BYU spring football practice report: Apo out, needs shoulder surgery

The Cougars practiced indoors this afternoon in Provo, session No. 9 of spring camp, and went for a good two hours in the climate-controlled IPF after a spring snowstorm made the outdoor field unplayable. As The Tribune and others wrote extensively about last week, there are seemingly more players on the sidelines during contact drills and scrimmages than on the field, with the unusually high number of injuries that have rocked the team this spring. Last week, sophomore receiver Ross Apo became the latest to join the injury list, and on Monday the news from trainer Kevin Morris was not good. Morris said Apo will undergo surgery for a dislocated shoulder on Tuesday. He has enough time to recover and return in the fall, but how much work he can get done this summer isn't quite known. Morris said Apo will probably miss eight weeks before he's allowed to do running and that type of stuff. Because of the injuries, coach Bronco Mendenhall reiterated Monday that fans shouldn't expect much out of the open-to-the-public event at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday. The coach said it will be a "short scrimmage" with the emphasis on short. He said it will begin at noon and be over by 1 p.m. He also said that few, if any, players who will be counted on this fall will participate in the scrimmage — all because it is imperative to avoid more injuries. "We would be a better team if they were all practicing in the spring," Mendenhall acknowledged. "Am I frustrated that they are not out here? Yeah, more than I can say. We have modified practice as much as we can, and are trying to develop players around them." Here's an injury report from Kevin Morris on selected players: Brandon Ogletree: Will be out for four weeks with fracture of a non-weight bearing bone in his foot. A full recovery is expected without surgery. Uani Unga: Hamstring is tweaked. Being kept out of most drills, but he is progressing really well and a full recovery is expected soon. Devin Mahina: Not cleared for contact, but he and Austin Holt and Richard Wilson are doing some non-contact stuff. Trevor Brown: Tore his ACL last week. Getting ready for surgery, and will miss the 2012 season. JD Falslev: Still slowed by tendinitis in ankle; Getting close to returning to contact, but probably won't see action before spring camp concludes. Jordan Smith: Has a quad injury, probably won't be back by end of spring, but will be full-go in the fall. Mitch Mathews: Is progressing really well from an ankle issue. Rhen Brown: Will see a hip specialist. DeQuan Everett: Trying to recover from a high ankle sprain, wearing a walking boot. Michael Yeck: Has been ill the past few days. Fono Vakalahi: Had ankle surgery and is still out until fall. Marques Johnson: Shoulder injury about a week ago. Just going through some rehab. Lena Lesatele: Has been ill the past few days. A few stats from the practice-ending 11-on-11 scrimmage: Riley Nelson was 2-for-6 for 15 yards and was intercepted by Mike Hague. James Lark was 2-for-4 for 23 yards Taysom Hill was 0-for-1 and had a 3-yard runIn skeleton (skelly) drills (7 on 7, with no linemen): Cody Hoffman caught a touchdown pass from Riley Nelson Walk-on receiver Cody Raymond caught a touchdown pass from Taysom Hill Daniel Sorensen picked off a Hail Mary pass from Nelson Other odds and ends: * Coach Bronco Mendenhall said walk-on running back Ryan Folsom, out of Oregon, has opted to retire from football and pursue medical school. * Mendenhall said RB David Foote is still with the team, but is injured and missing spring ball. He will be back in time for summer workouts. * O'Neill Chambers had an interception today while working with the cornerbacks. He's wearing No. 15 now, which will probably be his number this fall. Chambers wore No. 62 at first as a way to show that he didn't expect to be given anything and * Apo will wear No. 1 this fall, while receiver Terenn Houk will don Apo's old number, 11. * Former BYU tight end Andrew George will become a graduate assistant this summer, but is already in Provo and helping out with spring ball.