On BYU’s final drive against Arizona, LJ Martin put BYU inside the Arizona 10-yard line with a 16-yard run. With more than a minute remaining, BYU had a chance to add some style points.
Instead, BYU went into victory formation and kneeled the ball twice, sealing a 28-17 win over Arizona. After the game, Sitake apologized to his players in the locker room for taking a knee. On The Cut, BYU posted the clip where Sitake explained that taking a knee was “the classy thing to do.”
“That’s what we are,” Sitake said in his postgame speech. “We said the second half let’s get back to our identity. We’re a much more physical team, right? And we started to feel it as the game went on. Sorry we knelt the ball. That’s the classy thing to do, you guys understand that?”
Sitake continued, saying “You guys already knew I was going to call victory [formation] out there, right?” Sitake’s players responded “Yes sir” to both of his questions. In other words, the players knew Sitake would take a knee once the game was in hand, and they agreed it was the classy thing to do.
Some BYU fans disagreed with Sitake’s decision to take a knee in that moment. Their frustration is understandable given BYU’s game control, or lack thereof, has been used as an excuse to keep the Cougars out of the playoff despite having a resume that warranted a spot.
After the game, ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura described BYU’s win, saying “The 28-17 result was not a comprehensive victory, but it was comfortable.” In other words, there is already a narrative building around this BYU team that it just finds ways to win close games.
Would a 35-17 win look more “comprehensive” than a 28-17 win? Probably. Would a 35-17 win move the needle more than a 28-17 win in the eyes of a committee that has found different ways to exclude BYU in the past? Potentially, but probably not.
Kalani Sitake has turned BYU into one of the Big 12’s best programs by building a culture that aligns with who he is as a person. ESPN called him, “Your favorite coach’s favorite coach” for a season. Sitake values relationships above metrics and his personality is a big reason why BYU has managed to retain coaches and players in a transactional era of college sports.
If there is one thing we have learned about Kalani Sitake, it’s that he will not change who he is to conform to the group. While it may hurt BYU’s playoff resume in the short term, the culture he’s built is a key part of BYU’s success in the long term.
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