Five Things We Learned From Kalani Sitake’s BYU/Kansas State Presser
Sep 16, 2024, 2:39 PM
BYU football head coach Kalani Sitake set the stage for Kansas State week. (Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)
(Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)
PROVO, Utah – BYU football kicked off week four of the 2024 season with a virtual press conference from head coach Kalani Sitake.
The ninth-year head coach spent 15 minutes on Zoom with the media before his team’s scheduled Saturday night home game against No. 13 Kansas State.
BIG 12 OPENER THIS WEEK 🤙 pic.twitter.com/43UvAvYwJD
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) September 16, 2024
Here are five key things we learned from Sitake’s press conference for K-State week.
Third-down conversions are not concerning to Kalani Sitake
In BYU’s past two wins, the Cougars are 2-of-24 on third-down conversions. Sitake was asked if there was a common thread about what’s causing the issues on third down.
“I care about the points on the board. I know that we’re leaving some points on the field. So let’s convert some conversions, keep drives going and get the ball in the end zone. I’m not really concerned about the last two weeks, but I want us to perform better this week.”
On the flip side, BYU has been 5-of-6 on fourth-down conversions for the past two weeks.
RELATED: BYU Football Depth Chart For Kansas State Week
Injury update on BYU running backs entering Kansas State game
BYU was without LJ Martin and Hinckley Folau Ropati last week. Martin is dealing with an ankle injury, while Ropati is working his back from a knee injury.
BYU’s running back was tested more against Wyoming as Enoch Nawahine, who made the trip to Laramie, was a late scratch against the Pokes due to injury.
#BYU head coach Kalani Sitake gives an injury update for K-State week.
– DB Micah Harper (Available)
– RBs LJ Martin, Hinckley Folau Ropati, and Enoch Nawahine ("Still a chance this week we could see those guys")#BYUFootball— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) September 16, 2024
Sitake discussed the outlook on the three running backs entering the Kansas State game.
“We’re still evaluating. There’s still a chance this week that we could see those guys. But right now, we feel good about the entire group,” said Sitake.
If those three players are unavailable, BYU will have Miles Davis, Sione I. Moa, and Pokaiaua Haunga as the top three running backs.
Latest on Micah Harper
BYU standout safety Micah Harper did not play last week against Wyoming. The Chandler, Arizona native was suited up in Laramie and went through pregame warmups, but he didn’t play.
BYU opened the game against Wyoming in nickel, and Jakob Robinson anchored the nickel spot.
Head coach Kalani Sitake said after the win over Wyoming that Harper didn’t play because he was “banged up.”
Through three weeks, Harper has only played 29 snaps.
When asked for an update on Harper heading into Kansas State week, “I think Micah will be ready to go this week.”
“Deeper than we’ve been before”
During BYU’s blowout victories over Southern Illinois and Wyoming, Kalani Sitake gave snaps to underclassmen. KSL Sports asked Sitake where he felt the readiness level of the freshman and sophomore class was at entering Big 12 play.
“They’ll be ready. I think they have a role and a lot of them will be called on to do some things, depending on the matchup and things like that. But I was pleased with how they’ve come along.
#BYU head coach Kalani Sitake, when asked about the readiness of the freshmen and sophomore class to contribute if called upon in Big 12 play:
"We feel we're deeper than we've been before. We've had to test some of our depth in the RB position. I think we'll be in a really good…
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) September 16, 2024
“Obviously, I wasn’t happy about the drive in the Wyoming game when we gave up those points and a lot of yardage, but it’s what we needed. We needed those guys to get that valuable experience, and it was worth the sacrifice of yards and even some points in the game last week because I think it’ll pay off in games like this coming weekend.”
Sitake added confidence in BYU’s depth as they enter Big 12 Conference play.
“This is going to be a fun atmosphere [on Saturday]. It’s going to be a fun game. Everybody wants to be a part of it. So we feel we’re deeper than we’ve ever been before. We’ve had to test some of our depth in the running back position. I think we’ll be in a really good spot. We knew this was a violent, physical game, so I feel good about where we stand. I feel good about the talent, especially with the freshmen. There’s a lot of talent there.”
Excited for BYU to host Kansas State in a late-night game
BYU gets the chance to host a nationally-ranked team in a late-night spot. BYU has thrived in night games, posting a 29-5 record in games that kickoff at 6 p.m. or later since 2019.
“I want to show off our fans, man. That’s a big part of our program and a big part of the athletic department here is that our fans pack the house,” Sitake said. “You guys saw our game against Southern Illinois. It was a full house. There’s already a lot of energy leading up to this game because our fans are awesome.
“We knew that Kansas State had a really good team coming back, and we knew they were well-coached and were going to be ready for this game.”
BYU vs. No. 13 Kansas State
Date: Saturday, September 21
Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. (MT)
TV: ESPN
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM)
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
