Poppinga following brothers’ example
His two older brothers already have made it to the NFL, and Brigham Young middle linebacker Kelly Poppinga might follow their lead if he continues his dominant play for the Cougars.
The 6-foot-4-inch, 240-pound senior has made 32 tackles in his last two games, including a career-high 17 stops in Thursday’s 27-22 victory over Texas Christian at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah.
Poppinga, who was named the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his performance — which marked the most tackles in a game by a BYU player since 1998, when Rob Morris had 17 against San Diego State — also grabbed his first interception of the season to set up what turned out to be the game-winning score against TCU.
Poppinga, who leads the Cougars with 77 tackles, picked off a pass from Andy Dalton early in the third quarter and returned it 22 yards to the TCU 3-yard line. Harvey Unga scored on the next play to put the Cougars ahead for good, 24-9.
“Kelly emulates all the things we stand for,” BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said in Tuesday’s MWC coaches teleconference. “He’s a determined, fierce competitor. The middle linebacker spot is the leadership position of our defense, and he’s a natural fit.”
Poppinga redshirted at BYU in 2005 after transferring from Utah State. His brother Brady was an All-MWC linebacker at BYU and plays outside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers.
Brother Casey started at tight end for Utah State and played in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
Poppinga, who is from Evanston, Wyo., will return to his home state Saturday when the Cougars (7-2, 5-0 MWC) take on the Cowboys (5-5, 2-4), who have lost four of their last five games, including Saturday’s embarrassing 50-0 loss at Utah before which coach Joe Glenn had guaranteed a victory.
• TOUGH TRIP — BYU won its last game in Laramie, Wyo., and is a 12-point favorite in Saturday’s game. BYU hasn’t won two straight at Wyoming since 1992.
“It is one of the most difficult places I have ever played,” Mendenhall said. “I’m not sure if this is the right word, but they play with a chip on their shoulder. When you go in there, they have something to prove. It is very difficult to get out with a victory.”
• GOOCH GONE — Cougars senior safety Quinn Gooch suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during BYU’s win over TCU and is expected to miss the rest of the season, ending his college career.
Junior Kellen Fowler replaced Gooch in the TCU game and is expected to start Saturday. Gooch is the third Cougars safety to suffer a season-ending injury this year, joining Dustin Gabriel and David Tafuna.
“(Gooch) was the glue that held our defense together the last two years,” Mendenhall said.
• STILL STREAKING — BYU, which has won six straight games and 17 of its last 19, set MWC records for consecutive wins (13) and consecutive home wins (11), and the Cougars also own a league-record nine-game road winning streak. BYU, the lone unbeaten team in the conference, needs one win to secure at least a share of its second straight MWC crown. The Cougars also are the lone MWC team not to allow a 100-yard rusher this season.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0354.