Long-time college football fans know that BYU is facing one of the most storied programs in the history of the sport when it hosts No. 14-ranked Oklahoma at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday.

Cougar junior defensive lineman Isaiah Bagnah, however, wouldn’t have had any idea who the Sooners even were a few years ago.

The native of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, wasn’t exactly a college football aficionado as a kid.

“Growing up, I played football video games but I had never been to a college game until I played in one,” Bagnah said after practice on Tuesday. “Most of the time I would watch the NFL. That’s how I was introduced to football. I didn’t get a feel for the college football vibe until I started to get into it myself. It was really cool coming from Canada and seeing the difference between college here and college there. I’m super-grateful.”

He has a pretty clear idea now of just what BYU will be going up against — and basically said, “bring it on.”

“It was these moments and these games that I’ve dreamt of,” Bagnah said. “I’m super-excited and looking forward to it.”

The chips certainly appear to be stacked against the Cougars, particularly on defense. BYU has lost by at least 29 points in four of their last five games while surrendering an average of 487 yards in those four defeats.

Now Bagnah and the Cougars have to try to stop a Sooner offense that is No. 4 in the nation, averaging 505.4 yards per game in 2023.

BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill said his guys have to look inside and figure out how much pride they have in themselves and their performance as a group.

“When you lose three in a row, you’ve got to sit back and reflect on what is going on,” Hill said. “You need to get your mojo back. I don’t think it is atypical that our guys would be upset and frustrated. No one wanted to lose three in a row for sure. Right now, it’s that we got knocked off our bike and need to get back on it and get going. I thought today’s practice was outstanding and that showed the resolve and toughness of this team. I fully expect them to come out and play great on Saturday.”

Bagnah said that despite the setbacks, the Cougar defenders are still determined to give their best.

“We are still coming in with the same confidence level,” Bagnah said. “Things don’t always go your way but we will still come in every day and work hard. Coach Hill emphasizes going as hard as we can, regardless of the situation.”

Hill said enthusiasm and determination haven’t been nearly as big of issues for his defense as trying too hard has been.

“My perception of what is going on is that we have guys who are trying so hard to make a play that sometimes they are leaving their responsibility to try to help someone else,” Hill said. “Really they just need to trust what the scheme is and where it has them. We need to have guys trusting where we are coaching them to be and trusting that their teammates are going to be where they are supposed to be. You need to do your job. If everyone does their job, we will have this right where we want it to be.”

One of the keys will be in trying to make Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel uncomfortable, which is something BYU hasn’t been great at this year (just nine sacks and 24 quarterback hurries in 10 games).

“We’ve definitely had opportunities to get after the quarterback,” Bagnah said. “We’ve had flashes where we have disrupted the pass game. But every week we still take our steps forward to progress in that aspect of the game. It’s a work in progress. We’re always trying to get better. It’s something that has been emphasized often. We’re coming in this week trying to put a big emphasis on our pass-rush game.”

Bagnah and Hill both emphasized that they wanted to face these huge challenges, despite the fact that it sometimes means losing.

“We have our work cut out for us but it’s a fun challenge,” Hill said. “That’s why I came to BYU. That’s why I know a lot of the players are here. We came here to play these Big 12 games and prove what we are all about.”

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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