PROVO, Utah—BYU hosts Cincinnati in a Friday night matchup featuring two new members of the Big 12 Conference at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Sept. 29 at 8:15 p.m. MDT on ESPN.
Use this page as a one-stop shop throughout the week for everything related to the game. Updates will be made leading up to kickoff, including broadcast plans, news, fan events and game notes.
On team morale after first loss of the season
It’s obviously unfortunate to have a loss, and nobody is happy about it, but we have a really tough team here. Although some of the guys might have been sad about the loss on the flight home, our guys tried their best to keep their resolve and stay tough. Time to move on and not let one loss lead to multiple.
On improvements to be made after Kansas
There are always things we could have done differently, but I think there were still a lot of good things and I think we made progress in a lot of areas. We do have some areas we need to improve on a lot. Obviously the run game is something we need to work on, but that’s on all 11 guys on the field, not just one particular group.
On what changes in a shorter preparation week
Having one less day expedites the whole process, which means watching more film and doing my treatments earlier in the week. It’s only one day, so it’s nothing crazy. The biggest thing for us will be getting our body and mind on track.
On playing under the lights at LES in the Big 12
I know the atmosphere here at BYU is great at night, and we have a lot of players and fans who are super excited to play under the lights at LaVell Edwards Stadium this Friday.
I’m super excited to play in the first Big 12 home game under the lights at LaVell. It is such a big deal to our guys who have been here and for the community. The fan base has been waiting for this opportunity for over a decade, so I think it will be a great game. Our first two home games were packed, so I’m excited to see what it’s like for conference games.
On what stands out about Cincinnati’s defense
The first thing that jumps out to me is how physical Cincinnati’s defense is. The front seven are really talented, and the DB’s are super smart about how they play. It’s a really good, sound defense with great players, so it will be a challenge for us.
On the deep passing game
It has always been a focus for Coach Roderick, even before I got here. The deep ball is definitely called a lot in practice, and we can still get better, but I think at times we have done a good job hitting the deep shots. I think BYU has done a great job as a whole, but we can still get better.
On Kansas game
I think we fought. Obviously we want to win, and I think the biggest takeaway was we need to balance out the way we play and be able to be a threat in all situations and have the confidence to do whatever we want. That's the goal in an offense, to be loose and be able to play. We, as wide receivers, need to step up as well and be physical on the perimeter.
There’s a lot of things we can work on. I feel like we did take a step up from the Arkansas game, playing more loose, better in one-on-one situations, making plays deep down on the field. But there’s also a lot more that we have to do as wide receivers when it comes to blocking and knowing our assignments.
On pressure as a wide receiver if the run game struggles
We just want to go play. I feel like we’ve had big bursts of moments showing that we can run the ball, and we have the lineman to run the ball, we have the running backs. I feel like once we get that going, which we will this week, then we’re just going to go play ball.
On Quarterback Kedon Slovis
I think he’s better than advertised. The kid is a stud, on and off the field. That’s the biggest thing that stood out to me when he came in. He’s been a great leader for us. I’ve learned a lot from him and the way he carries himself. It’s been able to trickle down to the other leaders and be what we want as a BYU offense.
On Cincinnati game
There’s a lot we have to improve on this week. Cincinnati is a great man defense as well. It’s going to be another challenge and another opportunity to show what we can do as receivers and what we can do as an offense.
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Watch BYUtvCougar Canyon & Cougar Walk
Cougar Canyon will take place on the West side of the stadium from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on game day. Food trucks and activities for all ages are available. BYUtv's pregame show Sports Nation GameDay and BYU Radio’s Cougar Pregame Live will also be broadcast live from Cougar Canyon. The Cougar Walk will take place from the north end of Cougar Canyon in through the soutwest corner of the stadium, starting at 6:15 p.m.
Cougar Canyon is expanding this season, south of the stadium. Cougar Club members have access to Cougar Club exclusive activities there. There will be activities available to all fans as well.
LaVell Edwards Stadium has adopted a NO bag policy, except for a few exceptions. Small clutch bags, no larger than 5” x 8” x 1”, with or without a handle or strap can be taken into the stadium. Medically-necessary bags will be permitted after inspection. One bag per person. No outside Food or drink will be permitted.
To see all stadium policies, go to the LaVell Edwards Stadium venue page.
Enjoy the convenience and reliability of UVX and FrontRunner to get you to and from the BYU vs. Cincinnati football game this Friday. You can ride UVX for FREE and there will be extra service provided before and after the game. For the best service, please head directly to the stadium stations, or bus, or UVX (it’s FREE!) within 15 minutes following the game. Note that UTA is adding even more busses to run for this 2023 season.
Visit rideuta.com/plan to plan your game day travel!
Parking passes for all designated BYU lots are digital this season. If you are a passholder, you will see the pass available to download in the same location where you download your digital ticket. Please ensure that you download the digital pass before you start driving to the stadium, and have the pass up on your phone and ready to display as you arrive at your designated lot. Also, familiarize yourself with the parking map, if necessary. Having your parking pass ready to display will greatly expedite the process of pulling into the lot. As all parking pass holders get used to this new process, there may be wait times. We encourage you to leave for the game a little earlier than you usually do to allow for some extra time to park.