Kalani Sitake In ‘Tight Spot’ But Optimistic Cougars Will Respond

PROVO, Utah – At the midway point of the season, BYU football sits at 2-4 on the year. Before the year, there was an argument to be had that the Cougars would have this record through six games.

But when you score victories against Tennessee and USC, 2-4 feels hollow. Especially when two of those losses were against teams from Group of 5 conferences.

Losing to Toledo and South Florida has not helped head coach Kalani Sitake’s case to receive a contract extension. Sitake, who has only one year left after this season on his contract, acknowledges this is not an ideal situation for his team.

#BYU head coach Kalani Sitake on what makes a good run defense. pic.twitter.com/a5t9m9VGX7

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 14, 2019

“I’ve been in tight spots before where we’ve had to respond well with coaching,” said Sitake. “Been coaching for 19 years so this isn’t new to me. So we’ll respond the right way.”

The path to getting out of this tight spot doesn’t get any easier as BYU welcomes No. 14 Boise State this Saturday to Provo and then the Cougars make a trip to Utah State in Logan two weeks later.

After being 2-1 and receiving votes in the AP Top 25, it’s shocking how far the season has turned on BYU in a hurry. Now BYU’s berth in the Hawaii Bowl is already on life support.

When tight spots happen for a program, players can start to lose doubt or motivation, but players on the BYU roster are still motivated to get out of this tight spot for their head coach.

#BYU LB Chaz Ah You on how he reacts when he hears head coach Kalani Sitake take blame for the team’s performance. pic.twitter.com/AE3Cc1PkwU

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 14, 2019

“When a coach steps up and takes the blame for the players, that shows a lot of love, a lot of humility. As a player, that makes you want to step up your game even more,” said linebacker Chaz Ah You.

Sitake’s contract situation has been a storyline throughout the year, but with recent losses, it’s taking on a bigger presence in the program. Players are well aware.

“Obviously, he (Sitake) doesn’t have the extension right now. So his job is on the line. For him to put himself under the bus and kind of take the blame for the way that we are playing, that shows a lot of love. It makes me just want to go out there and work harder for him,” said Ah You.

Now in order BYU to get out of this tough spot, they have to win. Sitake is optimistic his team will be able to do so but it’s going to take BYU’s best effort in order to pull Sitake out of this tough spot that he’s currently in. Can they do it? The next two rivalry games will give us all the answers we need to know.

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