ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — Which team wants it more?
That’s annually a big question when it comes to rather meaningless bowl games, such as the one Saturday (5:30 p.m., ABC) here at University Stadium when BYU and SMU, both 7-5, tangle in the 17th annual New Mexico Bowl.
Pundits call it the “care factor” when they handicap postseason games.
Of course, everybody says they care a lot — it would be truly newsworthy if a player or coach actually said a bowl game means absolutely nothing to them — but there are many instances when it became readily apparent that a team didn’t take it seriously.
“The other guys are capable. You might see one, you might see two, you might see three. … We have a bunch of guys that can do things.” — BYU coach Kalani Sitake on the QBs who could play vs. SMU
For BYU, look not further than last year, when the Cougars were 10-2 and disappointed about playing UAB in the Independence Bowl in gloomy Shreveport, Louisiana. Playing inspired football, UAB took a 31-28 win, aided by the fact that BYU starting quarterback Jaren Hall wasn’t able to play.
Well, guess what BYU fans? Hall, who is nursing a right ankle sprain and attended Thursday’s practice at New Mexico’s indoor practice facility with a protective boot on his right foot and wheeling around on a scooter, will not play Saturday, either, barring a major miracle.
“More than likely, yeah,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said Thursday before practice, when asked if Hall is officially out of the game.
Sitake alluded to an episode of the old TV show “Coach” in which the main character’s team is playing in the “Pineapple Bowl” and the star quarterback is in a wheelchair before the game, but plays and wins the game and the MVP award.
“This is not one of those moments,” Sitake said. “Just want to make sure everybody knows that.”
As for SMU coach Rhett Lashlee, whose team practiced at the same venue earlier Thursday, he is well aware that Hall is not expected to play. The Mustangs have had to look at BYU third-string quarterback Cade Fennegan’s high school film, Lashlee acknowledged.
“Well, luckily he played high school football in Texas (at Woodrow Wilson High in the Metroplex),” Lashlee said. “… At the end of the day, you gotta prepare for all of them. This is what coaching is every week, anyways. You gotta adapt. … We have to play well no matter who is their quarterback.”
While he’s finally admitting that Hall won’t play, Sitake isn’t naming a starting quarterback, although the Deseret News and other outlets have reported that it will be Fennegan, the Boise State transfer.
“The other guys are capable,” Sitake said. “You might see one, you might see two, you might see three. … We have a bunch of guys that can do things.”
There was some good news Thursday for BYU fans, however. Receiver Keanu Hill, who sustained a wrist injury against Stanford, said he is fully recovered and will play in a game that is important to him because he is also from Texas.
“It means a lot, just because (SMU) comes from Texas, and I already know what kind of energy they are going to bring and all that stuff,” Hill said. “We know they are going to be aggressive, physical. That’s the type of football it is down there in Texas. I mean, I played it, I have done it myself. It is going to be a fun game.”
Sitake said left tackle Blake Freeland, the Third Team AP All-American and projected to be a Day 2 pick in the NFL draft, will also play. However, banged-up star receiver Puka Nacua “is still going through some things, so we will see if he plays on Saturday,” Sitake said.
Sitake said Nacua, who has a year of eligibility remaining but almost certainly will be moving on, has played through injury all season and also has to think about his future, his health in a postseason all-star game, and being at full strength for combines and pro days.
Which brings us back to the “care factor” for the New Mexico Bowl. SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai has another season of eligibility remaining, but has already stated he’s entering the 2023 NFL draft.
“I mean, we are excited to be here, we are excited to play,” Mordecai said Thursday. “We are pumped up to have an opportunity to play our 13th game and go out on the right foot. Yeah, our care factor is there.”
Lashlee seconded that, saying the Mustangs have already accomplished their goals in the regular season and are eager to put a cherry on top of his first year at SMU.
“We are excited to play,” Lashlee said. “We had a good finish, we accomplished a lot of things in our regular season. This is a totally different deal. This is a reward. This is an opportunity to go play a really good team, national brand, on national TV. We just gotta be the most excited team to play. So whether it is cold, snowing — I hope it snows. We gotta be excited to play, and right now I think our guys will be excited.”
BYU defensive tackle Lorenzo Fauatea also spoke to reporters Thursday, and referenced the Independence Bowl as a learning moment for the team.
“We care a lot,” Fauatea said. “Obviously we had an up-and-down season. But we worked so hard to get to a bowl game, so finally that we are here at a bowl game, we just gotta win, finish off the season strong.”
BYU cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford, the only defensive assistant coach retained after coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki resigned, said there is a different vibe this year than last year.
“Everybody cares, man. They want to go out with a bang,” Gilford said. “We got some stuff going in. Practices have been very, very competitive. So guys really, really care and they want to put on a show for Cougar Nation.”
17th annual New Mexico Bowl on the air
BYU (7-5) vs. SMU (7-5)
Dec. 17, 5:30 p.m. MST
University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
TV: ABC
Radio: KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM