BYU Football Game Week — at No. 7 Texas

I am excited for another week of football. We're obviously coming off of a win last weekend. It was really good for us and our homecoming game. So, now we're back into the schedule heading out to Texas and going out to Austin to play. They are a really good team and one of the best teams in the country. They are well coached and coached by my buddy Steve Sarkisian. Looking at them and seeing them on film. We've been able to watch them play throughout the year and it’s going to be a tough task for us.

On Texas
We should be working on an opportunity for us to play at our best this weekend, but watching them there’s not a lot of weaknesses and I think the goal is for us to focus on what we can get done., and then get out there and give it our best shot and see what happens. We can live with the results that we do that. I still feel like we could play better ball. I felt like we had moments in the game against Texas Tech where we felt like this is what we're used to maybe forming our identity off of that and all three phases but it also wasn't an error free game. So, some things to work on and some things to improve on.

On Texas Tech game and going on the road
I said this postgame last week on Saturday night, that there's still room for improvement. But the thing that I am really thankful for is that we play with high effort, high energy, a lot of that came from the fans and we are going on the road now so, we have to generate that ourselves and try to try to do something that a lot a lot of teams can't do and go into a very hostile environment with a fantastic fan base. They have a really great team that you see on film on all the positions in all three phases. They are a well-coached team and I know their coaching staff and a lot of guys on their on their staff.

On Steve Sarkisian
They do an amazing job and Sarkisian has been so good to me. Throughout our coaching careers, he's always been a guy that I can turn to and we keep in touch quite often. Obviously not going to be keeping in touch right now as we're opponents but appreciate his friendship and the fact that he is a Cougar and played here, so it's nice that we were able to keep that friendship. It's something that he does that I really appreciate him keeping in touch with me and especially when his career took off and had this great trajectory a lot faster than mine did, but he always was able to be kind enough to give me a lot of his time and be able to talk ball. It’s been really cool and I'm looking forward to seeing him on the field and seeing these teams compete against each other.

On BYU's prep going into Texas
I’m really hopeful that this is going to be an opportunity for our team to perform at our best and that we can generate some momentum from last week going into this game and try to find ways to make this a huge positive for us in the long run. The prep will be great us for this week. We had a great week of prep last week and I’m looking forward to keep building and trying to get to a position where we can hit our peak and keep getting better as a team. We saw some flashes of it in the game against Texas Tech but I think this is something that we are going to have to be a little more consistent and not be just flashes. We have to keep that and sustain it throughout the game and I’m looking forward to getting that done.”

On the inconsistences of the offense
Well, I think when you talk about inconsistencies they are all over the place. They just happen to be a little bit more on the offensive side. I think a lot of people want to look at it as a one person problem or a one position group problem. It's an 11 man problem, and probably extends even further into that when you're looking at the preparation, the depth that we have and the guys that we use in the rotation. So, the executions got to happen in practice, and then when we can get that that execution happening in practice, we need to put it on the game.

On the running game and establishing a consistent offensive identity
That’s a big part of us being balanced and being able to do whatever we want on the call sheet. It’s really hard when they’re not functioning well and it’s a good sign that our guys are doing things the right way but it also helps that we’re getting some momentum. When you watch the success that happens in the run game, it exactly goes back to what I said earlier that all 11 guys are doing it the right way. If we can keep that consistency then that should be there for us. These negative yards that we’ve had in the past we can turn into positive yards even if it’s one or two yards and then you rely on some effort and then next thing you know you're gaining more and more yards. That gives you a confidence and then we've just got to keep it rolling.

It was nice that we saw some flashes of it. It's good to get Aidan (Robbins) back, but we have capable running backs that we feel like can break the game open for us and then we're very close and that's a cool thing to say. But then you watch Texas on defense and they've got playmakers all over the place. It’s one of the best teams I’ve seen, they have talent and are well-coached. They’ve got so much athleticism, speed and talent. They are coached really well and you don’t see a lot of mistakes from them, or a lot of missed assignments and that's in all three phases. I like it because when you watch the film, you know that it gets the guys to be on it a little bit more.

On things Kalani learned from LaVell Edwards and how Steve Sarkisian is as a coach because of it
I got into coaching because I love the way LaVell coached me and I love the way that he worked with his staff. It's rough that he's not here with us anymore, but I keep in touch with his family quite often and his wife Patti is awesome. She's been able to be still a mentor to me and the coaches and our wives. It’s been really cool to have that influence still here. But you see it in everybody that has been coached by LaVell, From Andy Reid, Kyle Whittingham, to Sarkisian and to all these great players that have ever played here at BYU. We all go into it because I'm sure we had a lot of good coaches along the way but it's just nice when you have a college experience with LaVell.

