AMES, Iowa — It was Kalani Sitake’s 100th game as the head coach of the BYU Cougars, the program’s seventh game in the Big 12, and seen as a chance to right the ship after back-to-back blowout losses on the road at Texas and West Virginia.
It was BYU vs. Iowa State on a cold, cloudless night in Provo. Suffice it to say it did not go well.
“We fumbled the opening kickoff, and it went downhill from there,” said offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick.
When the carnage was over, Iowa State was waltzing out of LaVell Edwards Stadium with a 45-13 victory and saying goodbye to about half of the original crowd count of 60,754 still suffering through the 30-degree temperatures on Nov. 11, 2023.
In the BYU postgame interview room, after his team had given up 234 rushing yards and 443 yards overall to drop his own overall record to 61-39, Sitake bluntly said the Cougars were learning that if they were ever going to compete in the Big 12, they would have to improve in the trenches.
“Not a good outcome. … We were manhandled on both sides of the ball,” he said.
Noted the Deseret News: “The Cougars were beyond awful on defense, mistake-prone on special teams and soft as a pillow on offense, resulting in one of the most embarrassing home losses in program history.”
Fast forward to Saturday, when the No. 11 Cougars (7-0, 4-0) will get their long-awaited rematch with the Cyclones (5-2, 2-2) at Jack Trice Stadium, the second-largest stadium in the Big 12, behind BYU’s. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. MDT on Fox, and skies are expected to be cloudy for BYU’s first afternoon game since last year’s loss at Arizona State, and first game in Ames since 1974.
Obviously, a lot has changed for Sitake’s program since that gloomy night nearly two years ago. In short, the Cougars have lost only four games since then, and all four of those were one-score games (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas and ASU).
Even the most ardent critics would have to acknowledge that the turnaround from that loss to the Cyclones has been remarkable.
A big reason for the resurgence is line play, as BYU has stepped up to the plate in that regard with the additions of offensive line coach TJ Woods, defensive line coach Sione Po’uha, and better talent all around.
That the Cougars were able to rush for 202 yards against Utah in last week’s 24-21 win is a strong indication of that. But Saturday’s game will also be a big test, as Iowa State is coming off a bye and has a stout defense, 27th in the country in scoring defense (19.0 points per game).
“I like the progress of our program right now,” Sitake said Monday, while noting that the priority for the week was to get over the emotional toll the rivalry game always takes on the Cougars as quickly as possible and move on with that same edge for Iowa State. After beating the Utes last year, the Cougars fell to Kansas and then ASU.
“It is not going to be an easy task, but we knew going into it that this was the position we would be in, and that we would have an opportunity to really improve,” Sitake said. “We have a bye after this, so we can really put all our efforts into this and do everything we can to give our best effort and make sure that we improve from last week to this week. But that’s easier said than done.”
Sitake said Monday when reminded of that 32-point loss to Matt Campbell’s crew that “just being committed to getting bigger and stronger, especially at the O line and D line,” has been the difference.
“I felt like there was a commitment to do that,” he said. “… So we are a different team than two years ago, and a more physical team than we were, but we will find out. We will see what happens on Saturday.”
Iowa State is different, too, after that 2023 win made it bowl eligible. But the Cyclones have the same quarterback, Rocco Becht, who threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns back then.
Becht is completing 63% of his passes for 1,622 yards and nine touchdowns, with just three interceptions. He’s probably the best overall quarterback the Cougars will face this season.
“I love Rocco Becht’s competitive nature,” said BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill. “He can run it, he can throw it. He is really smart. Rarely does he go to the wrong spot with the ball. He looks like a guy who has played a lot of snaps in the Big 12 and won a lot of games.”
Hill’s assessment of that infamous loss to ISU two years ago: “We got our butts kicked. So we got a lot to prove. Those guys came in here a couple of years ago and did a lot of great things against us.”
Hill said BYU fixed a lot of those issues exposed two years ago through recruiting, getting more depth and upgrading its weight room and strength and conditioning staff.
“When you get banged up and you don’t have depth, bad things can happen and you get beat badly,” he said.
“I love Rocco Becht’s competitive nature. He can run it, he can throw it. He is really smart. Rarely does he go to the wrong spot with the ball. He looks like a guy who has played a lot of snaps in the Big 12 and won a lot of games.”
— BYU DC Jay Hill on Iowa State QB
BYU is a bit banged up on defense after playing for five straight weeks — safeties Raider Damuni and Tommy Prassas remain out — and will still be without receiver JoJo Phillips and running back Sione Moa on offense. Roderick said Phillips has been practicing and will return for the Texas Tech game after the bye, while Moa’s situation is “more unsure.”
Iowa State lost its two starting cornerbacks to ACL injuries, but Roderick said there hasn’t been a big drop-off because the Cyclones have also improved their depth after giving BYU that “humbling loss” in 2023.
“Iowa State is a program that I respect a lot. I have looked to them as a program (that) we feel like we could be like them,” Roderick said. “They were good before we were in this conference, and they play with a lot of discipline and toughness. They are a big team like we are. On offense they run the ball like we do, and they are a big, fast, they can throw it and run it.
“On defense they are big and physical,” Roderick continued. “I think it is a program that we look to as someone to emulate. We do different things than them, but we respect them a lot.”
