The start of BYU’s 2024 campaign feels oddly identical to last year.
Both teams were 3-0, had a road win against a Power Four team and were holding offenses to under 16 points per game at that point in the season.
But in 2023, the Cougars hit Big 12 play and promptly fell apart. The team stumbled to a 2-7 finish as both the offense and defense bottomed out in production.
So what is different this time around? BYU head coach Kalani Sitake shot back at critics who say history will repeat itself.
“If you guys think we haven’t made any progress from last year to now, then that is your opinion. But I think we will show [progress]. I think people will realize that we are a different team from last year’s team,” he said defiantly.
There have been some trends from BYU’s opening three weeks that are concerning. BYU’s defense has allowed the quarterback run game to hurt it at times, including two more rushing touchdowns from Wyoming quarterback Evan Svoboda. BYU’s offense has struggled on third down too, converting four of its last 24 tries. The Cougars were penalized heavily last week; BYU drew nine flags for 80 yards against Wyoming.
Still, its fourth down conversion rate is much higher. More impressively, the Cougars have passed the 400-yard threshold twice already. Last year, it didn’t get past that mark once.
In all, Sitake thinks this team has enough to get past the five-win mark and make it to the postseason.
“We are sitting at 3-0. There are some really good things that we are doing. I think a lot of people want to focus on the negative,” he said. “We will get better. We know how to fix those things and we will make it work. But I like to praise the things we have done already as a team.”
Wide receiver Parker Kingston echoed Sitake’s confidence. He said last year’s team wasn’t fully prepared for 10 Power Four games.
Now, as BYU starts Big 12 play against Kansas State this week, he believes BYU has more than two wins left.
“We are miles ahead of where we were last year,” Kingston said. “We didn’t really know what to expect going into last year. But we have a feel [for it now]. We’ve played some of these teams. We know what to expect. There are no roll over games in the Big 12.”