Cougars Have ‘New Life’ After Beating Boise State

PROVO, Utah – BYU had its biggest win of the year this weekend over Boise State. KSL’s UnRivaled wondered – how does this win change the season outlook for the Cougars?

The win was bigger than beating USC or Tennessee in overtime earlier in the season because the Cougars were in control against the Broncos for the majority of the night.

Heading into the Boise State game, it seemed only the diehard BYU fans predicted a win over a top-15 Broncos team. BYU was starting its third-string quarterback who is a true freshman and walk-on with Baylor Romney.

Kalani’s influence on the defense, Baylor Romney, and the aggressive play calling were just some of the topics discussed on the new #CougarTracks podcast. #BYU https://t.co/VZNZkjZRCa pic.twitter.com/wMTi1rsPhz

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) October 22, 2019

Following back-to-back losses to South Florida and Toledo and not having Zach Wilson under center, it would be forgiven for fans to veer attention to something else.

This game was different on both sides of the ball. After this Boise State upset there is more optimism for the Cougars the rest of the way.

Coaching Adjustments Sparked Improvement

Things were not working well for this BYU team and not all of it was injury related. KSL Sports’ Jeremiah Jensen discussed how head coach Kalani Sitake had to make some adjustments on game day with his staff and it appeared to work out well.

“What a huge win for Kalani Sitake. He had to make some hard choices and there are not a lot of people talking about what those choices were, but there was some reassigning going on with this staff,” Jensen said.

One of #BYU's trick plays in the win against Boise State was taken from the Broncos bag of tricks. https://t.co/2GA35onSyM

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 22, 2019

One notable change Alex Kirry, host of UnRivaled, saw on the BYU sideline during defensive plays was Sitake and defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki shoulder-to-shoulder.

“We had the binoculars (in the press box) and it was a weird thing on the sideline it was Kalani and Ilaisa Tuiaki standing next to each other and they have the cards up next to their face,” Kirry said, “They both are talking back and forth and then Tuiaki is doing the hand signals in.”

That set up hasn’t been the norm for the defense. It worked. This BYU defense was more aggressive – equaling a season-high in team sacks and the second-best performance in tackles for loss.

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The defensive changes were not the only ones for Sitake, offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes moved from coaching up in the booth to the field. He swapped spots with quarterbacks coach Aaron Roderick.

Aggressiveness on offense was one of the big takeaways from #BYU's rival win versus Boise State. https://t.co/GkJbov8r8g

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 20, 2019

The offensive game plan was vastly different and Jensen believes it was Roderick who was calling those trick plays.

“That BYU’s offense had A Rod’s fingerprints all over it and I felt I was watching Utah’s offense from a few years ago. It just felt very familiar,” Jensen said, “Give credit to Baylor Romney for coming out in his first start and somebody who has been doing scout team for a while.”

How Does Perception Change?

The win for BYU brings new life for the rest of the season. This upset win tips the balance back to the Cougars earning a postseason bid for the second consecutive year.

The changes Sitake made worked so well that UnRivaled feels the adjustments should become the new normal.

BYU’s schedule changes so much after the first half of the season. The first half saw four Power Five teams and an undefeated Boise State with South Florida and Toledo mixed in. The Cougars got ready to play against those bigger name teams and that is the energy they need to bring when playing every team, regardless of record or prestige.

Emotion is a part of football and the drastic change in opponents can allow for some to become relaxed and not as focused with a lesser opponent.

“This BYU team had a letdown from the past two weeks. You go from playing Power Five teams then all of a sudden you travel two time zones and playing this [Toledo] team no one really heard of, it is early in the morning and then you get embarrassed,” Jensen said, “All of a sudden your confidence is shot, and then you do it again two weeks later with the same scenario and the same thing repeats.”

The Cougars still have two top-25 caliber teams in Utah State (4-2) with their only losses coming against LSU and Wake Forest then San Diego State (5-1).

Take those teams seriously as well as the lesser ones in UMass, Liberty, and Idaho State, and this BYU team is on track to end the season on a high note, ended Kirry.

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