BYU Football’s Tanner Mangum battling ankle injury ahead of Wisconsin game

BYU Football’s starting quarterback Tanner Mangum could be sidelined with an ankle injury. While not much is officially known about the potential injury, there’s enough talk flying around that we felt we needed to address it. Here’s what we know:

On the last offensive play for the Cougars against the Utes, Mangum went down awkwardly as he was getting rid of the ball. Refer to the replay below — Looks like a shoestring tackle of sorts, where Mangum just sort of trips and falls on top of his ankle. The video shows him grimacing in pain and limping off the field.

Come Monday morning, there started to be grumblings around the BYU Social Mediasphere that Mangum had an ankle injury and would miss four to six weeks due to it. Important to note: No timeline has been confirmed.

What we heard reliably Monday was not much. Jarom Jordan addressed the situation, tweeting that Mangum’s ankle was being looked at and the team was hoping for the best. It was also reported by several that Mangum was seen walking around campus in a boot, which isn’t normally too much cause for concern. Most players experiencing any foot or ankle pain are put in a boot as a precaution.

In Coach Sitake’s media session, he didn’t say much. Check that out here. Mangum’s coach (and offensive coordinator) Ty Detmer said this during Monday’s Coordinator’s Corner show:

By Tuesday, the rumors had worsened a bit again, and there’s begun to be talk about a high ankle sprain (which would not be good, and would explain the four to six week talk). We still have not (and likely will not) hear much from BYU officially, as it is Coach Sitake’s policy not to share information on injuries. Plus, the team doesn’t want to give the Wisconsin Badgers any type of unnecessary edge. Regardless, it is likely (likely being the operative word here) safe to say at this point that Mangum will not be playing Saturday. Jay Drew reported that Detmer will speak to media Wednesday.

BYU’s backup QB is redshirt sophomore Beau Hoge. He played in three games as a freshman then sat out last year. Hoge was 10 for 17 passing his freshman year, throwing for 137 yards and one TD (with one interception). He had 16 rush attempts for 49 yards, with his longest rush being for 16 yards. Many BYU fans like the idea of Hoge as a more mobile quarterback. The Cougars take on the Badgers at 1:30 p.m. MDT at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Vanquish the Foe will provide more updates on Mangum’s status as they become available.