It’s no wonder he started the postgame interviews with a grin and saying, “I’m Hinkley Ropati from Downey (Calif.).”

After all, according to the BYU website Ropati had touched the ball just five times in two years as a Cougar. He had four carries for 15 yards against Idaho State in 2021 (a long carry of 11 yards) and one carry against Notre Dame in Las Vegas where he gained four yards but had the football knocked loose (BYU recovered).

That’s not exactly a huge résumé, although he did get a little bit of attention when he transferred from a junior college, Cerritos College in Norfolk, Calif., arriving in 2020.

Since then, he has had to overcome injuries while putting in the work and waiting for a chance to really show his ability.

“(BYU head coach Kalani Sitake) always preaches staying patient and humble,” Ropati said Saturday night. “I feel like that that’s been the biggest thing. I’ve been there for my teammates and just waited for whatever opportunities that came. I’ve been playing special teams the entire year, so I’ve always tried to make plays there.”

Against the Broncos, however, Ropati got to shine and made the most of hit. His biggest play came when he scored a 48-yard touchdown on a screen play but he was solid all around, finishing with three receptions for 82 yards and a score as well as five rushes for 28 yards.

“It felt great,” Ropati said. “Credit to the offensive line and the entire offensive unit, coming out here and executing. It was great play-calling by Coach Aaron Roderick. We just went out, did our jobs and executed.”

Sitake said the Cougars knew what Ropati was capable of and was pleased to see the junior do so well.

“Hinkley Ropati was just waiting for his time,” Sitake said. “I think he took advantage of it. I’m really proud of him. Throughout the time where he was just waiting for his number to be called, it could’ve been easy for him to be discouraged but he stuck with it and worked hard. He loves his role on this team and obviously he had a much bigger role now. I don’t know if you are going to be able to stop him from getting on the field now.”

Ropati’s teammates also said that they felt Ropati’s time was coming.

“He’s such an explosive guy,” BYU junior quarterback Jaren Hall said. “It was only a matter of time until he came out and made his plays. Tonight he showed it. I’m excited for his future at BYU. He is an absolute stud. The guy is electric so finding ways to get him the ball will be great.”

BYU junior wide receiver Puka Nacua said that the TD play was just a sample of what Ropati can do, although he added that the blockers deserve credit as well.

“Big-time players make big-time plays,” Nacua said. “We see him every day in practice and he runs hard. That’s what he did right there. When you have a convoy of 6-foot-5, 300-plus-pound dudes running in front of you, that’s a fun way to run the ball. When our run game works, our offense looks good.”

Ropati agreed, saying that “the offensive line did the heavy lifting. I just ran. Anybody could have ran that.”

He explained that he had been told to be ready since other running backs were dealing with injuries.

“We have a room full of just dogs, but it sucked that they are hurt,” Ropati said. “I just had to step up and do whatever I could to help the team win.”

The Cougar junior said he felt BYU had great energy as they prepared to play the Broncos and then were there for each other through the ups and downs of the game.

“We always talk about how whether it is offense, defense or special teams coming out, we are saying we’ve got your back,” Ropati said. “I feel like everyone went out there and executed.”

Seeing that energy translate into a victory finally gave BYU a chance to celebrate again.

“Everybody is yelling, dancing, music is going,” Ropati said. “The energy is crazy. This is a feeling we all love. To pull out the W and celebrate with everyone, it’s fun. I love it.”

Sitake said he wants the team to latch onto that joy after getting the win and then get down to business to make it happen again.

“When we were going through that slump, we reminded them that winning is hard and to never take it for granted,” Sitake said. “We want to remember this feeling, stay humble, stay hungry and get ready for the next one.”