BYU receivers Puka Nacua, Gunner Romney to miss Saturday's game vs. Baylor due to injuries, sources say

BYU will by without the team's two best wide receivers when the No. 21 Cougars host No. 9 Baylor on Saturday night, sources told ESPN.

Junior wide receiver Puka Nacua and senior receiver Gunner Romney are both expected to miss the game. BYU coach Kalani Sitake had said they'd be «gametime decisions» earlier in the week. Romney and Nacua accounted for 60% of BYU's returning receiving yards, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Nacua, who is considered a dynamic NFL prospect, sprained his right ankle and wore a boot during BYU's blowout win at South Florida last week. Romney, who is also on NFL radars, missed that game with an undisclosed injury, which will also keep from playing on Saturday.

Both were BYU's leading returning receivers from last season and projected as star quarterback Jaren Hall's top targets in 2022. Before Nacua got injured against USF, he scored two touchdowns, including a 75-yard run on the game's first play. Last season, Nacua finished with 805 receiving yards and tied for second on the team with six touchdowns.

Romney is in his fifth season at BYU, and he's accumulated 1,900 career receiving yards and 10 total touchdowns. In former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson's breakout season in 2020, Romney had 767 yards and six touchdowns. For his career, he averaged 16.2 yards per catch.

That will leave BYU leaning on its run game, as the Cougar offensive line is the strength of the team. That unit struggled mightily against the Bears in a 38-24 loss in Waco, however, gaining just 67 yards on 24 carries last year. BYU tailback Christopher Brooks, who transferred from Cal, had a breakout first game against USF with 135 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.

The Cougars will look to freshman Chase Roberts, redshirt