This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

That cheap shot that Nevada lineman John Bender took on BYU's Romney Fuga has ended Fuga's season. Bender hit Fuga below the waist, and from behind, and away from the ball, in the second quarter of Nevada's 27-13 win over the Cougars on Saturday. No penalty was called on the play. BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said he asked five different officials about it, and none of the five said they saw the play. Here's the release from BYU about Fuga's injury:PROVO, Utah (Sept. 27, 2010) — BYU junior defensive tackle Romney Fuga will have surgery to repair a knee injury suffered Saturday during the Nevada game and will be out the remainder of the 2010 season.An MRI revealed the injury that knocked Fuga out early in the second quarter of Saturday's game is an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL) injury that requires surgery. The 6-foot-2, 307-pound native of Huntington Beach, Calif., is anticipated to return in time for 2011 fall camp.Fuga has started all four BYU games this season anchoring the defensive front. He started seven contests while appearing in all 13 games in 2009 and played in all 13 games as a freshman in 2006 prior to serving a mission in Madagascar for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After totaling 40 tackles last year, the Academic All-Mountain West Conference defender has contributed 15 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks this season.