It’s not just LaVell, but LaVell is the best part of college football. People like him and you see the influence that he's had in so many people's lives, not just coaches, but there's a bunch of men that are out there that are doing things better because they got to play for a legend like LaVell. It’s just really cool that a good number of them are coaching football.”

On hosting Sarkisian on his recruiting visit in 1995
Sarkisian is all about ball and he saw a really good team. I think the biggest concern for him during that time was is John Walsh was going to come out early for the draft or return for his senior year. So, I think that all Sarkisian was waiting for was that moment. I don’t want to sit here and act like I did a great job. I mean, the football at BYU speaks for itself. I don't think he came because of a host or because we went and hung out and played ping pong or whatever it was. I just think that he saw the camaraderie the family atmosphere here, the love that the players had for each other and he was drawn to it and I was just a small part of it. 

On his performance against Texas Tech
I feel like I was really pleased with myself in the run game against Texas Tech. My ability to block on the perimeter and hold my blocks so we could push our run game forward went really well. I definitely want to capitalize on my ability to make people miss tackles on me when I have the ball in my hands though. There is a lot I need to work on going into this next week with a big challenge against Texas, but overall I think I did a pretty good job in the run game.

On other wide receivers making crazy one-handed catches
It’s really cool to see those guys like Chase and Darius make crazy one-handed catches during games that we have seen them make in practice. It’s awesome for us to see and for the fans to see because it drives the momentum. It’s always great to see, especially when those guys deserve it for how hard they have been working.

On getting healthy after injuries
I think the biggest thing is staying locked-in mentally. I have been in this offense for quite some time now, so I wasn’t missing out on too much early on. I just made sure I was present in meetings and present on the football field when the coaches are talking about those little details we need to tune-up, so that when the opportunity comes, I have the right mindset and am able to step in and do anything my coaches need me to do.” 

It takes a heavy toll with so many injuries because everything I do is aligned with me wanting to compete on the football field and make my coaches and family proud. It can be very challenging week-to-week when you want to play but are dealing with a nagging injury, but understanding my Why keeps me pushing and keeps me motivated so that when my opportunity presents itself, I’m ready to go.” 

On the team rising up as underdogs in the past
When we are in the locker room as a team, we don’t really talk about that stuff. We focus on having fun at practice, doing our True Blue Heroes during the week, and then when the time comes to dial it up, we do it. We don’t think about it much outside of just going out there and playing football and knowing our plays.”

On the opportunity to play a top-10 team at Texas

 

“I think this is the biggest opportunity because it’s a football game we get to play. I think the biggest thing for us is treating every single game like it’s the greatest game ever because you never know when it could be your last game. It will definitely be a challenge to play a top-10 team, but it’s fun and exciting. We don’t look at it any differently than any other game we play, so we will attack it the way we need to and focus on playing our game.”

 

On approach for Texas game
I think everyone is just really excited. We want to carry our momentum from this past game over to this game. Playing over at Texas is an opportunity I’m sure we've all dreamed of as kids, so everyone is really looking forward to it. 

On playing in the Big 12
It’s been awesome playing in the Big 12. It’s been an experience that I’ve been looking forward to for a while, and also playing at BYU. It’s a super competitive league and it seems like every week everyone is pretty good, so it’s been a lot of fun. 

On teammate Kody Epps
It’s already obvious what he can do on the football field but just having his leadership was big time for that receiver group and for our offense in general. So he definitely brings a whole different type of weapon to our offense. 

On position switch from Center to Guard
I’ve honestly loved it. I haven’t played guard in a while, but I started off as a guard before I played center at Utah. Center is a really tough position. You have to be like the quarterback of the offensive line being in control of so much, so I feel like it’s what the team needed. Connor Pay is doing a great job at Center. 

On opportunity to play a Top 10 Texas team
I’m excited and I feel like the vibe of the team is everyone is really excited playing a big-time team like Texas. As a blue blood, they’re usually always really good so we’re going in there with a chip on our shoulder. I feel like we still haven't played a full team game so if we can start early and just play our brand of football, I feel like we can compete with anyone, but I am definitely excited for the opportunity. I know they have a really good defense and a really good squad. 

 It’s definitely a big-time game, I mean 100,000 fans or something like that, so I’m definitely excited but at the end of the day, I’m blessed to play just a kid’s game, you know football is football. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter where we’re playing, if we’re playing at East High School in Salt Lake or playing in Austin, Texas.