Jim Rome sure loves Kalani Sitake.
The accomplished sports broadcaster has welcomed BYU’s head coach on his eponymous radio show plenty of times over the past half decade, with the latest appearance coming this past Monday in the wake of the Cougars’ 5-0 start.
Here are the highlights of Sitake’s interview on ‘The Jim Rome Show.’
On BYU’s 5-0 start
“I have to give a lot of credit to our leadership on our team, the guys that came back from last year’s team. We added some really cool talent and guys that fit our program and our culture really well. Then I have to give a lot of credit to the coaches, the assistants, for getting this team ready.
“They had a great offseason. All I had to do as a head coach is just make sure to not mess it up. But these guys have done an amazing job, and I’m really excited with what they’re accomplishing on and off the field. It’s been really cool.”
On freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier
“I’ve been really impressed with his maturity and his ability to understand the game. His football IQ is off the charts, and then just his patience and understanding.
“I think a lot of times young guys want to get in there and just take over the world, and I think for him, his understanding that this is a progress for him to work slowly through, we’ve seen him every week get better and better in his game and also understanding the offense.
“But he’s been such a good teammate to the rest of the team. I mean, it’s like he’s been here forever. That’s saying a lot for his maturity and his willingness to be part of the team and be part of our culture. I mean, don’t be surprised when he wears number 47, that’s a good thing.”
On BYU’s strong defense
“I love the effort, that’s number one. And the commitment to being physical. I think they’ve done some really cool things this season, but we’re still not playing our best ball. There’s a lot of things that we can do.
“I know that our defensive coordinator, Jay Hill, and the assistants want more from the players on the defense, and they want more production and more disruption. But that comes by everybody doing their one-11th, being more disciplined as a team on the field and trying to make sure that we’re sticking with our assignments, we’re aligned correctly, and we’re using the proper technique. We can do all those things.
“I really like what we can accomplish with this defense, but more importantly, I’m thankful that we have a foundation to work off of, which is their effort and their energy.”
On his coaching staff
“Jay Hill and I speak the same language. We cut our teeth in this business at a young age when we were both assistants at Utah, so we’ve been able to have some great mentors along the way as coaches and to grow at the same time ... I’ve been really honored to have him work alongside me, and we’re all doing this together as well as the other coaches.
“We have our offensive coordinator, Aaron Roderick, who also was with us at Utah, and then we have a bright young coach in Kelly Poppinga doing our special teams. The entire coaching staff has been amazing, but to have the play callers, guys that I know, all speak the same language, it is definitely a benefit.”
On his success over the past 10 seasons at BYU
“It starts with having the consistency in the staff ... I mean, attrition happens naturally in football, and that’s usually with guys going to the league and graduating. But if you can keep our staff together, then we’re keeping the schemes and the techniques, and the teaching process is pretty much the same.
“We’re really familiar with each other, and so I’m thankful that here at BYU, I’ve been given some resources to retain my staff, and then hopefully they don’t go anywhere. I mean, they’re great coaches, and they have the talent to be head coaches at other places. But I want to keep this thing going, keep the band together as long as we can, because we can do some unbelievable things together.”
On BYU’s upcoming road matchup at Arizona
“We have a great Arizona team that we’re going to be going against, and they’re led by Coach (Brent) Brennan, who’s one of my good friends, and so I know they’re going to have their team ready to roll. Nothing’s going to be easy in the Big 12.
“Noah Fifita is a great quarterback. He can sling the ball, and he’s very decisive in where he goes with it. He’s got a bunch of receivers that he can throw to and an O-line that will take care of him, so we have to find ways to disrupt that.
“With all the attention that the offense usually gets in college football, you can’t forget about their defense, too. Danny Gonzales is doing a great job running that defense. They tackle well. They do fundamental things the right way, and then they’re super physical. Their entire team is physical. It’s going to take the best out of us.”
