LJ Martin returns to practice as No. 9 BYU gears up for No. 3 Utah
Nov 3, 2026, 11:01 PM | Updated: 11:08 pm
PROVO — The question every BYU football fan is asking this week: “Will LJ Martin play?”
As No. 9 BYU prepares to face No. 3 Utah in what is the biggest rivalry game ever, the status of the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year is a big topic.
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Since suffering an ankle injury on October 3 at TCU, Martin has been sidelined. The reported timeline was four to six weeks. This weekend’s game against Utah would be the five-week mark.
Last week, Martin was spotted on the sideline at LaVell Edwards Stadium without a boot or scooter as he had in recent weeks.
LJ Martin participated in BYU football practice for Utah week
On Tuesday night, BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick fielded the first question from reporters about Martin’s status.
“He practiced today, and he did some good things,” Roderick said on Tuesday night after practice. “I would say it’s too soon to say if he’s gonna be ready by Saturday. Obviously, we gotta look out for him first, you know, and then we’ll just see how he does tomorrow. Hopefully he doesn’t have any setbacks, and we’ll just keep looking at him throughout the week.”
BYU has sorely missed its star running back.
In three games and a quarter this season, Martin has rushed for 344 yards on 44 carries and three touchdowns.
BYU’s ground attack struggled last week against Arizona State, putting up only 47 rushing yards. Part of that was because BYU lost 23 yards trying to drain the clock at the end of regulation and avoid giving ASU the ball back.
Still, BYU’s rushing attack has been regressing in Martin’s absence.
Performances on the ground without Martin
BYU rushed for 177 yards in the first full game without Martin against Iowa State on October 9. But that number has been going backward.
In the upset win over Notre Dame, BYU rushed for an effective 121 yards against one of the nation’s best rush defenses. At UCF, BYU only rushed for 116, then 47 against Arizona State.
Now they prepare for a Utah defense that is 22nd nationally in rush defense, allowing only 101.4 yards per game on the ground.
In the Utes’ last two home games against Kansas and Houston, they have only allowed 58 and 86 yards on the ground, respectively.
Utah allowed 193 on the ground last week in a 49-25 win at Cincinnati, but 120 of that came in the second half with the game already out of reach.
Beginning Wednesday night, availability reports come out for this week’s game. Martin’s status will be one to monitor throughout the week.
One running back that is expected to return this week is Preston Rex. He was dealing with an injury he suffered against UCF. Rex is back this week against the Utes.
No. 9 BYU vs. No. 3 Utah
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026
Kickoff: 10 a.m. (MST)
TV/Stream: ABC
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM)
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.
