Everything BYU Coach Kalani Sitake Said On ESPN’s College GameDay

PROVO, Utah – BYU football head coach Kalani Sitake made an appearance during ESPN’s College GameDay, showcasing the unbeaten showdown against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.

Here’s the full exchange between ESPN’s Rece Davis and BYU football head coach Kalani Sitake.

#BYU head coach Kalani Sitake on @CollegeGameDay.

"So very thankful to Coastal Carolina and the Sun Belt Conference that they're able to take game on."#BYUFootball @kslsports pic.twitter.com/vjRttGUht1

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 5, 2020

Davis: What was the reaction like among your players when this game became official?

Sitake: They’re so excited to play. You have to understand we have a bunch of guys that love football. When the opportunity to play happened, they’re getting really excited, and then when it was confirmed Thursday, the guys were ready to go.

We’ve been wanting to add a game for months now, and now that it’s here, we’re ready to play, and I’m really happy for our players.

Davis: How does this game benefit BYU football?

Sitake: We get to play football, and when it all comes down to it, our guys love playing the game, and we’re just gonna stay focused on the fact that we get to have a great, quality opponent like Coastal Carolina. Well coached, Jamey Chadwell has done an excellent job here and his staff. We’re looking forward to the matchup and then just another opportunity to play football, and that’s what it’s gotta be focused on.

Davis: Kalani, how would you compare this scouting report this game plan in terms of strategy taking advantage of weaknesses, compared to the ones where you knew all season you were going to play?

Sitake: The fortunate part is that College GameDay is part of our tradition as a football team. We normally play our games late in the evening, but we know about Coastal Carolina, and we know about the Sun Belt Conference. We’re very thankful they’re able to take this game on.

#BYU fans showing up in Conway, South Carolina for @CollegeGameday. #BYUFootball @kslsports pic.twitter.com/HjfxsmFyPz

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 5, 2020

When you watch the film, you see that they’re a dangerous team and well-coached and they have a lot of athletes all over the place. So it’s going to take a lot of focus and discipline on our team. Then you know, Grayson McCall does a great job of spreading the ball out as a quarterback. I think a lot of attention goes to their offense, but if you look at their defense, they complement their offense really well, and they’re able to create havoc and create turnovers. So it’s gonna be a good test for us.

We’re just excited to play the game of football and really thankful to Coastal Carolina University and the team for taking this game on. A lot of hard work had to go and had to take place in a short amount of time for this to happen, and our players want to express their gratitude and appreciation by playing the best as they can this weekend.

Davis: Not sure if your film study included Coastal Carolina’s post-game victory celebrations with the WWE flavor but you, my friend, have been known to dabble in choreography a bit yourself to celebrate. What kind of moves do you have planned if you guys are able to win tonight?

Sitake: Those things aren’t coordinated too well. Maybe I should choreography it a little bit better, but we’re going to have fun with the game man. This is football.

The one thing the pandemic has done is that as a society, we’ve taken things for granted, and so hopefully, that doesn’t ever happen again. Anytime, any second we could spend with our players in this moment, playing football, we’re going to enjoy it, and we’re gonna have a lot of fun. That means expressing and showing our gratitude on the field, showing sportsmanship, but doing our best that we can. Then we can live with the results afterward.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m., KSL Newsradio). Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper and the KSL Sports app.