There have been plenty of complaints about how the national media handled Deion and Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and the Colorado Buffaloes all season long.
BYU fans felt it acutely during the Alamo Bowl, believing that announcers Dave Pasch and Dusty Dvoracek spent most of the night talking about the Buffs’ stars instead of BYU’s dominating victory.
But here’s the upside of that.
A TON of people just saw what BYU can do on the football field.
The Alamo Bowl has been the most watched game of bowl season, ESPN PR revealed Tuesday. The game averaged 8.0 million viewers. That topped the Alamo Bowl’s previous best (7.8 million for Michigan State and Texas Tech in 2010). It was also the most watched non-CFP/NY6 bowl game since the 2019-20 Citrus Bowl between Michigan and Alabama.
The network’s other top bowl games so far:
Pop-Tarts Bowl (Iowa State vs. Miami) — 6.8 million
Liberty Bowl (Texas Tech vs. Arkansas) — 4.2 million
Pinstripe Bowl (Boston College vs. Nebraska) — 4.2 million
Birmingham Bowl (Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt) — 4.1 million
The Big Thing
One of the lasting images from the Alamo Bowl might be Deion Sanders wiping Gatorade from Kalani Sitake’s face in a postgame embrace.
“If I’m going to get my butt kicked, I’d rather get my butt kicked by that coach,” Sanders said. “I love him to life, man. He’s a good man.”
Even as BYU beat Colorado 36-14, in a result few saw coming, the most surprising part of the week was Sitake and Sanders’ budding friendship.
On the surface, they couldn’t be more opposite. Case and point: Sanders walked into a news conference wearing white overalls and movie star shades. Sitake walked in behind him — in a polo and sport coat as his standard attire.
“I got one outfit, man. This is about it,” Sitake said. “I could never make that work.”
Read More: How BYU confused Shedeur Sanders with an overload of schemes
But it didn’t stop Sanders from being overly complimentary of Sitake and his program. He thought the future was bright for the 11-2 Cougars.
“We have to deal with these guys next year, the year after that. They’re not going anywhere,” Sanders said. “This man is not going anywhere.”
He added, “They have this attitude, this intellect, this intelligence. His team embodies who he is as a man. That is a daunting task.”
Sitake joked about his own Sanders stories. He grew up a 49ers fan and watched him win a Super Bowl with his team in 1994.
“Liked him more when he was wearing a Niners uniform than the other one,” he said. “He played in Atlanta with people that I knew [from] BYU, Brian Mitchell. There’s a lot of connections.”
He added, “I feel like he’s my guy. We’re able to talk about a bunch of stuff, especially with college football, how much it’s changing. I’m able to lean on his intelligence and advice. We have a really good relationship, a good friendship. I love him back.”
Sanders ended his comments with a story. Both teams were at SeaWorld, going through some rides. Sanders saw a few BYU players in the back and decided to pull them up with his group — skipping the line.
“I told a couple of your big boys, I said, ‘C’mon, man, we family.’ Do you know why I did that? Because of the love I have for this man and the support and the compassion that he’s exuded to me. His kids are family,” he said.
As for Sitake, he noted, “They [should] try to follow you around a little more.”
An odd relationship is brewing in the Big 12.
Fourth down
1. Running up the score without the mainstays
BYU’s top receivers really didn’t contribute much to the Alamo Bowl. Chase Roberts was injured early and left the game in a sling. Darius Lassiter missed the first half due to a suspension.
They combined for just 35 yards total, and BYU still scored 36 points. It underscored how well BYU ran the ball, pushing for 180 yards on the ground. They were more physical than Colorado’s defensive line, something that wouldn’t have happened a year ago.
LJ Martin made his case for why he’s BYU’s best offensive player. He looked healthy again as he had 88 yards and two touchdowns. His ability to extend plays is something we’ve written about often. But the physicality he showed, dragging defenders into the end zone, was impressive against a team as talented as Colorado. The Buffaloes aren’t known for their defense, but it was a good springboard nonetheless for Martin.
3. Mory Bamba
Cornerback Mory Bamba and lineman Caleb Etienne could theoretically return due to junior college players getting another year. After the game, Bamba said it is trending for him to come back. Etienne said he needed some more time to think it over.
BYU gave Gerry Bohanon some time in his final college game. Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick used him in the run game. He used him in the throw game with multiple quarterbacks on the field at the same time.
Bohanon had some good and bad. He threw an interception into double coverage on one trick play. But he also had 18 yards on the ground, including an 11-yard run to the goal line that set up a Martin touchdown.
Bohanon had a long career that never really settled as the starter. But he doesn’t need that spotlight anymore, his legacy already set to those who matter.
Closing thought
I didn’t think we’d be writing about Kyle Whittingham after BYU won the Alamo Bowl. But here we are.
Last week, Deion Sanders and Kalani Sitake were both asked about which head coach could be the Big 12’s new standard bearer.
Whittingham, with his 20 seasons of success, seemed like a natural candidate to fill the role when he stepped into the league. But the Utes fell apart and the Big 12 ate him up.
Sanders gave his take.
“First of all, I don’t want that torch [from Whittingham]. That torch is unbelievable. It’s heavy. The consistency that he’s brought for years and years and years is unbelievable. That thing is too heavy for me to carry,” he said. “He is phenomenal. I look up to him. I look out for him. I pray for him. He is awesome, exemplified.”
But Sitake was unsure if the Big 12 will ever have that stalwart person year in and year out.
“Who has held the torch in this conference? It’s changed quite a bit,” he said. “The parity is unbelievable. I don’t know if you can really feel comfortable holding the torch.”
For now, it looks like both BYU and Colorado will be at the top of the rankings next year in the Big 12.
But as far as how long?
In this league, success is usually fleeting.
