The BYU Cougars have been making waves this season, but if you ask head coach Kalani Sitake, they haven’t accomplished anything significant yet. Despite being undefeated and holding the No. 22 spot in the rankings, Sitake insists that the team still has much to prove. "Our approach this week is to stay humble and hungry," Sitake remarked ahead of BYU’s upcoming clash with Baylor. This will be the Cougars' first Big 12 road game of the season, and according to the ninth-year coach, "We only get 12 guaranteed opportunities, and we have to take advantage of every one of them."
BYU heads into Saturday’s matchup against Baylor with a perfect 4-0 record, while Baylor sits at 2-2, 0-1 in the conference. Although the Cougars’ undefeated record may be surprising to many outside the program, Sitake and his team know that the real challenges are only beginning. The game will take place at McLane Stadium, which boasts a capacity of over 45,000—a setting where Baylor handily defeated BYU 38-24 just three years ago. Interestingly, the quarterback who led Baylor to that victory, Gerry Bohanon, is now backing up Jake Retzlaff, BYU’s current starting quarterback.
Despite BYU’s dominant 38-9 win over No. 13 Kansas State last week, Saturday’s contest is far from a guaranteed victory for the Cougars. In fact, the momentum might be shifting in Baylor’s favor. The Bears are coming off a heart-wrenching 38-31 overtime loss to Colorado, a game that could serve as a wake-up call for the team. Baylor coach Dave Aranda acknowledged the frustration within his squad, stating, "Our team is very gutted right now, and so frustrated." With emotions running high, all eyes will be on how the Bears respond to such a crushing defeat. Can they bounce back and take down the undefeated Cougars?
On the other side, BYU faces its own challenge—day games. In what has become an unfortunate trend, BYU has struggled mightily in games that kick off before 6 p.m. The numbers are daunting: BYU is 0-10 in its last 10 day games against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams, with an 0-6 record on the road. In those matchups, the Cougars have averaged just 19.9 points per game while giving up a staggering 38.1. In contrast, BYU is 28-3 in night games since 2019, a record that has earned them the quirky nickname “Vampire Cougs” among some fans.
So, is there really something to this day-versus-night game disparity? While some fans may believe in the "Vampire Cougs" theory, the coaches and players aren’t buying into it. BYU’s struggles in day games, they say, have more to do with the level of competition and the fact that many of their night games are played at home. For instance, last year’s day game against Oklahoma—a 10 a.m. kickoff—was one of the toughest challenges BYU faced all season, and although they lost 31-24, the Cougars arguably played their best football of the year.
Sitake, for his part, doesn’t spend much time discussing the day-game woes. He remains focused on preparing his team, regardless of when the game kicks off. “We have been in this situation before. We can adjust our schedule depending on whatever the kickoff time is,” Sitake said earlier this week. "Our support staff, strength staff, and sports scientists do a great job of making sure we’re in the best place to play at our best when the game starts." One such adjustment this week has been asking players to wake up at 6:30 a.m. to help reset their body clocks and prepare for the early start.
Receiver and punt returner Parker Kingston admits that the early wake-up call hasn’t been easy. “It sucks, actually,” he joked. “I have set my alarm for 6:30. I wake up, and I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I lay in bed for 20, 30 minutes.” Despite the grumbling about early mornings, Kingston doesn’t buy into the idea that day games are inherently harder for BYU. “It’s just like playing football when you were a kid—waking up, going to play, and having the rest of the day to watch college football,” he said, brushing aside any concerns.
Defensive lineman John Nelson shares a similar sentiment, saying the early kickoff "shouldn’t be that much of an issue." Safety Crew Wakley added, “I don’t think anybody on the team is worried about what time we are playing. We’re just excited to play ball.” In the locker room and around the team, Wakley said, there’s been no talk of concern regarding the early start time.
While kickoff time is always a topic of interest, the real focus for BYU this week is on maintaining their intensity against a Baylor team that’s expected to come out with fire after their loss to Colorado. The Bears will be looking for redemption, especially considering their last meeting with BYU in 2022 ended in a 26-20 double-overtime loss in Provo.
Receiver Darius Lassiter emphasized that the Cougars will stay true to who they are, regardless of rankings or records. “We’re going to be the same team whether we’re undefeated or not, whether we’re ranked or not,” Lassiter said. His message for Saturday’s game? “We want to prove that we’re not a one-hit-wonder team. We’re going to come out there and be competitive every single time. We’re going to give you our best effort, and we’re going to do it with love in our hearts and a smile on our faces.”
Lassiter believes the team has barely scratched the surface of what it can become. His optimism is shared across the locker room, with many players feeling that BYU is just beginning to hit its stride. Whether they’re playing under the sun or under the lights, the Cougars are determined to make a statement this season.
Saturday’s game against Baylor presents an opportunity for BYU to keep proving the doubters wrong, to show they can perform just as well in the daylight as they do at night. While the odds may seem stacked against them—an early kickoff, a motivated Baylor team, and their day-game struggles—the Cougars are ready for the challenge. After all, they’re not just playing to win another game. They’re playing to show that they belong in the Big 12, and that they’re a force to be reckoned with. Whether it’s their fifth game or their twelfth, every opportunity matters, and BYU intends to take full advantage of it.
Login