No. 9 BYU football trusts workmanlike approach will result in success at rival Utah
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- BYU players run onto the field before the Big 12 game against UCF at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024.
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- BYU players celebrate with senior tight end Mata’ava Ta’ase after he scored a touchdown during the Big 12 game against UCF at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024.
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- BYU football players warm up before the Big 12 game against Kansas State at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.
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- BYU football players prepare to take the field before the Big 12 game against Kansas State at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.
Rivalry games are different.
The energy and excitement ramps up, communities get more animated and each moment feels more significant.
How players and coaches handle the differences and channel the adrenaline goes a long way in deciding who ends up victorious, particularly when the teams are fairly evenly matched.
So what’s the key?
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake believes it’s about focusing on the same things that always bring success.
“It’s not a different scenario,” Sitake said during Monday’s press teleconference. “It’s the same scenario every week. I think everyone is making it a big deal, but when football starts it’s just a game.
“These guys are a great group of leaders and are doing a great job at reminding the players what to expect. We do our best as coaches and then let them get the opportunity to lead. The best thing I can do as a head coach is sometimes step out of the way and let the boys handle it. They are up for the challenge. We have entered many hostile environments before, and this is going to be another one. They are excited for it, and they should be. A game is a game.”
The players have generally echoed Sitake’s approach, saying they want to block out the noise and take care of business.
“I play with enough emotion as it is, so I just try to remove the emotion from the rivalry and attack it like a football game,” BYU junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff said. “It’s not something the fans want to hear, but it’s the truth. That’s how you go and win these games. You remove than intense emotion out of it and then you just go play ball and keep executing like we’ve done all year.”
Whether Utah will take the same approach is uncertain but it’s unlikely, given how the Utes under head coach Kyle Whittingham have done things in the past.
BYU currently has a number of coaches on its staff that played or coached under Whittingham, so they’ve seen how he does things. Of course, Whittingham knows them as well.
“I don’t know whether it helps or hinders, but it’s fun,” Cougar defensive coordinator Jay Hill said on Tuesday. “I think there is familiarity on both sides and that adds to the game. It makes it more fun. But it’s still going to come down to when the ball is kicked off who plays the best and who executes the best.”
In recent years with the Utes have the resources of being in the Pac-12 and BYU being limited as an independent, Utah has often been favored.
That script has flipped in 2024 with the Cougars vying for a playoff berth and the Utes looking to play the role of spoiler.
Sitake said that every team faces the challenge of righting the ship when things aren’t going well, just like Utah is doing now as it comes in on a four-game losing streak.
“That’s part of the game,” Sitake said. “You look at these types of situations in college football, especially when you get towards the end of the season in November, and it becomes a real test on how you are going to finish.
“I think everyone’s been there. Coach Whittingham has been there before, so he will have those guys ready to roll. I’ve got to make sure I have our guys ready to roll. College football is unpredictable. There is a lot of parody in this conference, and we have said that from the very beginning. We are really looking forward to this game. I am excited that the game is right around the corner.”
And BYU players and coaches were very clear that they know this Ute team is talented and capable of playing at a high level.
“They’ve got a lot of weapons,” Cougar junior linebacker Jack Kelly said. “They have a big O-line up front that’s physical. The whole offense is going to be physical. They’ve got some receivers that make plays, so it’s going to be a tough game for us. We know that they’re a great team, and we’re going to have to bring our A-game. They’ve had two weeks to prepare like we have, so we know we’re going to get their best shot, and we’re looking forward to it.”
No. 9 BYU at Utah
TIME: 8:15 p.m. MT
TV: ESPN
WHERE: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake CityR
THE WORD: This will be the 96th meeting between BYU and Utah with the Utes leading the series, 59-32-4 … The two schools dispute when the series started, with the Cougars not counting the six contests that took place in the late 1800s (3-3) when BYU was a high school, Brigham Young Academy … The Cougars won the last matchup, knocking off the Utes, 26-17 in Provo in 2021 … Utah defeated BYU 35-27 in the last matchup at Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2018 … Both Ute head coach Kyle Whittingham and BYU head coach Kalani Sitake have coached at the other school, although both played for the Cougars … The Cougars have started 8-0 for the fifth time in school history and is one of just five undefeated FBS teams in the country in 2024.
