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BYU head coach Kalani Sitake talks to his players after BYU football practice at the indoor practice facility in Provo on Monday, March 4, 2024.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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Helmets sit in a line before BYU football practice at the indoor practice facility in Provo on Monday, March 4, 2024.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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The BYU football team has talked repeatedly throughout the year about how its performance in practice is a sign of how the Cougars will play in the games.

If that holds true and what BYU is saying this week in the midst of its preparations for the upcoming Alamo Bowl proves to be accurate, Cougar supporters should expect their team to play well against Colorado.

“Bowl prep has been going really nicely,” BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said after practice on Wednesday. “I’m seeing really good things from the team. We are seeing the players step up. Their focus is razor-sharp right now. They want to be at their best. I think we will perform well, but we’ll see if it is good enough to beat them.”

Cougar defensive coordinator Jay Hill said Monday that he feels the players have been invested in using the time to really work.

“I think the last two weeks of practice has been as good a practice as we’ve had on defense,” Hill said. “I’m excited about that. Guys have got to be excited about the matchup and they’ve got to be excited about practicing right now, instead of just going home for Christmas. And I think our guys are.”

Hill described how BYU is both preparing to face the Buffaloes and getting more repetitions for players who maybe haven’t had as many opportunities during the season.

“It’s both for us right now,” Hill said. “We’ve got to get ready to play a really good Colorado team, but we’ve also got to prepare for the future. The way we ended practice today was all with the young guys in the threes and fours, giving those guys valuable reps to progress in what we’re asking them to do for the future.”

Sitake explained that there is a balance that the program wants to have as they use up to the 15 practices they are allotted for bowl preparation.

“We mix it all together,” Sitake said. “The week we didn’t know our opponent we focused a lot on developing the young guys and doing the fundamentals with our veterans, but the key for us is everyone progressing. In these last practices we’ve been mixing it all together. We want them (the younger players) to develop and get extra reps, but the game is the No. 1 priority for us.”

But getting the younger players chances to perform does have some added benefits, which is something Hill saw from some of the underclassmen in his secondary.

“It’s actually added some juice and excitement to what we’re doing right now,” Hill said. “I see those guys getting better every practice, and I like the direction those guys are heading in there. I’ve said it all along that those guys are the future.”

The BYU players said on both Monday and Wednesday that they are seeing growth and improvement across the board.

“I think they’ve gone well,” Cougar senior defensive back Jakob Robinson said. “Everyone has had a chance to get healthy and everyone looks faster. I think it is going well.”

This is also a time when many of the BYU players have completed their academic requirements for the semester and thus can put more focus on football.

“It’s great having time to prepare for a huge game and a great opponent, probably the best passing offense we’ve seen all season,” Cougar junior defensive back Tanner Wall said. “There is a lot of stuff to study and to look at, so it’s been great to spend some extra time and energy on that.”

BYU junior wide receiver Chase Roberts wasn’t ready to make any announcements about his future yet (he said he’ll announce it on social media later this week) but did say he feels like the players have the right mindset as they prepare to face Colorado.

“The key is taking every practice like it is our last practice, cherishing every moment, making every rep count,” Roberts said. “It’s been awesome to go up against these guys in practice, making every rep an important prep. Taking every practice seriously has been my focus and I’ve been getting a lot better, which is awesome. That’s what you’ve got to do when you have this time.”