Cougars Look To Build Consistency Against Boise State
Nov 2, 2018, 10:12 PM
Boise State safety Kekoa Nawahine intercepts a pass against BYU in Provo on Friday, Oct. 6, 2017. (Jeff Allred, Deseret News)
(Jeff Allred, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – Following a disappointing 7-6 loss to Northern Illinois last week, the BYU Cougars will look to regroup against Boise State.
In summary of what the Cougars learned about themselves after the loss to NIU, head coach Kalani Sitake said the key will be consistency.
“I know there were a lot of things that were disappointing from last week’s performance, but we need to be more consistent as a team, and that’s my job as a head coach. We need to find a way to be consistent. If you look at the season, we’ve played some really good games and played some really bad ones. Even within the game we’ve shown some really good things, some good drives and then it’s just not consistent enough,” said Sitake.
Cougars Winless On The Smurf Turf
In Boise State, the Cougars are getting an opponent that they consider a rival. They’ll be playing on the Broncos’ legendary blue turf, a surface on which the Cougars are yet to win. The last time these two teams met in 2017, the Broncos 24-7 in Provo.
“There have been some really close games. Also, even though we’re not in the same state, we have a lot of fans in Idaho,” Sitake stated. “They’ve had a lot of success. Maybe them being on the schedule more consistently has made it that way. There are three teams that we feel like are on the schedule more than others year-to-year — Utah, Boise and Utah State.”
Boise State QB Could Make History
There’s also a legitimate chance that some history will be made in the game. Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien is just 250 yards away from becoming the Mountain West Conference’s all-time passing yardage leader.
“They have a really experienced quarterback running the show,” said Sitake. “He can throw the ball.”
Rypien’s ability on the field hasn’t escaped the attention of the BYU defenders either.
“They have a great quarterback and they have three great receivers,” said Cougar safety Tanner Jacobson. “Boise has three guys that have more than 500 yards receiving. Their quarterback is top five in the nation in passing as well. It’s an exciting opportunity for us.”
The game will kick off Saturday at 8:15 p.m. It will be broadcast on ESPN2.
