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BYU players arrive for festivities leading up to the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024.

Courtesy Alamo Bowl

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BYU head coach Kalani Sitake arrives for festivities leading up to the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024.

Courtesy Alamo Bowl

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When most of us were celebrating Christmas Eve with family and friends, the BYU football team was arriving in San Antonio.

“We’re super-excited to be down here,” Cougar senior defensive end Tyler Batty said. “We’ve heard great things about San Antonio and just the experience, and so just really excited to be here.”

BYU kicked off bowl week in preparation to face Colorado in the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl, which is set to take place on Saturday (5:30 p.m. MT, ESPN). Even the arrival for the Cougars was a festive occasion.

“Obviously they didn’t have this in junior college bowl games, I’ll tell you that much,” BYU junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff said. “Coming in with the band and everything like that, that is definitely really cool. It’s already going to be a fun week.”

Before the Cougars and Buffaloes take the field for the game itself, there are other activities including a trip to SeaWorld on Christmas Day.

“I’m looking forward to the festivities and what we have planned this week,” BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said. “Our players are really excited about it. I know that Colorado is already out here, looking forward to seeing them and being around the San Antonio area.

“I’m also really excited about the vibe and feeling of the Alamo Bowl. This has a great reputation, one of the prestigious bowls that are out there. It just so happens that we got two ranked teams matching up against each other. We have a lot of respect for Colorado. Myself and Coach Prime (Buffalo head coach Deion Sanders) talk about it often. We’re looking forward to this week and the entirety of it, and then get to the game.”

Players from both teams talked about how they plan to enjoy the activities, but are focused on winning more than anything.

“It’s about getting that 11th win,” Retzlaff said. “That’s a big deal. Eleven wins is a huge accomplishment, and we know we’re playing a really good football team, and so we’re excited for the opportunity to go out there on Saturday. We’re getting prepared for sure.”

Neither team has played since the end of November, so they have had a chance to get healthy.

“We’ve had a couple weeks off to kind of rest and of course get our bodies and our minds right for this game,” Batty said. “We’re really excited to be with the guys and really excited to go play another game.”

The opportunity to play was one that neither team got in 2023, so they appreciate it a little more.

“Last year was definitely an off year, and it was frustrating and a little weird to be sitting around in December not preparing for a bowl game,” Batty said. “It’s great to be back.”

Sitake said that his team isn’t satisfied with just returning to bowl action.

“Missing last year was really hard for us, especially not having those extra practices,” Sitake said. “But we didn’t just want to get back to it and be in a position where we can just play in the bowl game. We want to make sure that we, you know, that we performed well in all our games and have the extra time. I think it’s important for us to try to end it the right way, and end it with the right way means that, given the best effort, play our best game, and then we’ll see if it was good enough to get the victory.”

Batty said BYU would love to tack on one more victory on a season that featured a lot of highlights.

“I think this team proved a lot this season,” Batty said. “Guys worked really hard, sacrificed really hard, and I think for us to be able to add an 11th win to that win category would be huge, not only for this season, but for the team going forward into next season as well, so there’s a lot on the line for us.”

Retzlaff added that the Cougar returners can use this performance as a springboard toward 2025, so he wants his guys to make the most of it.

“Bowl games are often considered like the start of the next season,” Retzlaff said. “This is the seniors’ last game, but all the young guys will have chances to step up in games like these, so it’s going to be a blast. I’m excited to use this game as momentum to push into the off-season, and so it is a big opportunity.”