In 2024, the Cougars have defeated Southern Illinois, SMU and Wyoming.

Every team wants to win its first three games, of course, but it’s clear BYU doesn’t want to follow the same path this year that it did last year: a 2-7 record the rest of the way with four blowout losses and no bowl berth.

So what is different this year?

“I feel good about the team,” BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said during Monday’s press teleconference. “I think people can realize that we’re a different team than last year’s team, and we’ll keep working on it. We are sitting at 3-0 and there’s some good things that we’re doing. I think a lot of people want to focus on the negatives, but we’ll get better. I like to praise the things that we’ve done already as a team.”

Both Cougar junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff and junior wide receiver Chase Roberts both said on Saturday night that the big difference this year is the chemistry the team has developed.

“Last year, when we were in tight situations, we were trying to do more than we should have,” Roberts said. “This year we just trust each other, trust the guys next to us, and love each other. We grab hold and and play hard. I think last year we lacked a little bit of that.”

He explained that the sense of camaraderie isn’t just in a position group or even just the offense as a whole.

“Every time the offense does something, the defense comes and supports us and says, ‘let’s go!'” Roberts said. “And every time we’re struggling, the defense is gonna come and say something to build us up, and vice versa. I think it’s just the trust that we have in each other and how much we love each other.”

Retzlaff also focused on how the team unity makes the atmosphere different in the BYU locker room.

“I just think this team’s love for each other is second to none,” Retzlaff said. “Maybe it sounds corny to guys who don’t know this team or don’t know a football locker room, but the love between this team is different. I think that’s on both sides of the ball, everybody around the defense and the offense together, separately, the defense within itself, the offense within itself, all of it, it’s different.”

He believes that is translating to greater success on the field.

“We’re playing for each other, better than I’ve ever seen us play,” Retzlaff said. “I’m excited to get in conference play and show that on field.”

BYU is also going into Big 12 conference play with a much greater understanding of what they are facing, according to senior defensive lineman Tyler Batty.

“I would say we’re significantly ahead of where we were last year,” Batty said. “We learned a lot from last season. We’ve put a lot of that into our preparation in the offseason and getting ready for this fall. So I think we’re ready for it.”

To that end, Sitake and the Cougar coaches have worked to get younger players onto the field with some game experience so they will be more ready if their number is called.

“They’ll be ready,” Sitake said. “I think they have a role and a lot of them will be called on to do some things depending on the matchups. I was pleased with how they’ve come along.”

He talked about how he would’ve preferred to have many of the second and third-string players not give up a late touchdown in BYU’s 34-14 win at Wyoming, but believes the benefits were worth the costs.

“It’s what we needed,” Sitake said. “We needed those guys to get that valuable experience, and it was worth the sacrifice of yards and even some points in the game last week.

“We knew that this was a violent, physical game, and I feel good about where we stand and I feel good with our talent, especially the incoming freshmen, there’s a lot of talent there.”

He thinks the preparation will come into play when his Cougars face good opponents like they will go up against when Kansas State comes to Provo this Saturday (8:30 p.m. MT, ESPN).

“This is going to be a fun atmosphere and a fun game,” Sitake said. “Everyone wants to be a part of it. We feel like we’re deeper than we’ve ever been before.”