Kalani Sitake emphasizes urgency as No. 7 BYU prepares for No. 3 Utah
Nov 1, 2026, 6:51 PM
PROVO — There are no off weeks when navigating a Power Four schedule. No. 7 BYU earned a bounce-back win over the weekend, defeating Arizona State 27-20, but now one of the season’s toughest tests awaits: a road matchup at No. 3 Utah.
BYU hasn’t played great over the past two weeks, since that marquee win over Notre Dame.
The Cougars gained only 283 yards of offense and scored 27 points against an Arizona State team that had been losing by 28 points per game in its previous two true road games.
It was a win, but when you pair it up with the disappointing performance that resulted in a double overtime loss on October 24 to a UCF team that got hammered this past weekend by Baylor, there are some real questions surrounding BYU heading into the first-ever top-10 rivalry matchup against the Utes.
Kalani Sitake is turning the page to rivalry week
“That game is different every time. So, no matter what you guys think is going to happen, it’s a different week. I’m more focused on trying to get our team [ready],” BYU football head coach Kalani Sitake said following Saturday’s 27-20 win over Arizona State. “We have to make more improvement week to week. I thought we did some really good things this week. We need to be consistent. That’s my focus.”
Sitake and BYU now shift their attention to the Utes, who climbed to No. 3 in the AP Top 25 poll after crushing Cincinnati 49-25 on the road in Nippert Stadium. The Utes are off to their first 8-0 start in a season since 2010 under first-year head coach Morgan Scalley.
BYU enters the game as an underdog against the Utes, but that might be a spot the Cougars enjoy as they have won two straight against Utah when the prognostications are not in their favor.
Kalani’s crew comes into Saturday’s early morning 10 a.m. kick with a three-game win streak over Utah. BYU is looking for its first four-game win streak against the Utes since 1992.
Sitake, who worked for Utah more than a decade ago from 2005 to 2014 as a defensive assistant and defensive coordinator, was complimentary of the undefeated Utes.
“They’re a great team, and they’re ranked. They’re undefeated for a reason. So it’s not going to be an easy task, but I’m looking forward to the matchup. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Urgency is going to be a top priority for BYU football in prep for Utah
One thing Sitake wants to see from his 7-1 team, which moved up to No. 7 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll, is urgency. BYU’s past two weeks have been lackluster.
I’m looking forward to the amount of urgency that it’ll take from our players, and the amount of detail and their attention coming into it. It’s going to be great preparation. I’m looking forward to all the practices and the prep for it.”
No. 7 BYU vs. No. 3 Utah
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026
Kickoff: 10 a.m. (MST)
TV: ABC
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM)
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
