When BYU’s preseason training camp began in early August, offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick told the Deseret News that a late addition to BYU’s running back room was going to impact the Cougars’ offense at some point this season.
Few people at the time had heard of freshman Journee Tonga, and Roderick’s bold statement was brushed aside a bit because BYU’s running back situation appeared to be in good hands with reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year LJ Martin and primary backup Sione Moa returning in 2026. Defender-turned-running back Preston Rex was also back with a season of experience on that side of the ball.
It turns out that Roderick’s premonition was correct. After Moa suffered a season-ending injury in the opener against Utah Tech, Rex and Tonga were pushed into larger roles.
And now, with a report from ESPN that Martin will be out for at least a month, probably more, Tonga’s role is going to become even more important. The 5-foot-8, 198-pound newcomer from Lawndale, Calif., whose enrollment at BYU was delayed because of problems with his high school transcripts, is expected to eventually assume Martin’s previous role as running back for the Cougars.
“I don’t want to make any grandiose statements about (Tonga) as a player yet because he’s only played a little bit, but we really believe in him,” Roderick said Tuesday. “He’s a good player. He’s a good guard, he’s a good receiver, and he blocks (finally). He’s a good all-around player.”
And he’s in pretty good company.
In 2012, after starting RB Michael Alisa suffered a broken forearm against Hawaii, Jamaal Williams, then 17, took over the role of RB1 and finished the season with 166 carries for 775 yards and 12 touchdowns. Williams became BYU’s all-time leading rusher in 2016 before joining the NFL.
In 2020, coaches asked Tyler Allgeier to move from linebacker to running back because injuries had left that position group thin. Allgeier totaled 1,130 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 150 carries that year, then set BYU’s single-season rushing yards record with 1,606 in 2021.
Tonga appeared in three games, rushing 19 times for 157 yards and a touchdown. Rex carried the ball 18 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Before suffering a leg injury against TCU last week, Martin had 344 yards on 44 carries, averaging 7.8 yards per carry.
We will therefore miss the senior, obviously.
The Cougars are also without veteran running back Jovesa Damuni, who suffered a serious knee injury in spring camp and has yet to return to full-time practice. Another rushing possibility is freshman Devaughn Eka, who had 12 carries for 87 yards in blowout wins over Utah Tech and Colorado State.
“We feel like we’ve closed the gap a lot, going from one to two or three (in the RB room), and we have a committee of guys that can do it,” head coach Kalani Sitake said Monday. “I think Preston Rex has done an incredible job, and Journee Tonga is here and has done some really good things too. And we’re going to see Devaughn Eka come in and do some things.
“I don’t want to make any grandiose statements about (Tonga) as a player yet, because he’s only played a little, but we really believe in him. He’s a good player. He’s a good guard, and he’s a good receiver, and he blocks (well). He’s a good all-around player.”
— BYU OC Aaron Roderick on running back Journee Tonga
“This play is deep, man. It goes even deeper than that. So we have guys that can play, and these guys can play in a lot of other places. They choose to be here,” Sitake continued. “We talk about our depth, and we just have to trust it and let these guys do some of the things that LJ was capable of doing. It’s their time.”
Coincidentally, BYU got a taste of life without Martin last October against Iowa State. He left in the first half with a shoulder injury and did not return. Forced to throw more, quarterback Bear Bachmeier passed for 307 yards against the Cyclones.
Prior to this game, Iowa State had not allowed a passer for 300 yards in 21 consecutive games.
“Same school (Friday), but totally different team, different coaches,” Roderick said. “But at this point, yeah, we’re just changing gears a little bit. We’re still going to run the same offense. We’re going to do the same things that we always do. But we have a lot of good players, and so we’ll find ways to get the ball to our best players. I have a lot of confidence in this team, even without LJ.”
Count Bachmeier among those who believe Tonga can hold down the fort until Martin returns.
“My first impression was, man, this guy has big calves,” Bachmeier said. “I actually played with his brother in youth football. So, yeah, I love Tongas. He’s a great player and a great young man too.”
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