Kalani Sitake | BYU Football | Postgame | Southern Methodist | September 6, 2024

glad we got the win uh just really proud of the team uh the way the guys uh stuck with it I mean it was a tough game you know you had to give a lot of credit to SMU uh coach Lashley and and his his staff I mean they they had him ready and you know there's a lot of talk uh about the offense on both sides and and it came down to to overall team win you know we needed all three phases to win the game and and obviously not our best performance but you had to give a lot of credit to SMU for what they did and um we'll have to find an answer and find a ways to get more efficient in all three phases and and there's room for us to improve on all three phases I don't want anyone to feel like they should be patting themselves on the back you know this is a this is a opportunity for us to play at our best we didn't do that uh tonight but I had to give a lot of credit to SMU I thought they played a great game I thought they had a a good good scheme and they executed really well we we we made some mistakes still but I I think you're going hear me say that every game um but I I like I like the way we we found a way to win these game this game in the past we've we've been down and had turnovers and guys hung their heads in the in the past and now the guys are fighting through and um not not giving up so I mean to get the ball back and then turn it over and then get the ball back again you know that was that was a that's the leadership on our defense and our staff our coaches and and um the guys belief in each other but you just have to go through some adversity for these guys to trust each other like that so we'll move on to the next phase and and try to make sure that our statement three is a little bit better than what we did and in the first two weeks but happy to be two and0 right now and excited about the next move and and we going to learn from this and get better and some guys got banged up and uh guys step were were able to step in and we felt good about our depth and we had to go to it a little bit so um you know we're going to have to uh see how we feel tomorrow and have an extra day to heal up so uh some of those guys will need that extra time before they can get to the game next week so any questions you guys have for me uh I think guys are just executing the scheme I mean this is we've gone against this scheme before you know but um I think that we know it can be a high powerered offense and and uh both quarterbacks for SMU are very talented so um we just knew that we had to just keep I mean as as long as we play assignment sound football and make it hard for them I mean they got some chunk yardage and they got some yardage and where able to advance the ball but just allowing them to settle for field goals I think helped us win this game I mean the I think early in the game we got a stop on fourth down not sure but I think we got a stop and then I think maybe they they thought okay if they're going to get in field goal U position they're going to just kick it and hats off their their kicker my goodness this guy was automatic and and he even kicked into the wind on some deep balls and I was really impressed with his leg so he's I mean he's I I if we didn't know much about him before we do now and and he was a a huge weapon for them and um you know we missed one and and he was able to make all his kicks man that that was impressive for walk down from Midfield turned out to be a decision yeah why take us through why you made that decision felt good about it just felt good about it I I um didn't look at analytics and things like that just felt good and looked at our guys we even took a timeout and CU people wanted us to think about it a little bit more and I just still felt good about it I like the look in the eyes of our guys and they felt like they could do it and felt confident about the call and and the way we went you know it it was it just felt right so um yeah I'm glad that the offense executed it well and we got got the conversion did you change the play on that or did you keep the I think we added a little bit of it but like yeah I think the goal was to A-Rod already knew what he wanted and I don't know if we showed it enough but yeah we just knew we had different ways of doing it we have and just give Jake a lot of credit he got us in the right call we we we have an audibles up there and he he he felt it and got the right call on so did he check into that I'm not sure I have to look at the film I don't know all the details I can't tell you everything you guys can't know all our our checks and everything so was good on that fourth down call by Phoenix touchdown as well yeah I felt good about that too yeah I mean I mean there's another fourth down that we kicked it you guys are giving me a hard time about going for on fourth down we punted it on fourth down a few times guys so yeah give me some credit we punted it still so it did it did work out I I think I mean you can you can you can look at analytics all you want but it's like I I think you have to go with the feeli of the game and your instincts a little bit and I think you got to have both of that so um luckily I have good coaches that kind of give me some feedback and I I'm the overriding guy so I'm going to you know I'm going to I'm going to try to make the right decision Davis step yeah I think you asked me a question in fall fall Camp about the running back position I said we feel good about that group and we even feel really good about the young guys and so we knew that we'd have something special there and fortunate that LJ had an injury that um that kept he got banged up but you know I think he'll be okay we'll see we'll have to kind of assess it tomorrow but it's something that was brand new that we that just showed up and then um same thing happened to Hinkley and we'll just we we'll have to see how it works but those guys are in good spirits and and we'll have to see how they feel tomorrow what are those moments like those fourth down calls where you know kind of game hinges and even that last Drive where you're trying to you know they have a chance to come down and you know kick it or to T or go up what are those moments as coach like oh it feels good I mean I just I kind of you guys forget that I got into this because I I'm a fullback so you know a guy that just and then I I grew up a BYU fan so uh I think a lot of the fans