make a visit to LaVell Edwards Stadium for the first time ever for a 1:30 p.m. MT kickoff Saturday. Wisconsin opened the season with a 59-10 rout of Utah State and then easily handled Lane Kiffin’s Florida Atlantic Owls 31-14 on Saturday afternoon at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis.
Unlike BYU, Wisconsin is having no trouble moving the ball. Freshman tailback Jonathan Taylor rushed for 223 yards and three touchdowns vs. FAU and the Badgers put up 564 yards. Quarterback Alex Hornibrook threw for 201 yards and a TD.
Coincidentally, Tolutau signed with Wisconsin out of high school in 2014, when former Utah State coach Gary Andersen was the head man in Madison. But Andersen left for Oregon State when Tolutau was on his church mission to Bakersfield, Calif., and Tolutau returned last fall looking for a new school.
He picked BYU over Utah, Oregon State and Utah State and enrolled in January, but suffered an undisclosed injury in training camp in August. As a result, junior Squally Canada and converted linebacker Kavika Fonua started the season as BYU’s primary tailbacks.
Canada rushed 15 times for 94 yards in the 20-6 win over Portland State, but had just five carries for 8 yards against LSU and one carry for 3 yards against the Utes. Fonua entered the Utah game with 10 carries for 69 yards, but had just 22 yards on eight carries against the Utes.
Sophomores Riley Burt and KJ Hall were supposed to be part of offensive coordinator Ty Detmer’s “by committee” approach, but Burt was moved to defense last week and Hall suffered an arm injury against LSU.
Enter Tolutau in the second half. He sparked the Cougar offense, but the next time BYU got the ball Detmer elected to open a drive with a pass.
Utah’s Cody Barton sacked Tanner Mangum for an 8-yard loss, and BYU eventually had to punt after two Mangum scrambles left it with a 4th-and-1.
“We fought. We played the best we could,” said tight end Matt Bushman, who had six catches for 50 yards. “It stinks to lose a rivalry game and it stinks to lose two games in a row, but we just have to keep moving forward and stay together. We have a long season ahead of us. We have to stay confident and get ready for Wisconsin next week.”
Saturday’s Game
BYU vs. No. 9 Wisconsin, 1:30 p.m. MT
TV: ABC or ESPN