‘We are back to our old selves’: BYU buoyed up by surprise win over Boise State

As players such as quarterback Jaren Hall, linebacker Ben Bywater and seldom-used running back-turned screen pass superstar Hinckley Ropati spoke to reporters in the bowels of Albertsons Stadium after BYU’s 31-28 win over Boise State Saturday night, music and shouting could be heard emanating from the nearby locker room.

It was said that even offensive linemen Clark Barrington and Blake Freeland got in on the dancing, but linebacker Keenan Pili — who made a big strip sack on BSU quarterback Taylen Green in the game — isn’t ready to let his hair down quite yet.

“Everyone is in there celebrating. It is good vibes,” said Bywater, who joined Pili at the top of the most tackles list, with six. “I feel like we are back to our old selves, so yeah, that is a huge win.

“We are not going to change our approach to anything. For weeks, we have been hearing nothing but negative talk. So now that there is going to be a lot of positive talk, we can’t pay attention to that either. We got to keep the same mindset that got us here tonight.” — BYU quarterback Jaren Hall

“Boise State (6-3) is a great team, so for us to go out there and do that, I think it goes to show that we got some tenacity, we got some mental toughness and we can fight through some adversity,” Bywater continued.

The Cougars (5-5) can also claim an unofficial Mountain West championship, having defeated Utah State, Wyoming and now the league-leading Broncos this season. Of course, last year they were the unofficial Pac-12 champs after going 5-0 against that league, and that didn’t pan out so well in 2022 when Oregon got the best of them in Eugene.

So maybe they should keep this little accomplishment over a league that is a bit down this year under wraps a bit as they head off to the Big 12 in 2023.

Coach Kalani Sitake preaches respect and humility, and the aforementioned players said that will be the approach moving forward as the Cougars have this week off, then play host to Utah Tech on Nov. 19 for Senior Day and finish up at Stanford two days after Thanksgiving.

The Trailblazers, an FCS program, improved to 3-6 with a 48-36 win over Southern Utah in St. George on Saturday in the Battle of the Ax on homecoming. They will host Tarleton State this Saturday at 1 p.m. at Greater Zion Stadium.

Hall, who posted a career-high 459 yards of total offense against the Broncos, said the win on The Blue to improve to 5-8 all-time against BSU won’t go to the Cougars’ heads. There is no room for that for a team whose injury list still reads like a Saturday shopping list at Costco.

“We are not going to change our approach to anything,” Hall said. “For weeks, we have been hearing nothing but negative talk. So now that there is going to be a lot of positive talk, we can’t pay attention to that either. We got to keep the same mindset that got us here tonight.”

Hall, who threw the game-winning pass to Puka Nacua with 1:46 remaining, said talk of going 3-0 against the MW and wondering what might have been if the Cougars had played this well against Notre Dame, Arkansas, Liberty and East Carolina in October will have to wait for another day.

“We will just focus on the guys in the locker room, and our families. That is all that matters,” he said. “We love our fans. They are always here for us, we appreciate them. So just staying humble and understanding we gotta couple more games to take care of is the focus.”

One of the biggest surprises of the game, other than BYU winning as an eight-point underdog, was that the Cougars rolled up 27 first downs, 31 points and 532 yards on the No. 2 defense, statistically, in the country.

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The emergence of Ropati helped, as the junior college transfer who battled injuries his first two seasons in Provo broke out in a big way. He ran five times for 28 yards and caught three passes for 83 yards and a touchdown.

“Kalani always preaches staying humble and patient,” Ropati said. “I felt like that has been the biggest thing, just being there for my teammates and doing my best to be there for them and just wait for whatever opportunities come.”

Ropati’s 48-yard touchdown on a screen pass in which he had four offensive linemen forming a convoy for him almost to the end zone was impressive to watch.

The play known as “Posse Right Sally” worked so well the Cougars ran it twice, with Ropati picking up 28 yards the second time.

“The O line, they got out there and did all the heavy lifting and I just ran,” Ropati said. “Anybody could have ran that.”

Starting running back Chris Brooks stayed behind in Provo with a hamstring injury, while Miles Davis only played a few snaps and apparently suffered an injury that caused him to sit the rest of the way. Lopini Katoa stayed hot with 46 yards on 12 carries, and Hall added to the run game with 82 yards and a touchdown on 12 attempts.

“The running backs are all dogs, man,” Ropati said.

Hall echoed that, saying he knew Ropati was going to do special things when he got the chance.

“Yeah, he is such an explosive guy. I knew it would only be a matter of time before he came out and made his plays. Tonight he showed it. He’s an absolute stud,” Hall said. “I knew that when he got recruited. I remember watching his juco film. The guy is electric. Just find ways to get him the ball and it will be awesome, his future.”

As for Hall, he said he will “100 percent” continue to run the ball more, after doing damage with his legs the past two weeks.

“It is never something we call and plan on, but when a play presents itself, that is what you do,” he said. “It is a nightmare for defenses.”

Hall said offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick “was in such a groove tonight, had everything working, and it was fun.”

And so was that locker room celebration.