WACO, Texas — Had BYU’s defense not risen to the occasion time and again in the fourth quarter of the Cougars’ 34-28 win over Baylor on Saturday afternoon, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty assessed to BYU running back Enoch Nawahine would have lived in infamy in Cougar football lore.
And BYU coach Kalani Sitake would probably still be steaming about it.
“I thought it was an obvious flop (by the Baylor defender),” Sitake said of the play.
After linebacker Jack Kelly dropped a potential interception on 3rd-and-7 with Baylor threatening to score the go-ahead touchdown, Jakob Robinson came up with a pass breakup on fourth down and the Cougars took over at their 25 with one minute, 50 seconds remaining.
Nawahine, BYU’s fourth- or fifth-string running back when the season started, busted off a solid 5-yard run on first down, but the penalty pushed BYU back to the 15, and after two more running plays by Nawahine, the Cougars punted.
And Sitake vented, then vented some more at the referees.
He had cooled off considerably in the postgame news conference, but still questioned why the flag was thrown at all — while also acknowledging that his running back should have been smarter.
“We teach our guys to be smart in that situation. I don’t know. I lost it. I just don’t think you can make that call in that situation, especially, we are trying to grind the clock out,” Sitake said. “It was looking good in our favor, and then they march us 15 yards back.
“I just had to let the refs hear it. I think it was a bullcrap call, but that’s OK. They are not perfect. They are human, too, and I am not (perfect), either. That’s why I yelled at them. I lost my cool. I think they understood it,” he continued.
“We just gotta be smart. We can’t put ourselves in that situation. We can’t blame the refs.”
Sitake wasn’t finished describing the situation.
“We tell our guys, just get away from any kind of dangerous moment. Yeah, we gotta do better, and then I just can’t loose my cool. It is all right,” he said. “But it felt good to unleash it a little bit of anger.”
Sitake’s complaining might have paid dividends, because two plays later, Baylor’s Sidney Fugar was flagged for holding BYU defensive end Tyler Batty on a play in which the Bears would have gained 9 yards.
Makeup call?
Batty insisted it was a legitimate call.
“They were being really sticky all game. On that one, I went to bull rush him, trying to collapse the pocket, swam outside. I knew that I was going to beat him there, and there wasn’t much he could do except grab me from behind,” Batty said. “So, really glad we got the penalty. That was a big bonus for us.”
On the next play, with Baylor facing 2nd-and-20 from its 29, quarterback Sawyer Robertson’s pass was picked off by BYU’s Crew Wakley, and the game was over. BYU kneeled it out.
“Crew is a big-time player. We call him ‘Hitman Crew’ for a reason. We are doing everything we can to create havoc in the backfield. To look back and see Crew and know that he’s coming down with it, that’s a great feeling,” Batty said.
“That is what we love. We love to operate like that on defense. Pressures and takeaways, turnovers, that’s our jam.”
Robertson’s pass was intended for Hal Presley, who was bracketed by Wakley and Weber State transfer Marque Collins on the west sideline. Presley was targeted 14 times and made eight catches for 82 yards.
Another Baylor receiver, Josh Cameron, also had a big day against a banged-up BYU secondary. He had seven catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns, but Wakley made the biggest catch of the day — at least for BYU.
“Marque did a great job of funneling the dude into me and I am a deep third in that coverage. … I can’t really see the QB (at first), but I see him throw it and it leaves his hand, and the trajectory it is on, it is like, fly ball. … It was a good feeling,” Wakley said. “I knew as soon as it left his hands, I gotta go make that play.”
Wakley has often said that his experience playing quarterback at Sandy’s Jordan High School has prepared him to be a ballhawking defensive player.
The play was “probably No. 1, yeah,” he said. “It was one of those things that you always dream about as a kid — right? Getting to seal the deal, hitting the game-winner, whatever it is, so yeah, it is up there on my list, probably No. 1.”
Sitake, after he got over the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, credited defensive coordinator Jay Hill for the defensive play call that sealed the win.
“I thought Jay had the right scheme called at the right time. They were looking for maybe a two-high safety look, and Crew was able to get over the top of it, so great instincts by Crew,” Sitake said. “Baylor had hit us with those plays down the sideline in the game. I’m glad that Crew was able to make that play.”
Sitake’s also glad the officials let him lose his cool without adding a second penalty.
His lasting memory?
“The fans were amazing. It was awesome environment. Just really fortunate that we were able to get this win, especially with some of the mistakes that we made,” he said. “It was a hard-fought game. A little dramatic at the end, but I am glad it worked out in our favor.”