This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Glendale, Ariz.

Kalani Sitake kept telling everyone who asked that there were no real surprises since he was hired as BYU's new football coach. Nothing had blown him away, nothing had startled or shaken him, nothing had fallen outside the circle of what he expected. A warm embrace had surrounded him, had made him feel like everything was going to be OK.

And, then, the actual games started.

Then, Saturday night happened.

And everything really was OK.

In his first game steering BYU football, Sitake's Cougars beat the Pac-12's Arizona here in the NFL's Cardinals' building, 18-16.

If this is what Sitake anticipated, it might be a brutally exhilarating year for the Cougars.

Here's what happened, in short form: The Cougars had victory in hand, and then they had their guts torn out. They led the whole way — until the final moments, allowing a touchdown drive in a game that saw few of them. At the end, after a comeback drive that required 1 minute and 16 seconds, they relied on a field-goal attempt by walk-on kicker Jake Oldroyd, who'd never before kicked in a game, and won.

Preposterous, but cool.

"It was a great win," Sitake said.

Taysom Hill looked promising in Ty Detmer's offense at times, and at others looked hesitant and discombobulated. In the first half, the senior quarterback, whose hair was less on fire and who did not seem quite as fleet afoot, completed 10 of 13 passes for 75 yards. Maybe you slow down when you reach a certain age (just kidding there, folks).

By the end of the game, Hill appeared more settled, more in control. He led that masterful game-winning drive. His running may have been below his ridiculous standards of the past, but he survived.

It was clear that Detmer's game plan, a conservative one that mostly made sense — maybe with the exception of some old and untimely Norm Chow draw plays and not enough imagination — would be heavy on Jamaal Williams runs. The Cougars attempted to take advantage of their bigger size up front compared with Arizona's defensive line. The goal was two-fold: Wear down the smaller Wildcats and run clock, keeping the ball away from the supposedly potent UA offense. Williams, playing his first football since November of 2014 after withdrawing from school last year, ended with 162 yards.

Detmer, apparently, really does favor a balanced attack, like he said he would. While his plays were not always properly executed, mistakes stalling too many drives, penalties killing some huge plays, the calls themselves only occasionally seemed boneheaded, which may not have been the case for some offensive coordinators calling their first major college game.

Sustained drives, though, were in short supply.

On the other side, first-time defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki represented himself well. Which is to say, his defense represented itself well until a few breakdowns late. The Cougars allowed 107 total yards in the first two quarters, and minus-12 on the ground. Points by Arizona were difficult to come by until the flurry at the end.

Francis Bernard, another new guy doing a new thing, having switched from running back to linebacker before spring ball, had some stellar plays, including an interception and a sack on third-and-4 near the end of the half that pushed an attempted field goal by the Wildcats out of comfy range. It was missed, and the Cougars held onto their 9-0 lead at the break, the first time in more than a year that Arizona had been shutout in the first half. The third and fourth quarters were a grind and a reward for BYU.

Sitake said he'd take it: "I trust these guys."

At the end, the new coach was only at the beginning.

He knew as much. He hung onto as much. He hopes for as much.

There is work to do, improvement to make, experience to gain, hardship to handle, wins to relish. His team must yet smooth its ride. And he knows that, too.

The Cougars go now from one Pac-12 opponent to another. The Utes await at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday, led by one of Sitake's mentors, Kyle Whittingham. Having worked as Utah's defensive coordinator for so many years, Sitake presumably won't be surprised by that, either. Thereafter, another Pac-12 team, UCLA, stands in the way. And after that, there's West Virginia. And after that … well, you get the idea.

It may not be surprising, but steep is the curve he'll learn by. Difficult — but, oh, so sweet, apparently — are the lessons ahead.

GORDON MONSON hosts "The Big Show" with Spence Checketts weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 97.5 FM and 1280 AM The Zone. Twitter: @GordonMonson.