BYU RB Sione Moa reveals injury he suffered in 2026 opener
Sep 9, 2026, 8:48 PM | Updated: Sep 10, 2026, 11:58 am
PROVO – BYU football running back Sione Moa suffered another setback with injuries.
During the first quarter against Utah Tech, the redshirt sophomore ball carrier suffered an injury on his sixth carry of the game and was asked to be checked out of the game.
The backup running back to star LJ Martin suffered another injury to his right leg, the same one where he dealt with compartment syndrome last season.
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An injury that ran the risk of his leg being amputated last season. He worked his way back and looked to be trending up entering the 2026 season coming out of fall camp practices.
Sione Moa injury update: Torn MCL and PCL
“On Saturday night I got rolled up on awkwardly during a tackle in the first quarter, tearing my MCL and PCL, while also finding cartilage damage in my knee. Same leg as before,” Moa wrote on his Instagram page.
He continued, “My heart sunk. I got up from the ground and knew immediately what was happening. I jogged off the field reluctantly, hoping and praying I was being overdramatic. And then eventually reality caught up to me.
“I would be lying if I said these past few days haven’t been my hardest days mentally. Working so hard to come back from something so exhausting, just to go back to square one. I felt like all of my happiness was stripped away from me.
“But I sit here now, recovering from surgery, with an attitude of gratitude once again.”
The length of time that Moa will be out is unknown. Head coach Kalani Sitake said on Monday that there were no season-ending injuries in the Utah Tech game, but as Moa noted, “it’s back to square one” for him.
Moa was at BYU practice on Tuesday night, at the Student Athlete Building, limping off the field with a brace on his right knee.
It’s a difficult loss for BYU as Moa was expected to be the key backup to LJ Martin at running back this season.
Now BYU will turn to Preston Rex, Devaughn Eka, and Journee Tonga as the key reserves behind the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year at running back.
No. 15 BYU vs. Arizona
Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026
Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. (MDT)
TV: FOX
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM) — Extended pregame begins at 10 a.m.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