can understand I know you guys are media you guys supposed to scrutinize every decision but um when you feel it you just go with it you know and and and but there are times that it just makes a lot of sense even in the data so yeah I mean when so I can't really explain I just again I I said last time let's let's not have to go for it all the time on fourth down I'd rather get get chunk yardage and get some scores but if we need to we we know that we have we have plays that we feel really good about just like the two-point play felt great about that play too and um yeah just I'm just glad the guys executed you can't get down on on on one phase one or another like because they we still need the offense to come through and get scores and convert and then we need the defense that just it was nice that the defense was able to get the win at the end um but we still need will to get in there and kick you know and I think we're trying to catch his attention to try to get the clock I don't we weren't sure if the clock was going to go down but will was so focused it was just kind of guys just let him kick just let him kick it and and we'll be fine so glad it all worked out we we definitely need to play better we know that but we have to celebrate the wins too uh we have to go through the process of of the entire season and part of that celebrating and then we work on it we know what's what what the work is going to be in the future we we worry about that tomorrow with Jake struggling a little bit until the end what went into the decision to stay with him for the whole game yeah we felt good about him and and as our quarterback you know we has to be able to find a way to fight through it and and it's it's hard to play the game when you're just taking out if mistakes happen I mean we knew that mistakes happen in in football uh we got to Rally around guys and allow them the chance to to redeem themselves what went into the decision to give miles kind of the the last chance last crack at it the running back spot after I think we're just rotating the two we felt good about both those guys and you remember LJ and Hinkley would rotate and so I felt the same way with Eno and and and um and with Miles and then I mean we still have other guys that like poai and and and C MOA that can can do it too so um we just need to get some guys healthy and and get them ready for next week and and then see how we what the game plan's going to be for that but uh you know it just it feels good to to lean on on the depth that we have and Miles has played a lot of football here so the moment wasn't too big for him what is the speed of Jack Kelly brought yeah I think the key is the defense is now really familiar with the system and so there's not like in the past it was there was a lot of thinking and now the guys you can tell that they're they're comfortable with what we have our scheme it's it's it's a lot smoother defensively we're not making as many mistakes um but yeah Jack is a special player we've been saying about that for the beginning Mark gave gave us a lot and and those guys that came they played in the system before so it it makes sense for them to to not really bat and eye or or have any any hiccups along the way it was a smooth transition and I'm glad those guys are here I mean that great connection with Jay and and these guys who came here for this these type of games and I thought they both played amazing I thought defense was really good I don't know all the stats but like I I think we're disruptive um again there's way more plays that we could have made we we had our hand on on a few balls but man those quarterbacks are really elusive um and and they made some plays I don't know what we gave up in the Run game but um I just feel good about what we able to do overall in the red zone and and get some stops and force the kick field goals tonight yeah he was up in the box and um you know we we we all are involved in it but but this is uh he he I kind of like him up in the Box you know it's just I think we keep him safe up there and then he has a good point of view I I think in the past he's always called it from the field and I I think he it's a good Dynamic he and I work together so we can and with Justin and with with jaro and all the group I mean it it was a really really smooth transition and getting the plays out and all that stuff and you notice SMU had this really difficult Temple to get used to they were going super fast and and and then they were slowed down and they just had so many different type of temples that it was very dangerous so I'm I'm I'm really glad that we able to hold him to such low points cuz that's a very explosive offense I think they're going to score a lot of points from here on out we're just really fortunate to get some stops you got to enjoy that you mentioned being a fullback but you've also got your defensive background yeah a game like this when you hold them to 15 and in again a scheme seeing guys being able to play more free flowing that that's what you've been waiting for has it has yeah and and you know we're nobody's patient for it so we wanted to happen quickly and but this is this is the point of where we know guys can feel good about the system and focus on really the technique and the fundamentals of it um then then we can really get some great production from them but yeah I I have that background in defense and yeah I know I'm a fullback but I'm a fullback in in BYU's pass happy system so um it's different background it's just a weird weird resume to get into where we're at now but yeah I I think uh just really really pleased with the overall effort from everybody from the from the players coaches um and I thought it was a great trip but I have to give a great I mean super great shout out to the the fans that were here uh they were awesome I mean we had so many BYU fans here it felt really comfortable and they they tend to do this for us and and cheer us on so hope they know that there's guys that there's people that drove long ways to be here at this game and we really appreciate them being here so last question I don't I don't know all the details of that it's a violent sport man you know scratches fingernails all that stuff stuff could happen so I I'm I'm sure it won't it won't disrupt bad's uh future modeling days as a cowboy for you know he can model for Western what if there's a if there's ever a need for that all right thank you co thanks guys