BYU sophomore safety Ethan Slade got a big grin of his face when he was asked about the performance of his friend Jakob Robinson in Saturday’s 14-0 Cougar win over Sam Houston.

“It’s so much fun playing with Jake,” Slade said in Monday’s press teleconference. “We’ve been playing tackle football together since fourth fourth grade. We’ve play basketball, baseball and football together, so we’re very good friends. And every time we go on the field, I know he’s about to make a play. He’s done that since a young age.”

Slade said that seeing Robinson grab two big interceptions brought back a lot of memories.

“Just to see him do that again on Saturday, anytime he makes a play it’s always a highlight for me,” Slade said. “It was very awesome to see him do that.”

He then wrapped up talking about his connection with Robinson by saying, “Go Tigers,” referencing their shared experience as former Orem High stars.

While Robinson certainly had some big highlight-reel plays, Slade certainly had plenty to be proud of as well.

In his first start as a Cougar, he ended up with two total tackles, one tackle for a loss and a pass breakup as part of the shutout effort by the BYU defense.

“Overall, I was happy with the way I played,” Slade said. “I had some goals set aside that I put on my personal side, and I felt like I came close to doing everything I wanted to do for myself and as a defense. I think we did great with the shutout. “Obviously there’s always things you can do better when you go back and look up film, things you can pick apart. But overall I thought it was a great showing by the defense.”

He said, however, that it was somewhat bittersweet since part of the reason he got so much playing time was because of injuries to some of his teammates

“It’s tough to have your friends and teammates not be able to be out there in the field with you,” Slade said. “But at the same time, it’s an opportunity for me and to be able to go out there and play on Saturday. That’s kind of been a dream come true to be able to have my first start and check that off the list. But I wish I could have had my teammates there with me though.”

Slade took a moment to look back on his journey since his days winning state titles at Orem.

“Being close to home was was a played a big factor for coming here (to BYU),” Slade said. “I was kind of choosing between BYU, Utah State and Utah. At the time I had just a preferred walk on spot to all three schools. I just felt comfortable with BYU and their coaching staff and coach Kalani and I kind of made the decision at that time.”

He said he knew it wasn’t going to be easy to get playing time but he was determined to by up for the challenge.

“I said I’m going to earn my spot on this team and I’m going to do whatever it takes to get on the field,” Slade said. “What I’ve been doing over the last couple of years is trying to work as hard as possible to get to get to play and get to be on the field.”

Now Slade’s work is paying off as he was able to impress Cougar defensive coordinator Jay Hill and become a part of the rotation.

He was able to make a difference and be a part of one of the best BYU defensive performances in recent memory. He was quick to credit everyone on the squad for their contributions.

“We all played very well together,” Slade said. “It was fun to see that come together and have that be the first game of the season, to have that be Coach Hill’s first game. Coach Hill has been really good for us, especially in the safety room. He’s hard. He’s had higher expectations for us and for the defense now I think we have a different mindset going into each week.”

Orem defensive back Ethan Slade (20) downs Spanish Fork running back Zachary Beus (21) during a game between the Spanish Fork Dons and the Orem Golden Tigers held Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, at Spanish Fork High School. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

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