Whenever the story of this season is finished, whenever the final pillars of the Independence era come down, know this: Kalani Sitake wanted it this way.
When he sat down at the dais in BYU’s student-athlete building seven years ago, accepting the head coaching responsibilities of a program in the abyss, Sitake believed a year like this one was close. He saw the path out of the college football obscurity, even if many didn’t believe him.
That day, he talked about his plan for BYU to schedule tough enough, and win enough games, that it would will its way into a Power Five conference. He talked about the mission to refill the empty cupboard Bronco Mendenhall left behind and restock BYU’s locker room with talent. He talked about returning BYU to the days of LaVell Edwards.
This year, a vision is coming together for BYU. The program is a year away from playing in the Big 12. This is the deepest team BYU has had in years — returning the most production in college football. And the Cougars have the toughest schedule of the independence era.
If BYU wins 10 games this year, it will be the first time BYU has had three consecutive double-digit win seasons since 2009.
“This is a big part of why I wanted to be the head coach,” Sitake said of the outlook of this year. “Back when I was hired in December of 2015, this is what I wanted to be a part of. I feel like this will be a good way to test our guys and get us ready for the Power Five level. We knew if we did things right, we would eventually get into a conference. Now we are in a good spot.”
Changes are already happening to be Big 12 ready. It will inevitably become a large storyline throughout this season.
But for now, Sitake is focused on navigating a gauntlet of a calendar — including five Power Five opponents and Notre Dame. And to BYU’s head coach, it starts by mitigating some of the self-inflicted wounds that derailed the 2021 season.
It is about staying healthy, stopping the run and riding a veteran quarterback hoping to make an unlikely push to an elusive New Year’s Six bowl.
All eyes on Jaren Hall
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) BYU quarterback Jaren Hall (3) tries to get past Utah State Aggies cornerback Cameron Haney (6), in football action between Brigham Young Cougars and Utah State Aggies in Logan, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019.
This season hinges on Jaren Hall. There is no other way to say it.
BYU’s offense returns 80% of its production from a year ago. The wide receivers room returns veterans Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney. The running backs room adds fifth-year senior Chris Brooks. The offensive line is among the deepest and most productive in the country.
Without Hall, though, none of it matters.
BYU got a taste of what the offense looked like without Hall last year. He missed three games due to injury, and the Cougars sputtered to a 31-28 defeat to UAB without him to end the season.
This year, the gap between Hall and the rest of the quarterback room is perhaps even greater. Jacob Conover is Hall’s backup, and has thrown a total of 10 passes in his college career. Last year, BYU had Baylor Romney, a veteran senior, to spell Hall whenever he went down.
Against this schedule, BYU’s path to winning starts with keeping Hall healthy and productive.
He finished with 2,583 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. This year, Hall has been projected as high as a first-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
Run defense under construction
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brigham Young Cougars defensive back Javelle Brown (19) takes down Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver LV Bunkley-Shelton (6) in football action between the Brigham Young Cougars and the Arizona State Sun Devils at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021.
BYU has long talked about how the defense returns 10 of 11 starters from a year ago. Here is the thing: the defense still remains the most glaring question mark of this group. In particular, the run defense.
Opponents averaged 4.3 yards per carry against the defense and almost 185 rushing yards in total. What’s more, BYU’s third-down defense suffered because of its inability to stop the run. The Cougars ranked 106th in the country in third-down defense in 2021.
The way BYU is going to be successful this season is by keeping the offense on the field as much as possible. Getting off the field is Iliasia Tuiaki’s No. 1 priority.
The blueprint for success, Tuiaki says, is within the returning production. With nearly everyone back, there is nobody playing out of place or still learning the playbook.
Of course, it goes without saying that the defense also needs to stay healthy. Last year, Payton Wilgar and Keenan Pili went down in the heart of the linebacking core. After that, BYU struggled to hold opponents under 30 points.
Talk about Chris Brooks
Cal-transfer Chris Brooks will come to BYU as a three-year starter.
Brooks didn’t think he’d be in Provo right now. He thought he was going to Purdue.
But after a recruiting process that shocked even the BYU staff, he is the program’s answer to its biggest gap to fill. Brooks will be the starting running back to replace Tyler Allgeier.
Allgeier set BYU’s single-season touchdown record last year with 23 scores on 1,601 rushing yards. He took such a large bulk of the carries that there wasn’t any heir apparent when he jetted off to the NFL this year.
So BYU went to the transfer portal and picked up Brooks. A fifth-year transfer from Cal, Brooks fits the zone run scheme Aaron Roderick loves to run. Brooks has a similar running style to Allgeier, patient and can grind out yards until he hits a big hole.
At Cal, Brooks finished with 1,734 yards and 14 touchdowns.
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