Staley to Undergo Surgery; Will Miss Liberty Bowl

PROVO -- BYU running back and Doak Walker Award winner Luke Staley will undergo surgery on Tuesday, Dec. 18 to repair damaged ligaments in his ankle. Due to the surgery, Staley will not play against Louisville in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 31.

Stress x-rays taken today showed that while the fractured fibula was healing well, the ligament damage in his ankle, sustained as a result of the broken fibula, would need to be repaired to help stabilize the ankle joint. The surgery will be performed in Salt Lake City by Dr. James Morgan.

Staley sustained a broken fibula against Mississippi State on Dec. 1 in the Cougars' 41-38 come-from-behind victory. Staley was injured on the final drive of the game after racking up 30 of his game-high 149 yards. The consensus All-American finished the season with a BYU record 28 touchdowns and 1,596 yards rushing. Staley's 1,596 yards senior quarterback Brandon Doman's 3,542 yards passing marked the only 1,500-3,500 quarterback/running back tandem in the country.

Second-string back Ned Stearns underwent surgery earlier this week, having a pin inserted in his wrist to help stabilize a broken bone, suffered against Hawaii. Paul Peterson also suffered a broken wrist against Hawaii. Both running backs will be fitted with a rubberized cast and are expected to play against Louisville. Earlier this season, BYU lost starter Brian McDonald-Ashford (vs. Utah State) and Mike Nielsen (vs. Tulane) to knee injuries. Although Nielsen is likely to be cleared for competition against Louisville, McDonald-Ashford is still in the rehabilitation process after surgery to repair a torn ACL.