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BYU and UAB helmets sit on the podium before a press conference for the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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BYU head coach Kalani Sitake talks to his team as they prepare for the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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BYU football players are greeted as they arrive for the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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BYU football players pose for a photo after winning a contest as part of the festivities for the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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On paper, the matchup between the No. 13-ranked BYU football team and UAB in Saturday’s Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, should be labeled as a mismatch.

After all the Cougars are 10-2 and just missed out on earning a spot in a high-profile New Year’s Six bowl game, while the Blazers come in at 8-4, finished second in the West division of Conference USA and are ranked No. 49 by CBS Sports.

Why even play the game, right?

But according to BYU head coach Kalani Sitake, that’s exactly what his team wants to do most.

“All in all, we’re really excited about this game,” Sitake said in Friday’s bowl press conference. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow and being on the field with these guys one more time.”

It’s easy to wonder whether the Cougars will be able to match UAB’s intensity, since the Blazers are getting a shot at a program-defining upset.

“I think any bowl win is big, but this is one of those programs that you grow up watching,” UAB head coach Bill Clark said. “You watch them in big games. You watch their history. I know that’s important to them. There’s a big tradition there. We were talking about traditions we’ve started at our place. Colby [Ragland] was alluding to the past and maybe not winning as much until he gets here and then it’s expected. We expect to win. They expect to win. So obviously being a history buff, especially a college history buff, and knowing about their program it would mean a lot obviously.”

But Sitake was quick to point out that his team has seen the Blazers in action and knows that UAB nearly beat then-No. 15-ranked UTSA late in the season.

“We have a bunch of football junkies on our team, so we love college football,” Sitake said. “We don’t have an NFL team in our state, so everything is about college football. Our guys love to follow the game and when you see a team like UAB that’s won a lot of games and you have a coach that’s won Coach of the Year a number of times, that’s what we’re focused on and we appreciate. Last year, we played so many in their conference that it carried over. We played La. Tech and UTSA, those games carried over, so we saw them as an opponent that we saw on film and in scouting. And you appreciate good football when you see it.”

Just like has has all season, Sitake said comparative rankings and outside perception are irrelevant when it comes to playing football.

“We’re not really concerned with that stuff,” Sitake said. “To be honest with you, nobody thought we’d be ranked in the preseason. Being focused on what we’re trying to accomplish is more important than anything else. I have a lot of respect for UAB and how hungry they are. I don’t think people realize that our program focuses on one thing and that’s being focused on what we’re trying to accomplish right away. We’re not really worried about the future and not really worried about what other people say.

“There’s a number that’s attached to our name that wasn’t there. That doesn’t drive us. That doesn’t affect who we are. We’re focused on playing this game the right way. I want our guys to be here, be prepared, enjoy the festivities and all that fun stuff but part of that is performing at their best. I’m not worried about the outcome of the game. The focus is that we show up and play our very best, that’s it. We can live with the results afterwards.”

He said he expects UAB to show up and compete in all phases of the game.

“I think if you look at their defense, they’re committed to stopping the run,” Sitake said. “I think sometimes that overshadows an offense that is physical and can run the ball, but they can also take some shots down the field and make big plays. You compliment that with how hard they play with how physical they are at the line of scrimmage it’s going to be a great challenge for us.”

For their part, the Blazers know they don’t want to have to try to dig out of a hole against the Cougars.

“We know how important it is to start fast,” UAB tight end Gerrit Prince said. “We know we have to go out there and we have to execute and do what we practice to do. We know how good they are. They’re a very good team. They’re smart. They do what they do very well. So, we know we’re going to have to bring our A-game and we hope to do that.”

No. 13 BYU vs. UAB

TIME: 1:30 p.m. MT

TV: ABC

WHERE: Independence Stadium, Shreveport, Louisiana

THE WORD: This will be the first meeting between BYU and UAB. The Cougars are currently 39-12-1 against teams from Conference USA … This is BYU’s 39th bowl appearance and the Cougars have compiled a record of 15-21-1, including last year’s 49-23 win over UCF in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Cougars have appeared in 19 different bowl games against 34 different opponents … This is the fifth bowl game for the Blazers, who are 1-4. UAB was scheduled to play in 2020 but the game was cancelled when South Carolina withdrew … BYU is playing just its third game in the Bayou state and first postseason contest. The Cougars played both previous games in the Superdome in New Orleans. Most recently, BYU played LSU in 2017 and back in 2009 matched up with Tulane.

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