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The BYU football team defeated Arizona 41-19 at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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Here’s what’s going on inside Darnell’s head as I realize I’m covering a BYU football team that is 6-0 two weeks into October.

Over the years when playing in the Western Athletic Conference, Mountain West Conference and during independence, BYU has had a big win or two. There were times the Cougars raised their head above the non-power conference waters and looked around, thinking “This is what big-time college football feels like.”

At 6-0 and pushing a top 10 ranking in 2024, BYU isn’t just imagining what big-time college football feels like anymore.

The Cougars are PLAYING big-time college football.

Six wins gets you bowl eligibility, something that eluded BYU last season after a 5-1 start. But both Kalani Sitake and linebacker Isaiah Glasker said their goals are bigger: A Big 12 championship and a playoff berth.

No matter how well the Cougars played in previous seasons, the margin of error was so small that any higher aspirations other than a bigger bowl game were just a pipe dream. Now a member of the Big 12, the Cougars have a path to their goals and they are traveling that path perfectly right now.

The volatile nature of college football means things could change in the future. The SEC and Big Ten are already trying to Bogart all of the automatic playoff spots.

So BYU and its fans need to relish and enjoy every moment of this great season.

The last time the Cougars started 6-0 was 2020 against Navy, Troy, Louisiana Tech, UT-San Antonio, Houston and Texas State-San Marcos.

This season’s 6-0 start has been against Southern Illinois, SMU, Wyoming, Kansas State, Baylor and Arizona.

Color me impressed.

Now it’s time for Perfectly Rational Overreactions (PRO’s).

PRO No. 1: BYU’s third-down defense was horrible against Arizona.

It wasn’t so much the conversion rate (the Wildcat finished 11 of 19, 58%), although that’s much too high. Five of those 11 conversions were 3rd-and-7 or more and that is unaccepted for a good defense. You can credit some of that to Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, who was a magician at avoiding pressure and finding an open receiver. But there were plenty of other situations where the BYU secondary looked confused and allowed a wide-open receiver. Moving forward, the Cougars need to be better in third-and-long situations.

PRO No. 2: All the Cougars have to do is win the middle eight minutes of the game.

The BYU defense has been really good at causing turnovers, especially at the end of the second quarter and beginning of the third. Those short fields have paid off for the offense. This team has been really good at complementary football, so maybe that’s what makes them special. Sometimes, a team looks like its struggling but when you get to the end of the game, it’s a win. Just make the right plays to win the game.

PRO No. 3: Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick is too inconsistent as a play caller.

An offensive coordinator is only as good as the execution of his offense, and there are times when there’s a missed assignment, or a really good play by the defense, to blow up a good call. Against Arizona, Roderick seemed to lean a little more on the passing game than the running game against a team that has not been good against the run. The Cougars passed 32 times and ran 27 times, which is an OK balance. BYU averaged 5.4 yards per carry and that’s pretty good. I’m encouraged for the future of the running game with LJ Martin back in the lineup. The offense probably left some points on the field but 34 is a pretty good day.

Finally, PRO No. 4: At 6-0, BYU is the favorite to win the Big 12 title.

That’s a heavy mantle to bear, isn’t it? The Big 12 is full of good teams but nobody (in my opinion) is great. That just means the title is there for the taking. A team that can get it done every week should be in contention and that’s what BYU is doing. There are tough games ahead but who doubts the Cougars ability to be ready to go every time out?

Who Carried the Boats and the Logs?

There are a lot of candidates because so many Cougars contributed to the win. It could be Glasker, who caused a fumble and had a pick-six in the fourth quarter. It could be Parker Kingston, who caught a touchdown pass and threw for a score as well. It could be redshirt sophomore Bruce Mitchell, who filled in admirable at center for Connor Pay. It could be Jakob Robinson, who made one of the most stunning plays of the year with his interception to start the second half. But my boats and logs carrier for the Arizona game is Martin. He hasn’t played since the SMU game because of an injury and his presence has been missed. On Saturday, He had 14 touches (11 rushes, three receptions) for 95 total yards and two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving). It’s true the BYU running back room is deep and I’ve been impressed with contributions from other guys. But Martin has something special the Cougars need in the lineup.

Pay attention

A pretty big weekend for basketball visitors at the BYU football game as the nation’s No. 1 recruit, 6-foot-9 AJ Dybantsa, and his Utah Prep teammate JJ Mandaquit (Top 100) were in town and met such Cougar luminaries as Rams receiver Puka Nacua and the legendary Steve Young. Brock Harris, one of the country’s top tight ends, was also in Provo.

What happened?

Someone needs to explain to me why Hinckley Ropati was called for a blindside block penalty against Arizona. The defender he blocked was looking right at Ropati when he hit him. What’s blind about that?

What’s a puck?

Am I going to have to start watching hockey now that Utah has a team? Not a whole lot of ice growing up in rainy Oregon. I can appreciate the skill involved but can admit I don’t really have a passion for the game. I used to tease Aaron Shill (now a big-wig at the Deseret News) when he was a stringer for the Herald. Aaron is a huge hockey fan. I would say, “Hey, Aaron, who do you think will win the Stanley Cup this year?” As he started excitedly giving me his opinion, I would cut him off: “Wait a minute, I forgot, I don’t care.”

That’s mean, I know, but I was younger then and trying to be cool.

I suppose the Utah Hockey Club can be my favorite team. As a media member, am I allowed to have one?

Big Noon, Big crowd

BYU fans answered the call at Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show. Last week, around 4,000 fans showed up at UCF for the show and that was the record until Saturday, when Cougar fans blew that mark out of the water.

It was a good time, from Cosmo parachuting into the show to the BYU crowd booing former Utah coach Urban Meyer to former Cougar (now Texas head coach) Steve Sarkisian leaving a little “Go Cougars!” during his interview.

By the way, did Meyer ever actually say, “BYU” during the broadcast? I don’t think he used “that team down south” like he did when he was at Utah.

One sign read, “I came here to eat Cougar Tails and boo Urban Meyer … and I’m all out of Cougar Tails.’

Then there was “Retz-Live, Retz-Laff, Retz-Love.”

Another favorite, “I thought this was a devotional.”

Stuff to work on

In the post-game radio show, Sitake said he and defensive coordinator Jay Hill were lamenting after the game about missed opportunities on the field. BYU certainly wasn’t perfect against the Wildcats but still managed to win by three scores. I’m sure the coaches appreciate they have mistakes to talk about in practice.

That’s all for now but for this: My wife told me to stop impersonating a flamingo. I had to put my foot down.

I use that dad joke because my wife, Barbara, has started her nine-day odyssey at the Huntsman Senior Games in St. George. She plays on two different volleyball teams (Twisted Sisters and Victorious Secret) and is happier during these nine days than any other time of the year.

I’m taking a few days off to go down to St. George to watch some volleyball, so I’ll check in with you later. Have a great week.