Job well done: BYU football seniors close chapter proud of accomplishments
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- BYU captains (from left) Chase Roberts, Connor Pay and Tyler Batty take the field for the coin toss before the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl against Colorado at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.
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- BYU senior defensive lineman Tyler Batty hypes up the team before the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl against Colorado at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.
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- BYU players celebrate after winning the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl against Colorado at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.
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- BYU senior defensive end Tyler Batty pursues Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.
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- BYU head coach Kalani Sitake applauds a good play during the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl against Colorado at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.
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- BYU players take the field before the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl against Colorado at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.
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- BYU players celebrate after winning the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl against Colorado at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.
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- BYU players soak head coach Kalani Sitake after winning the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl against Colorado at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.
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- BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker (left), head coach Kalani Sitake and defensive back Tanner Wall celebrate after winning the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl against Colorado at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.
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- BYU defenders make a tackle during the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl against Colorado at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.
SAN ANTONIO–When did BYU senior offensive lineman Connor Pay say that he knew the Cougars were going to play well in the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl?
He said in Saturday’s postgame press conference after No. 17 BYU’s impressive 36-14 victory over No. 23 Colorado that he knew Friday night.
“When me and my boys won Terminus on Zombies (part of the Call of Duty video game), I was like we are going to play good today,” Pay said with a grin.
He quickly added a caveat for Cougar head coach Kalani Sitake, who was part of the press conference.
“Coach, I finished all of my film work beforehand, I promise, and I went to bed on time,” Pay said, drawing laughs from the reporters. “We were here for four days. I had to bring my Xbox.”
Sitake responded by saying, “You’ve got to keep it balanced. I’m OK with it. That’s alright. It’s OK that you guys are gamers and stuff like that. I just don’t understand it enough.”
Sitake, Pay and senior defensive lineman Tyler Batty had moments that were both humorous and heartfelt during that final press conference, as two of BYU’s senior leaders closed out their final chapters as Cougar players.
Pay, Batty and other BYU seniors had some tough decisions to make a year ago after the Cougars stumbled to a 5-7 record and did play in a bowl game. They could’ve moved on, but instead chose to return.
“It felt like there was some unfinished business,” Pay said. “Tyler and I had never been a part of a losing team at BYU, and just the thought of that being our final time there and that being our legacy, that just didn’t sit right.”
Batty said that once he looked at all of the factors, he knew what direction he wanted to go.
“Being able to come back for another year was a huge blessing,” Batty said. “We had unfinished business, and I wanted to make sure that we could display the ability of our team. I feel like this year we have. It’s been an absolute success.”
Sitake pointed out multiple times that the senior leaders like Pay and Batty deserve the lion’s share of the credit for the Cougars bouncing back from the disappointment of 2023 to going 11-2 in 2024.
“I liked the mindset of the entire team,” Sitake said. “It’s not like I had to give a great speech or anything. The seniors took over. It’s been them from the very beginning, from the end of last year when those seniors took over and then led us into the Big 12. Although it didn’t work out the way we wanted it to, we did some really good things.
“But these seniors are able to build on that, and they’ve got the system in place where now they’re going to be able to pass it on to the young guys and next year’s seniors. It’s a nice cycle of things that are happening. I don’t mind Sometimes as a leader I’ve just got to step out of the way and let these guys do it.”
Pay said the key wasn’t anything dramatic. It was maximizing the effectiveness of doing all the little things.
“I think what this senior class brought in particular was a discipline and a resilience,” Pay said. “All it is that you’ve got to go and do things at a high level every day. You’ve got to do the ordinary better than everybody else.
“That’s the real challenge. Everyone is going to show up to workouts. Everyone is going to do the same things across the whole country. Everyone has an off-season program. But who’s going to make the most of every single day and not just go through the motions? Who’s going to do that little bit extra? That’s what we really tried to push the team to do, and they made it really easy. They responded really well.”
Batty wants the legacy of the Cougar seniors to be how much they put into making the entire team the best it could be.
“I hope our teammates just remember how much we at least tried to invest in this program,” Batty said. “I think for me, that’s really what it comes down to is do the same thing that we’ve done.
“We stand on the shoulders of giants that came before us. I’ve had an opportunity to play with some incredible teammates during my time at BYU who have helped shape and form me and have helped shape and form the culture. I just want to be remembered as one of those guys who helped push BYU to be great.”
Pay said Sitake is the constant who keeps the Cougar focus on the right things, allowing them to excel on the gridiron and in life.
“All we were trying to do is be extensions of Kalani and his culture,” Pay said. “When you have a team that’s willing to buy into that, it makes being leaders a lot easier. We’ve seen both sides of it where we tried to push the same things in the past and it wasn’t received very well by the team versus this season where guys believed and they bought into the culture. I think if there’s one thing that this team has done throughout the whole season, it’s believe in each other and believe in our culture and what we can accomplish.”
With Pay, Batty and other seniors now headed on to the next chapters of their lives, the torch is passed to the next group of leaders. Sitake said he’s looking forward to it and feels fortunate to see the athletes take on those roles.
“I just love coaching these kids, these young men who are becoming adults,” Sitake said. “These are the best young men in college football, and I get to coach them.”
