Waco, Texas • Kalani Sitake finally let it all out.
The head coach who’s never lost his cool over the last 10 months — not even as he endured all those gut-wrenching losses in 2023, the heavy criticism during a five-win season, or the doubt that clouded his program all year — couldn’t contain himself anymore. How could he when he saw a potential nightmare playing out in front of him again?
BYU was weathering a massive Baylor run Saturday afternoon. The Bears had cut a 21-point lead down to six with under two minutes to go. BYU needed a first down to end it.
Yet, on second-and-5, running back Enoch Nawahine was flagged for an unsportsmanlike penalty that helped give Baylor the ball back and another chance to win it.
Sitake couldn’t believe his fortune. So he lost it.
Baylor head coach Dave Aranda, left, and BYU head coach Kalani Sitake, right, greet each other after an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Jerry Larson)
“I thought it was an obvious flop. I lost it,” Sitake said. “I don’t think you can call that in that situation, especially when we are trying to run out the clock out. I just had to let the refs hear it. I thought it was a bullcrap call. But that’s OK… I’m sorry I lost my cool.”
He then paused for a half-second and let out perhaps the real impetus for the outburst.
“It felt good to unleash a little bit of anger,” he said with a smile.
Call it an exorcism. Call it fighting away the demons. Because BYU responded to Sitake’s fiery outburst with something it’s never done before.
It stemmed the tide, came up with a late interception from Crew Wakley, and put the game away for a 34-28 win.
It was BYU’s first Big 12 road win. And now the Cougars are 5-0 — a complete reversal from a year ago — and find themselves winning games they almost assuredly would’ve lost a year ago.
It wasn’t necessarily pretty. It never is when you give away a 21-point lead. But sometimes, in seasons that are starting to simmer into special ones, you need to create your own luck when things get close. Last year, BYU didn’t know how to do it. This year, it’s learning.
“I was getting a little tight,” Sitake said, noting the scar tissue from last year. “The players kept me positive and convinced me. After I got done with my yelling, I thought, ‘Alright let’s see what’s going on in this game and make some plays. Get the win.’”
And the reason BYU learned this year was because it leaned into its identity when things got close — it didn’t play it safe and hope for the best like years past.
Sitake encouraged his defensive coordinator Jay Hill to start dialing up the pressure. That’s what his assistant is so well known for.
Hill kept changing up the looks for Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson as the time ticked down. With 1:58 left, Hill’s pressure forced Robertson to throw over the middle and linebacker Jack Kelly nearly came away with a game-sealing interception.
“Jay was able to mix it up at the end. I think it confused him,” Sitake said of the Kelly miss.
And then with a 1:16 on the clock, Hill changed up the look once more. He saw Robertson was killing BYU down the sideline as it stormed back. The Cougars gave up 324 yards through the air.
But Hill dialed up a two-high safety look and asked his corner to funnel the sideline route to Wakley streaking over. It gifted BYU the interception.
BYU safety Crew Wakley (7) intercepts the pass intended for Baylor wide receiver Hal Presley (16) in the final seconds of the fourth quarter as BYU cornerback Marque Collins, right, looks to help in the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Jerry Larson)
The play call was so well-timed that Wakley knew he had the pick almost as the ball was snapped.
“As soon as it was in the air. It’s like a fly ball. And I just have to go get it,” he said.
Defensive lineman Tyler Batty almost seemed refreshed BYU ended the game aggressively, “That’s how we love to operate on defense. Pressures, takeaways, turnovers.”
And for the first time in almost two years, BYU is in the heart of the Big 12 race going into October because of it.
It certainly has a long way to go. The second half of this game was more than enough to show that.
After all, even though BYU saved the win, it nearly squandered a massive lead to get there. During the first half, BYU’s offense piled on 286 yards and Jake Retzlaff went 13-of-18 for three total touchdowns.
Retzlaff uncorked a 44-yard touchdown to Darius Lassiter to give the Cougars a 28-7 lead.
But after that, the turnovers came back and the defense couldn’t get off the field. Retzlaff threw two interceptions and the offense had just 81 yards in the second half. More so, BYU allowed four, fourth-down conversions and five yards per play.
At one point, the Cougars were just shuffling in cornerbacks to see if anybody would work. They used five different options, and all of them failed.
“I wish we played better in the second half like we did in the first half. But you can’t just wish that upon the game,” Sitake said. “We made some mistakes. We can play better football.”
But that is what good teams do when they aren’t playing their best. They find a way to steal a win, eek one out. It’s how you put together a special year.
“We probably didn’t see how this would end up, being 5-0 [before the year],” wide receiver Darius Lassiter said. “But we trusted. You are seeing everything fall into place
BYU is starting to see it happen. And it is fighting demons of old to get there — one game at a time.
