BYU Star Cornerback Evan Johnson Removed From Depth Chart for ASU Game

The BYU football program will be without its top cornerback against Arizona State this week. On Monday, BYU star cornerback Evan Johnson was removed from the depth chart, a signal that he will miss Saturday's game against ASU.

Johnson suffered an injury on UCF's final offensive play in double overtime. Johnson's injury did not look good on the replay and he had to be carried off the field. BYU head coach Kalani Sitake provided an update on Johnson's status on Monday, and he said that Johnson's injury is not season ending.

"[It's] probably gonna be difficult for [Evan Johnson] this week," Sitake said. "I don't think he's gonna play this week, but, you know, possibly we'll see how it goes. I don't know if you guys saw the end of the game, that play. I mean, it was brutal...it ended up not being completely horrible..."It's unlikely he will play this weekend...that one might take some time."

Johnson has been playing a lot of nickel since Cannon DeVries suffered an injury against TCU. DeVries, who has started fielding kicks again, is listed as the starting nickel this week. Jayven Williams and Therrian Alexander III are listed as the starting cornerbacks.

When DeVries, Williams, and Alexander were unavailable for parts of the Notre Dame game, it was Matthias Leach and Jordyn Criss that filled in for the injured starters. Kevin Doe is listed as a backup cornerback, although he hasn't played this season. Doe was a standout in Fall Camp, but he suffered an injury early in the season and has been working his way back from injury ever since. It's worth noting that Doe was not listed on the injury report for the UCF game.

Johnson's absence comes at a bad time for the BYU defense. The strength of the ASU offense is its wide receivers. The Sun Devils have a pair of star wideouts in Reed Harris and Omarion Miller. Harris and Miller have already combined for 1,190 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns this season.

However, ASU is dealing with injuries at the quarterback position. Mikey Keene replaced starter Cutter Boley against the Texas Tech game and played well enough to earn the starting nod last week against Kansas State. Keene played well against Kansas State before suffering a leg injury. Like Evan Johnson, Keene had to be carried off the field.

Keene will be "questionable" this week, per a report from Pete Thamel. If Keene can't play, the Sun Devils will turn to freshman Jake Fette.

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