Talking about the final regular season game of BYU football’s 2022 season at Stanford brought interesting reactions from a pair of Cougar athletes who transferred from the Bay area this year.

BYU senior running back Chris Brooks came from Cal — a big Cardinal rival — and he said last week that he was looking forward to another chance to face Stanford.

“I’m very, very excited to go back to the Bay,” Brooks said with a grin.

On the other end of the spectrum is senior fullback Houston Heimuli, who played for the Cardinal prior to transferring this year.

“I’m so excited to get back over there and play my old teammates,” Heimuli said earlier this week.

He said he expects it to be a “surreal” experience.

“I’m going back to where I first played college football with a team, where I first fell in love with football,” Heimuli said. “I couldn’t ask for anything better than that.”

Heimuli took a moment to think about to his days as a Cardinal and said he felt like he gained a lot from being at Stanford.

“It was a place where I really learned to think outside the box and find views I had never really experienced before,” Heimuli said. “It shaped me a lot intellectually into who I am. I also give credit to the Stanford coaching staff. (Head coach David Shaw) brought me over after my mission and I did a lot of growing up there. I appreciate them for that.”

Heimuli made the decision to transfer to BYU because he always loved Cougar football and wanted a chance to close out his career in Provo. It did come with a cost, however, as he has had limited opportunities during 2022.

“Every player wants to play more plays but not everything is up to our expectations,” Heimuli said. “It’s about what kind of role can you find and how can you benefit the team. It’s not a sport where you want to bring other people down. So whatever role I can play, I’ll try my best and give 100%.”

He admitted to being frustrated at times but was philosophical about it.

“They have to play the 11 who best fit what they want to do on the field,” Heimuli said. “I didn’t achieve the goals that they wanted from me, so they had to play someone who did and I completely respect that. I know it’s how football is done.”

BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said Heimuli showed well when he got on the field recently and that might open up some doors for more chances to play.

“He did well with those reps, so there is a chance he might play a little more in this game,” Roderick said. “He’s been a good special teams player this year. He’s a good guy to be around, a mature guy who has brought a lot of positive energy.”

When asked what his dream scenario would be on Saturday night, Heimuli grinned and said “a touchdown.”

“Scoring a touchdown or even lead blocking for a touchdown I’d be fine with,” the Cougar senior said. “I’m going to be playing back in that stadium so contributing is what I want to see.”

BYU faces a Cardinal team that hasn’t played well down the stretch, but the Cougars know they have to be ready for the best Stanford can bring.

“They are a Pac-12 program that is really well coached,” Roderick said. “It’s a storied program. They look like they are a little beat up right now but I’ve coached against these guys for a long time. They’ll be ready to play.”

On the defensive side, BYU junior linebacker Keenan Pili said Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee is a dangerous opponent.

“Their quarterback is a great player,” Pili said. “He’s more mobile than people think and he puts the ball where it should be. He’s smart, so we are going to have to contain him and be assignment-sound on defense.”

Pili said the Cougars can’t look at the 3-8 Cardinal record and expect an easy win.

“I think they are a great team,” Pili said. “When you see they beat a team like Notre Dame, you know they can be great. We’re going to respect them and get ready as if they are going to come in and play their best. This a great opportunity for us to play against another great team. We just want to end this season strong and show people what BYU football is all about.”

BYU at Stanford

TIME:9 p.m. MT

TV:Fox Sports 1

WHERE:Stanford Stadium, Stanford, Calif.

THE WORD:This will be the third meeting between BYU and Stanford with the Cardinal winning both of the previous meetings. Stanford won 18-14 in Provo in 2003 and 37-10 in California in 2004 … The Cardinal are the only team currently in the Pac-12 conference that the Cougars have never defeated … BYU is 8-9 against team from the Pac-12 under head coach Kalani Sitake, including going a perfect 5-0 in 2021 … BYU has won seven consecutive games in the month of November. The Cougars’ last loss in November was Nov. 30, 2019 against SDSU.

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