Sitake Says Evaluation Continues At QB
Sep 12, 2018, 11:09 PM | Updated: Sep 14, 2018, 5:46 pm
Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Tanner Mangum (12) is sacked by the California Golden Bears in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
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PROVO, Utah – Following the 21-18 loss to Cal Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said in his Monday press conference that all positions, including quarterback, will continue to be under evaluation.
“Our job as coaches is to make sure we have the right guys at the right positions to make plays. He’s no different. Everyone’s being evaluated.”
The statement came after Sitake was asked about his thoughts on Tanner Mangum’s performance in the game. Mangum threw for 196 yards on 22-of-41 throwing with a touchdown and two interceptions, both of which came on key drives in the fourth quarter.
“Not good enough from anybody. It wasn’t just one guy. Everyone is being evaluated on this team at every position,” Sitake said.
The coach said he was pleased with the effort, but not the results.
Holding Both Players & Coaches Accountable
“Our job as coaches is to make sure we have the right guys at the right positions to make plays. He’s no different. Everyone’s being evaluated. We had an opportunity to win and didn’t do enough,” said Sitake.
It wasn’t just the players that he spoke about. The coaches also need to make adjustments, he said.
“We all need to do a better job as a program to win games. The players make plays but the coaches can definitely put them in position to do better as well,” said Sitake.
Mangum won the starting job for the Cougars after beating out freshman Zach Wilson during fall camp. Sitake was also asked whether he considering inserting Wilson in the game to give the Cougars a boost against Cal.
“I don’t know… we look at different positions. I don’t look at personnel groups right away. I’m looking at why we’re not clicking as a unit as an offense and a defense. We look at different positions,” he said. “We’re always evaluating how we can get the best athletes in the best position for us to win. That’s all I care about. That’s what we’ll do this week and we’ll see what happens on Saturday.”
BYU visits No. 6 Wisconsin on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. The game will be played at 1:30 p.m. on ABC.
