After scoring 66 against Virginia, will BYU try to pile on the points against FCS Idaho State?
After the Bengals, the Cougars go into a bye week before the 2021 regular season concludes.
(Trevor Christensen | Special to The Tribune) Brigham Young University’s Lopini Katoa will be defeated by Virginia’s Nick Jackson in the second half at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, October 30, 2021.
After No. 17 BYU took 66 points and more than 700 offensive yards against Virginia, the Cougars have the chance for another high-octane performance this week.
The Cougars will host FCS opponents Idaho State on Saturday, in the BYU’s last home game of the 2021 season. The Bengals – currently No. 11 in Big Sky with a 1-7 record – averaged 15.6 points per game while giving up 33.8.
Will the Cougars light up the scoreboard again on Senior Day?
“I think a lot of people know that our style is not about increasing people’s scores,” said BYU coach Kalani Sitake. “We try to secure victory first and then be respectful of what happens on the field. That’s every week; Whether it’s Virginia, Utah or Idaho State, we want to do that every week. Some weeks it works better than others, but the focus is on playing our best guys for 60 minutes in this game. “
Sitake plans to get in with its usual starting grid and then adjust it if necessary.
The coach said he expected his players to go ahead and “empty the tank” as the Cougars will head into their farewell week right after that.
However, based on the history of previous meetings between BYU and the state of Idaho, Sitake will most likely rest the players who are freaked out and pull out key starters by half time. The Cougars have beaten the Bengals in all six previous matchups, most recently 42-10 at Provo in 2019.
That could mean that players like recipient Gunner Romney, whose staff have decided not to come back from a knee injury for Virginia, may sit out another game. Against Virginia, BYU suspended Romney, center James Empey, linebacker Chaz Ah You, offensive lineman Harris LaChance, defensive lineman Lorenzo Fauatea and defensive backer George Udo.
So far, none of them have been declared for the remainder of the season.
But during Monday morning’s Coordinators Corner show on BYUtv, offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said, “We’re going to miss James.” Sitake later stated that the difference between Empey’s return this season or not depends on when the Cougars play their bowl game.
“I’ve seen some comebacks and some guys are getting healthier than others so I think he’s in that window where there may be something or nothing later this year,” said Sitake. “I don’t think we can say he’s finished for the year for sure.”
So on Saturday, Sitake will have to weigh the composition of the best line-up against the creation of the smartest line-up against the Bengals, as the Cougars want to win the rest of the season.
After Saturday’s game against Idaho State and Bye Week, BYU Georgia has left Southern and USC on their regular season schedule.
Still, Sitake will continue to respect the current game and knows that the Bengals, albeit with a losing record, are well trained and hungry for a win.
“They had some tough games but they were also competitive,” said Sitake. “You played against Nevada and played competitively in the first half and kept things interesting through the fourth quarter. You hung out with Weber last week too. I think the most important thing in football is that we do our best every week, including this week, and then respect our opponents. I look forward to being in the field with them. “
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