This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • Having suffered a left quadriceps contusion last week against Washington State, BYU receiver Cody Hoffman rehabbed extra hard over the weekend to get back to his usual form.
Good thing, too, because his receiving sidekick, Ross Apo, was unable to play in Saturday's 45-13 win over Weber State.
Coach Bronco Mendenhall said Apo tweaked a hamstring in the days leading up to the matchup with the Wildcats and warmed up before the game, but couldn't go.
"We were hopeful ... but he just wasn't quite ready," Mendenhall said.
The sophomore's condition will be a focus this coming week because the Cougars surely need their big-play threat against Utah.
Hoffman, however, picked up like he never left off. He caught seven passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, despite not playing much in the second half.
"It is always good to be back out there, helping the team, and making plays when they need it," he said. "And just [to be] feeling good again."
The 6-foot-4 Hoffman got the slow-starting Cougars on the board with just more than three minutes remaining in the first quarter when he outjumped WSU's 5-10 cornerback Devin Pugh for a ball from Riley Nelson. It was classic Hoffman, reminiscent of the plays he made last year against Oregon State.
"The whole game, they really emphasized stopping the run," Hoffman said. "So they brought the safeties down and [we] knew I had one-on-one coverage, and Riley had faith in me and just threw it up [knowing] that I can make those plays. So, I came down with it."
The Cougars threw for 307 yards, with Nelson getting 244 of those, James Lark 45 and Taysom Hill 18.
Twelve receivers made catches, including freshman running back Jamaal Williams.
"It is always good to seem them get out there, because they work as hard as anyone else in practice," Hoffman said of the backups. "So just having them come out and being able to get experience out there is great for me to watch."
Hoffman has now caught passes in 21 straight games. It was the seventh 100-yard receiving game of his career.
Twitter: @drewjay —
BYU's receiving stars
Receiver No. Yards TDs Long
Cody Hoffman 7 115 1 37
Alex Kuresa 4 51 0 27
Kaneakua Friel 4 30 1 10
Richard Wilson 1 32 32 0