With just over 20 minutes of game time left in last year’s game against Arkansas at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, the BYU football team found itself trailing the Razorbacks by just three points.

The two teams had already combined for 73 points in the shootout but the Cougars just needed a stop or two to potentially surge in front.

Instead it was Arkansas that got those stops, stymying the BYU offense the rest of the way and tacking on two more TDs to get the 52-35 win.

And don’t think the Cougar players who had to trudge off the field after that game have forgotten how it felt.

“It’s definitely something we think about because one of the goals we have as a team is to protect LaVell’s house and they came in and beat us at home last year,” BYU junior offensive lineman Connor Pay said earlier this week. “Anytime you don’t defend your home field the way you want to, you have a little bit of an edge to the next game, a little bit of a revenge factor.”

It would be understandable if that was an even stronger sentiment from the Cougar defenders, who had to live with giving up 52 points, but BYU junior defensive lineman Tyler Batty said the goal is to focus mostly on the present.

“We’re just excited to go play Arkansas,” Batty said. “We’re taking things one game at a time. Arkansas is next up on the schedule, and so we’re really excited for the opportunity to go out there and play. They’ve got a really good team, and we’re just really looking forward to getting to play football again this weekend.”

Pay noted that there are kind of two camps on the team regarding the desire for vengeance from last year’s defeat.

“There are a lot of guys on this team who didn’t play in that game, a lot of transfers and new guys, and so it’s interesting,” Pay said. “There’s a different dynamic. There are some guys who are very revenge driven in this game and others who are like, oh, we haven’t even thought about that. It’s been kind of funny.”

One of the newcomers is Cougar senior wide receiver Darius Lassiter, who wasn’t in Provo in 2022 but said he sees some vengeful vibes from the veterans.

“I feel like that always sits on the back of your mind,” Lassiter said. “They feel they were one or two plays away from the score being their way and how they wanted to turn out. They just want to come out here and make a statement, to show that last year they got past them but this year we’re headed in the right direction.”

It’s not going to be easy, however.

The Razorbacks still have tremendous playmakers on both sides of the ball, with perhaps their biggest star being quarterback KJ Jefferson.

“He’s a big physical quarterback and that’s a challenge that we’re really excited to take on,” Batty said. “I think Arkansas is going to be really good competition.”

Slowing Jefferson will be key for the BYU defense, but defensive coordinator Jay Hill knows that is a monumental task.

“He’s a great player,” Hill said. “He throws well, he’s got a good deep ball, he runs it, he’s athletic and he’s hard to tackle. We’ve got our work cut out for us. We’re going to have do a good job wrapping him up and being physical with him.”

Cougar offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said that the Razorback defense is also very different than it was in 2022.

“They are a lot better on defense than they were a year ago,” Roderick said. “They are executing really well. It’s only two games but statistically they are up there with the best defenses in the country right now. It’ll be a huge challenge going into their place.”

Cougar head coach Kalani Sitake said Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman has put his stamp on his program and BYU better be ready for a battle.

“He has a background as an offensive line guy, so we know they will be really physical,” Sitake said. “They put up a ton of points on us, so we are looking forward to going there for the rematch. They have tons of talent, just like we saw last year. The offensive is really good and they are well-coached, and defensively we see the same thing. We’ll have to be at our best.”

BYU at Arkansas

TIME:5:30 p.m. MT

TV:ESPN2

WHERE:• Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Ark.

THE WORD: This will be the second meeting between BYU and Arkansas. The Cougars lost to the Razorbacks, 52-35, in Provo in 2022 … BYU is 1-1 on the road against teams from the Southeastern Conference under Kalani Sitake, with a win over Tennessee in 2019 and a loss to Mississippi State in 2017. Overall, the Cougars are 4-7 against SEC with two wins over Mississippi State and wins at Ole Miss and Tennessee … BYU will make its first road trip of 2023. Fayetteville, Arkansas is 992 miles from Provo. The Cougars will go back-to-back on the road the following week, visiting Kansas.