BYU Safety Raider Damuni is desperate to take on dynamic QB Shedeur Sanders – Deseret News

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The spotlight Saturday at the 64,000-seat Alamodome will be on Colorado’s star-studded duo of quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner.

The pressure will clearly be on a BYU defender making just the second start in his career: strong safety Raider Damuni.

And the redshirt freshman says he’s more than ready for it.

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“I feel like I’m totally ready for this,” said Damuni, a former three-star recruit from Timpview High who served a two-year mission in San Francisco for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before he enrolled at BYU.

“We had a long time to prepare for these guys, so it was important to watch different things from them and pick out different tendencies. I feel ready to play.”

That goes for redshirt junior linebacker Jack Kelly, who is on the other side of the experience spectrum and will be making his 40th career start, 28 at Weber State and the last 12 at BYU.

“Everyone is just super excited to be in a bowl game and they’re going to do their best to put the seniors out there right and win this game,” Kelly said. “It’s our last game of the season so we have to end on a high note.”

Kickoff is Saturday at 5:30 p.m. MST as No. 17 BYU (10-2) enters the 33rd annual Alamo Bowl as a four-point underdog against No. 23 Colorado (9-3), despite having a better Record and ranking has, a sign of disrespect that has not been lost on the Cougars.

“We want to make a statement,” Damuni said.

The Cougars arrived in San Antonio on Christmas Eve, while the Buffaloes have been here since Monday. Colorado practices at UTSA, while BYU practices at Trinity University, an NCAA Division III school.

After a closed practice on Thursday, both Damuni and Kelly said the defense was looking forward to taking on one of the best passing attacks in the country.

“This is what you dream about as a little kid, playing against all these great athletes — the Heisman Trophy winner and possibly the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft (Sanders),” Damuni said. “Every little child dreams of this. It’s super exciting and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Damuni made his first start on Nov. 23 when BYU lost 28-23 to then-No. 21 Arizona State at Tempe. He made the start because strong safety Wakley was injured and unable to play.

Since then, Wakley has entered the transfer portal, leaving BYU without one of its best playmakers in the bowl game.

“After Crew left, I knew I would have a great opportunity to start, so that’s how I approached it every week,” said Damuni, the son of BYU head football coach Jack Damuni.

“Before every game you get a little nervous. Everyone gets a little nervous. I think that’s a good thing. It shows that you care, want to be there and play well. We just treat it like any other game. We know it’s a big game and the nerves will be there. Once we get out there it will be fun and we will be able to play well.”

Later Thursday, BYU coordinators (Jay Hill and Aaron Roderick) and three players from both sides of the ball appeared at a press conference at the Alamodome.

Hill, the defensive coordinator, said the Cougars were able to get Raider Damuni and several other young safeties up to speed.

“Raider has played almost as much as Crew this year, so he will be fine. You’ll see a little more Faletau (Satuala) and (Tommy) Prassas together, and then (veteran) Tanner Wall can play the strong safety spot as well,” Hill said.

“Really, those four guys got to a point where they played as much as anyone else.”

Hill said his biggest concern is stopping Colorado’s athleticism and speed at the wide receiver position, but it’s not that they don’t believe they can do it.

“I think if you do it right, we can confuse them and put pressure on them,” Hill said. “Despite the diversity of our work, they have yet to face a defense like ours, so let’s hope we can make it happen.”

About an hour later, Shedeur Sanders acknowledged from the podium that BYU’s defense has plenty of stunts and fancy blitzes.

“They’re going to do a lot of exotic things and a lot of different things that we probably haven’t seen on film before,” he said, “but we have to stick to the basics and do what we do best.”

“They are a talented team, they listen to their coaches and do everything 98% right. … When you watch film about them, it’s very difficult to find fault because of the way they go about their business.”

Kelly, the Weber State transfer, said Colorado’s offense is “probably the best team we’ve ever played in terms of overall offense.” He said it seems like CU coach Deion Sanders has had a never-ending supply of receivers on his second team since his time in Boulder.

“Obviously this is a highly explosive crime. They have a great O-line, a great quarterback, great receivers and a great running back. Everything about them is explosive and they do great things,” Kelly said.

“We have to stop all three levels — the run, the deep ball, the QB run, so they provide a lot of things.”

Kelly has a tough decision to make because he played so well in his first season of FBS football, showing the mix of size, agility and athleticism that NFL scouts love.

Does he turn pro after the bowl game or return to BYU for his final season of eligibility in 2025?

“I’m still deciding,” Kelly said Thursday. “I’m still making that decision.”

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound full-back said he would talk to his parents and “pray about it” before making a decision.

“It will probably be pretty soon after (the bowl game),” he said.

Cougars on air

Valero Alamo bowl

No. 17 BYU (10-2) vs. No. 23 Colorado (9-3)

December 28th, 5:30pm MST

At the Alamodome

San Antonio, Texas

TV: ABC

Radio: KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM