Cody Hoffman shines in front of parents

Able to see son in dramatic win over Utah State

Cody Hoffman’s two biggest fans had a lot to cheer about on Friday night.

Hoffman, 20, the former Del Norte High football player and current starting wide receiver and kick returner standout for BYU, played a major role in the Cougars’ 27-24 come-from-behind win against Utah State at home in Provo, Utah.

Cheering him on were his parents, Richard and Cindy Hoffman of Crescent City, who flew to Utah to watch their son play.

With BYU down in the third quarter, the Cougars brought in backup quarterback Riley Nelson, who sparked the team and led them to the victory.

Nelson found Hoffman, a sophomore, with a 24-yard touchdown pass to make it 24-20 with 10:46 left.

 On the play, Hoffman was fairly well covered but was able to leap into the air near the sideline, kept his balance and snagged the ball for the score.

“It was very exciting,” Richard Hoffman said. “It was the same type of catch that he has caught many times, over and over again in high school. He just goes up and grabs it.”

Cindy Hoffman concurred.

 “I was like, ‘please, just don’t let it be a penalty,’” she said. “It reminded me of the grabs he made in high school. He just goes up and brings it down.”

 Hoffman finished the game with four catches for 68 yards and had five kick returns for 90 yards.

Even more impressive, Richard Hoffman said, was the fact that during practice Cody had dislocated his little finger and required stitches.

Richard Hoffman said that his son knows that injuries like that are part of the game, sucked it up and was still able to play well. By the time he saw Cody after the game he seemed a lot better. After all, Richard Hoffman said, winning a game like that in dramatic fashion no doubt helped any pain his son was feeling go away.

“Winning can do that,” Richard Hoffman said.

Last Friday, Cody Hoffman took a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown in a 24-17 win against Central Florida. It was the first kick return for a touchdown for BYU since 1998.

Cindy Hoffman said that Cody had talked about his desire before the season began to take one to the house and break the drought.

“He wanted that so badly,” she said.

The Hoffmans sat among fellow BYU football players’ parents and friends on Friday and said it was an amazing time.

With LaVell Edwards Stadium sitting more than 63,000, Richard Hoffman said that it’s something else to watch a game in a venue like that.

He compared the passion and enthusiasm of Cougar fans to those at Del Norte, but on a much larger scale.

“I love going to Del Norte games, but at BYU magnify that 100 times more,” he said. “They are very into their football program.”

BYU next plays on Saturday  for homecoming against San Jose State.

The following week, the Cougars travel to Oregon State, which is about 5 hours away from Crescent City in Corvallis.

The Hoffmans plan to attend, as well as more than 200 people that they know of from Del Norte County, who are ready to cheer Cody and BYU on.

“It will be great,” Richard Hoffman said. “It’s going to be so much fun.”

The Hoffmans drove 15 hours to see Cody play against Utah in a 54-10 loss on Sept. 17. Cody Hoffman had a good game in the loss, finishing with a career-high 277 all-purpose yards. Hoffman had a career-high 138 receiving yards.

In a story in the Deseret News of Salt Lake City, Nelson talked about Hoffman after the Utah State game. Cody was a roommate of Nelson’s last year.

“We know each other very well,” Nelson said. “I love Cody like a brother. We’ve spent a lot of time together, chilling and watching games like this, playing video games and doing all sorts of stuff. I love him a lot, and he’s a great player.”