And it won’t be easy.

This Saturday presents a game versus an upstart Baylor team that has won two straight since firing head coach Dave Aranda while posing one of the better defenses within the Big 12 Conference. BYU, meanwhile, has lost two of its last three games while putting together a rather uninspiring win over Arizona State sandwiched between the two losses.

“We’re getting to the last quarter of the season and we got a matchup with Baylor, and (they’re a) really good team,” Sitake said. “They’ve got a win streak going, and I think they’re doing some really good things.”

Meanwhile BYU has to put last week’s loss behind it and enter this week of preparations as if’s a one-game season, as expressed by every player who addressed the media on Monday.

“It’s kind of what it’s been all season,” said BYU offensive lineman Bruce Mitchell. ” … We got to have all focus on Baylor. We got to put the loss behind us like we would put the win behind us, and just focus on beating Baylor and focus on being our best selves, having a great week of preparation, understanding the game plan, the call sheet, and then just going out there and executing on Saturday. It’s going to be great. We’re going to be back in Provo where we’re going to have the best fans in the nation behind us. So (I’m) certainly looking forward to it.”

More Martin

LJ Martin’s return to the lineup didn’t provide the impact most Cougar fans were hoping for during Saturday’s 28-20 loss to Utah, although his participation is certainly due for an increase against the Bears. The senior running back carried the ball just seven times against the Utes for a paltry 19 yards, and Sitake believes those touches and subsequent yards are due for an increase.

“He’ll be available, and it’ll more than he was this last week,” Sitake said. ” … He wasn’t 100%, and I’m looking forward to seeing him work this week. He’s only been off crutches in a scooter for a couple weeks now. So he’s a tough kid, and I love that LJ wants to just sacrifice for the team.”

As for the Cougar run game, as a whole, the hope is that is can provide much more of a punch it has over the past three weeks in order to take pressure off of Bear Bachmeier and the Cougar pass game.

“We’ve got to move the line of scrimmage better,” Mitchell said. “We had moments where we did it last Saturday, and in other games, and then we had moments where we did not … Obviously we want to run the ball better, and that’s going to make our offense more efficient, and it’s going to make Bear’s job easier. But we certainly got to get it figured out and get a better run game going.”

Bear bounce back

Of course last week’s loss to Utah put a lot of focus on Cougar quarterback Bear Bachmeier and his four interceptions thrown — all of which played a big impact in the final tally. While players and coaches acknowledged that the sophomore quarterback took the loss very hard, all involved are anticipating him moving on and playing at his best come Saturday’s game versus Baylor.

“I know Bear, and I know the character he has, and I know he’s going to bounce back,” Mitchell said. “And it’s not just his fault. He’s taking a lot of heat in the media, and he’s taking it personally. But man, it’s not just his fault on on the performance. If we were able to run the ball better, I’m sure he’s able to pass the ball more efficiently. So I have no doubt in Bear, and the utmost confidence in him. He’s going to bounce back. He’s going to have a great game this Saturday.”