PROVO — BYU football coach Kalani Sitake watched on television Saturday afternoon as Georgia State stunned Tennessee 38-30 at Neyland Stadium, then watched replays of the game several more times throughout the weekend.
He kept a close eye on the way the Vols reacted when they left the field, and immediately knew that BYU’s task this Saturday got a little bit more difficult.
It is the first of four Eastern time zone games for BYU this season, with trips also scheduled to Toledo, South Florida and UMass. The Cougars will leave on Thursday, a day earlier than they normally would for a Saturday road game closer to home.
Having lost 30-12 to Utah last Thursday, BYU will try to avoid its first 0-2 start since 1995; Tennessee hasn’t started a season 0-2 since 1988.
Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt “is going to have those guys ready to play this Saturday,” Sitake said. “I know that for a fact. You watch the way they left that field — they are going to be hungry for the next game, and it just happens to be us, so we better be ready for it.”
Sitake, the three Cougars who appeared at the news conference — quarterback Zach Wilson, defensive end Trajan Pili and center James Empey — and linebackers coach Ed Lamb, appearing on the BYU-produced Coordinators Corner program earlier Monday, all said they expect Tennessee to run the ball plenty after Utah’s Zack Moss piled up 187 yards against them last week.
“I just know that they have great athletes, and are really well-coached, and it is hard for those teams like that to have two bad performances in a row,” Sitake said. “So, our job is to expect their best shot, and then make sure that they get ours in return.”
Pili said he was indifferent to whether Tennessee won or lost its opener.
“They can come in with whatever record, I just want to beat them,” he said. “That’s my kind of mentality towards it.”
However, Empey — the son of a football coach — said Tennessee “just got woke up” after the surprising loss and will be extra motivated to make sure another upset doesn’t happen. The Vols are three-point favorites.
“Each week is different,” Empey said. “You can just expect to get your opponent’s best shot every week. They got Georgia State’s best shot last week, and they are going to give us theirs this week, and we gotta come out and give them our best shot and go to work.”
Said Pili: “I know that after watching the game they were pretty distraught, pretty mad. So I know that they are going to be prepared for this week.”
Wilson, who threw for 208 yards against Utah but had two interceptions returned for touchdowns, said Georgia State played like it “had nothing to lose” and BYU will need that same mentality.
“It will be an amazing opportunity,” Wilson said. “Personally, I know that we like traveling to away games. We feel that hate towards us, and (hear) people booing us. That is something that keeps us driving.”
The Cougars will turn to offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes for advice on how to handle the Neyland Stadium crowd and atmosphere. He was 2-0 at the venue as assistant coach at LSU and Auburn.
“None of that matters now,” Grimes said. “It will be our guys against theirs.”
Sitake said the Cougars came out of the Utah game relatively healthy. Defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga and linebacker Keenan Pili left the game with injuries, but were good to go on Monday.
Tight end Moroni Laulu-Pututau didn’t play against the Utes, but that was due to him not getting cleared by the training staff, and not for any of the academic issues that delayed his participation in preseason camp, Sitake said.
“He is practicing (Monday), so we will see what happens this week,” Sitake said of the senior. “We would like to use him. He can really help us.”
There were very few changes on the depth chart, but coaches hinted at a change at right corner after D’Angelo Mandell struggled with face mask penalties. Freshman George Udo and junior college transfer Dimitri Gallow could start there instead of Mandell.
Sitake said on film Tennessee looks like the prototypical SEC team — big, strong, fast and athletic.
“There are some things that they were embarrassed with that first week, just like we are,” he said. “But only one team is going to win this week, and that will be the team that is best prepared and motivated. But you watch them on film, and there are some good-looking kids on that team.”
Monday’s BYU press briefing
- Cougars believe loss to Georgia State “woke up” Tennessee and the Vols will be fired up to face them Saturday
- BYU coach Kalani Sitake said tight end Moroni Laulu-Pututau practiced Monday and should play Saturday
- Sitake and BYU quarterback Zach Wilson brushed off Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley’s disparaging comments about BYU made after Thursday’s 30-12 win in Provo