Kirk Herbstreit Praises BYU, Utah Coaches After Big Wins

SALT LAKE CITY— Utah and BYU have earned national recognition after a pair of wins over the thirteenth and fourteenth-ranked teams in the country. ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit named the No. 10 Utes and No. 22 Cougars two of his top-performing teams in week four.

Herbstreit also recognized BYU head coach Kalani Sitake as one of the week’s top-performing coaches.

RELATED: After Big Wins Utah Moves Up, BYU Cracks The Top 25

Here are my top performing teams of WEEK 4:

Michigan @UMichFootball
Tennessee @Vol_Football
Utah @Utah_Football
Illinois @IlliniFootball
JMU @JMUFootball
BYU @BYUfootball
Navy @NavyFB pic.twitter.com/OIgctHjuWv

— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) September 24, 2024

Utah Utes make statement in first-ever Big 12 game

With a true freshman starting at quarterback in the program’s first Big 12 game, few would have been surprised if the Utes had wilted under the heat of the Texas sun.

RELATED: Utah Football Has Officially Arrived In Big 12 Conference

Despite facing the nation’s No. 14 team, Utah showed they belong with the big boys in a 22-19 win over Oklahoma State that wasn’t as close as the final score would have you believe. The Utes defense held Oklahoma State to just two first downs running the ball and 48 yards on 15 attempts. In stark contrast, Micah Bernard (183 yards) and Isaac Wilson (61 yards) combined for 244 yards on the ground, and the Utes piled up 249 net rushing yards as a team.

Herbstreit honors BYU after K-State stunner

BYU didn’t look sharp through the first 28 minutes of play.  Trailing 6-0 late in the first half, back-to-back turnovers led to touchdowns and gave the Cougars all the momentum in an eventual 38-9 runaway over the No. 13 Kansas State Wildcats

Here are my top performing coaches of WEEK 4:

Sherrone Moore @UMichFootball
Josh Heupel @Vol_Football
Bret Bielema @IlliniFootball
Kalani Sitake @BYUfootball
Adam Fuller DC @FSUFootball
Rhett Lashlee SMU @SMUFB
Morgan Scalley DC @Utah_Football pic.twitter.com/JKuNlno88V

— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) September 24, 2024

Sitake’s defense and special teams units forced three turnovers and consistently put the Cougar’s offense in a positive field position. BYU’s discipline was on full display. The Cougars didn’t commit their first penalty until late in the fourth quarter, with the game no longer in doubt.

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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball coverage here.

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