BYU tailback and Big 12 rushing leader LJ Martin is expected to play for the No. 8 Cougars on Saturday at No. 9 Texas Tech, sources told ESPN.
Martin left the Iowa State game with a shoulder injury on Oct. 25, and he returned to practice this week.
Martin leads the Cougars with 789 yards and 6.0 yards per carry. He has rushed for five touchdowns and has the most attempts on the team with 132.
His return places less stress on quarterback Bear Bachmeier, who is the program's second-leading rusher at 408 yards. The team's next leading rusher from the backfield is tailback Sione Moa, who coach Kalani Sitake acknowledged this week is not close to returning. Moa has played in just three games for the Cougars this season after getting injured late in the game against East Carolina on Sept. 20.
Martin's expected availability looms large for BYU, as his 98.6 yards per game are a dozen more than Arizona State's Raleek Brown, the Big 12's second-leading rusher.
Texas Tech's Cameron Dickey is third in the Big 12; he has 746 total yards and averages 82.9 per game.