BYU Players Run Out American, Navy, Marine Corps Flags Before Season Opening Kickoff

Sep 7, 2020, 6:14 PM | Updated: Sep 10, 2020, 12:11 am

KSL Sports

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – BYU players ran out of the tunnel before their season opener against Navy carrying four flags rather than the traditional two flags before kickoff to the 2020 season.

It’s a ritual of every BYU game that players (alumni during home games) carry the United States flag and the team flag as they run out of the tunnel before kickoff.

The white and royal of @BYUfootball are on the field in Annapolis.#BYU #BYUSN pic.twitter.com/zk6GDxRXkx

— Spencer Linton (@Spencer_Linton) September 8, 2020

According to BYU play-by-play broadcaster, Cougars defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga carried the United States flag. Linebacker Isiah Kaufusi carried the Navy flag, offensive lineman Tristan Hoge carried the Marine Corps flag and tight end Kyle Griffitts carried the BYU team flag.

BYU players will run out Navy and Marine Corps flags as part of tonight’s field entry—

USA flag: Khyiris Tonga
Navy flag: Isaiah Kaufusi
Marine Corps flag: Tristen Hoge
Team flag: Kyle Griffitts

Kalani says his guys will also be carrying small USA flags as they hit the field.

— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) September 7, 2020

‘We Are One’ Pregame Shirts

The BYU Football team wore shirts that had “Love One Another” on the back along with the number one on the front of their pregame shirts. On the front of the shirt, it has the number one in white with a “We Are One” inside the number.

BYU posted a video leading up to the game on the meaning of the pregame shirts.

“With what’s going on in the world right now, we came together as a team to figure out ways that we can address the issues that are going around in the country and we thought what better way to address it than to put something that means a lot on a shirt,” BYU players said in the video. “We knew come Monday, come game time that there would be a lot of eyes on us and a lot of people watching and we wanted to spread a message to the world and to the country. And that message is of unity and of love. A message that to us exemplifies how everyone should live life. Love your peers, love one another regardless of their skin color, culture or background.

“If you go into our locker room right now, you will find guys from different backgrounds, different cultures, different beliefs, we decided that we wanted to be united together and we do that through love. In a world full of confusion, misinterpretation, inequality and injustice, we have chosen to love and that unites us,” the players added.

☝️ pic.twitter.com/yeClHIyzSj

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) September 7, 2020

Uniform Combination

The BYU equipment staff announced which style of uniforms the Cougars will wear in their season opener against the Naval Academy on Monday night.

On Twitter, the equipment staff posted that BYU will wear white jerseys, white pants with royal blue numbers and trim on the uniforms and helmets.

It’s the same uniforms the Cougars sported when they beat the Utah State Aggies last season, 42-14 in Logan. BYU won their fourth game of the season and snapped a two-game skid to the Aggies.