PROVO - Saturday’s Big 12 opener at LaVell Edwards Stadium comes with more than just conference stakes. For BYU and Arizona, it also brings a reunion.
Kalani Sitake and Brent Brennan go back to their Oregon State days, when Sitake joined Gary Andersen’s staff as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach and Brennan was the lone holdover helping the new coaches settle in. Brennan said he even helped the Sitakes find a place to live in Corvallis, eventually ending up about four or so houses down the road.
“Our kids ran around the neighborhood together,” Brennan told Tucson-area media before heading to Provo. “It was so fun. All of our kids are grown up now ... but it was really a fun time, spending time with him and his incredible family.
“Our kids would run into the house at midnight and eat all of the ice cream out of our fridge,” he added. “Then they'd run over to Kalani's and find out what kind of junk food they have on the shelf.
We just had a lot of fun together, and I definitely think fondly on those times. It's been fun to get to compete against him the last few years.”
Sitake said the friendship is still very much alive.
“Brennan's a good friend of mine. We know each other really well, and we talk often and hang out at different events,” Sitake said.
“He's got a great staff, and a bunch of talent on his team. They're going to come here and we have to anticipate them giving us their best shot - so we've got to make sure that ours shows up as well.”
No. 15 BYU is 1-0 after beating Utah Tech, and Arizona is also 1-0 after handling a Big Sky opponent. The matchup is the 28th all-time meeting between the programs, with a series that stretches back to the old Western Athletic Conference before Arizona and Arizona State moved to the Pac-10 in 1978.
Recent games between the Cougars and Wildcats have been tight. Four of the last five have been decided by one possession, including BYU’s 33-27 double-overtime win a year ago in Tucson. That game came in the middle of Tropical Storm Priscilla and helped fuel BYU’s run to Big 12 title contention and a 12-2 finish.
Arizona has not forgotten it.
The Wildcats still remember the end of regulation, when BYU guard Kyle Sfarcioc recovered a fumble and Bear Bachmeier scored on a 2-yard touchdown with 19 seconds left to force overtime. Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales told the Arizona Daily Star that “the BYU game plan is done” - in July.
“Bear Bachmeier had his day last year against us,” he told the newspaper, “and I can't wait for Sept. 12.”
Brennan brushed that off by saying it was “Danny speaking for Danny.” Even so, Gonzales clearly has had this trip to Provo circled for a while.
“Let's have a hell of a time,” he said this week, per the Daily Star, “because it's one of the cleanest and one of the neatest places to go play a football game ... I hope the referees keep the flags in their pockets and let them try and kill each other and see who wins at the end of the game. It'll be fantastic.”
Both teams will have roster changes entering Saturday.
BYU will be without a number of players, including starting safety Raider Damuni and reserve running back Sione Moa. Sitake and defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga said neither is expected to miss the season. The Cougars are also expected to get linebacker Isaiah Glasker back after he sat out the opener against Utah Tech while aiming for a Week 2 return.
Arizona, meanwhile, is set to add two important veterans who did not play against the Lumberjacks. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Friday that running back Ismail Mahdi and linebacker Max Harris have gained another year of eligibility through a court hearing and will be available Saturday.
The pair were part of a temporary restraining order granted Wednesday in Pima County Superior Court that opened the door for a fifth season of eligibility.
Mahdi led Arizona with 859 rushing yards and four touchdowns last season. Harris finished with 78 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss in 12 starts and earned All-Big 12 honorable mention recognition.
BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said Arizona’s defense was one of the best in the country last season, and Harris’ return only adds to a scheme that already creates problems under Gonzales.
“The guys that run this defense, they are so good at what they do that even when they lose a few players, the next year they are just as good as they were the year before,” Roderick said. “They play super hard, and they stick to their identity; they don't change for anybody. I have a lot of respect for them, creating a lot of havoc and playing their butts off.”
In Other News...
BYU Will Honor The Team That Defined Cougar Football
The 1976 BYU football team is getting a proper salute in Provo, and it fits the programs history as well as any reunion could. That group helped define Cougar football under LaVell Edwards and offensive coordinator Doug Scovil by leaning into the forward pass, and quarterback Gifford Nielsen along with other members of the team will be part of the pregame celebration before the game against Arizona.
The tribute will include the Cougar Walk and the Light the Y ceremony, giving fans a chance to recognize a team whose influence still hangs over the program. It also comes with a little added context from the matchup itself, since BYUs history against Arizona has included some memorable September wins over the years, making this weekend feel like more than just another game on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Faces An Early Big 12 Test With More Than One Wrinkle
Arizona and BYU are heading into a meaningful Big 12 matchup at LaVell Edwards Stadium, and there is already more than enough intrigue baked into the game before kickoff. Noah Fifita arrives with something to prove against BYU, while the Cougars are dealing with their own roster shift on defense, with safety Tommy Prassas set to start after Raider Damuni was injured.
For a game this early in conference play, the stakes feel bigger than the calendar says they should. Both teams have spent the week adjusting their plans and personnel, and BYU is trying to protect its home field while sorting through a test that could say plenty about where the Cougars fit in the Big 12 picture. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Faces An Early Big 12 Test Provo Can Help Decide
Saturdays matchup with Arizona gives BYU an early Big 12 measuring stick, and the buildup has already drawn attention from the College GameDay crew. The Cougars return home with Bear Bachmeier still front and center on offense, while the Wildcats bring Noah Fifita into one of the conferences more intriguing early-season games. Provo should have plenty to say about it, too, with a crowd that figures to give BYU the kind of edge that can tilt a tight conference game.
There is also a familiar defensive storyline to watch for the Cougars as Isaiah Glasker is set to make his season debut against Arizona, giving BYU another piece to work with in a game that could hinge on field position and pressure. Arizonas quarterback has already had a rough night in Provo once before, and BYU would love for the home environment to help stir up more of the same while it tries to make an early statement in the Big 12 race. [Read more 🡒]