PROVO, Utah — BYU opens Big 12 play hosting No. 13 Kansas State at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.
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BYU (3-0) vs. No. 13 Kansas State (3-0) Saturday, Sept. 21 Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. MDT
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Read more on Hall of Fame“I’m glad that we can be sitting here at 3-0 and am looking forward to this challenge. Being on the road for the last couple weeks has been great, being able to see our fans on the road both in Dallas and in Laramie, but really looking forward to being home for this game. We’re opening up conference play against Kansas State, a talented team. I’m excited about the matchup, they’re a ranked team and well coached, I have a lot of respect for that program.
Looking at the connections, BYU has LaVell Edwards and Kansas State has Bill Snyder. The history behind both programs, I think it’s a cool story, and I have a lot of respect for Chris Klieman and what he does as a head coach. He’s a good friend, I got to know him and his wife, Rhonda on the Nike retreat with the coaches, and we got to connect. I’ve always known about him as a coach, seen what he’s done, what he did at North Dakota State, and I have tons of respect for what he did there and what he’s doing at Kansas State. I really admire his work, and to get to meet him in person, he’s a great person. I’m looking forward to seeing him with our friendship, but this is going to be a game, our team against theirs, and I’m looking forward to the matchup. He has a good coaching staff that he’s hired, like Matt Wells is on his staff, people I know from before, and Mike Tuiasosopo is there as well.
They’ve done a great job with their team this year. They’re a very dangerous team, I think they play great on defense and offense, and they do great on special teams as well. I’ve talked about how well coached they are, but they have good talent too. It’s going to be a true test for us, they’re one of the teams that are favored to win this conference and highly ranked, so we’re looking forward to the matchup. I’m excited about the opportunities we have, to know more about ourselves, our program and how much progress we’ve made. I feel like we’ve made great progress throughout this seasoning especially from last season, so I’m really looking forward to this game. It’s going to be a lot of fun at home, I know there’s a lot of excitement going around about the uniforms, but I just want to get to the game.”
On limited third down conversions
“I care about the points on the board, and I know we’re leaving some points on the field, so let’s get some more conversions, keep the drives going and get the ball in the end zone. I’m not really concerned about the last two weeks as much as I want to see us perform better this week. We know how to fix it, so we’ll get working on it and hopefully be better this weekend. I mean, look at our fourth down conversions, so let’s just treat third downs like fourth down and I think we’ll be fine.”
On the difference between this year and last year’s 3-0 teams
“I feel good about the team. I think people can realize that we’re a different team than last year’s team, and we’ll keep working on it. We are sitting at 3-0 and there’s some good things that we’re doing. I think a lot of people want to focus on the negatives, but we’ll get better, and I like to praise the things that we’ve done already as a team.”
On balancing the little things and just playing the game
“I think the goal is to just be consistent. Those games are where when you put all the little things together you can see where you’re on top of it or not. For example, we had an early turnover [at Wyoming], but after that we took care of the football, so it’s also a matter of timing. When all those factors come together, that’s what’s going to win or lose you the game. To do that, we have to keep being consistent, playing brand new downs and having a short memory in a lot of things. Fortunately, we’ve had a close game at SMU last week, so when we put all our situational football stuff together in fall camp and practices, it’s nice to see our guys go out there and execute plays and make them work. That’s how we’re going to fix things and get better at things like tackling, creating turnovers and third down conversions.”
On defending mobile quarterbacks
“Avery [Johnson, TCU QB] is a dynamic runner. They have the ability to just call QB runs, and he can take a small gap and turn it into a big-time play. He’s super athletic, so he can create on his feet even in the passing game, he can create more time in the pocket and he’s always a threat to scramble and hurt you that way. He’s a complete player when it comes to quarterback and when you look at different types of threats, he’s got a lot of weapons. He’s a tough kid too, and I think he’s got a great command of the offense. They’ve done a great job of setting him up to have success, but he can do anything you need a quarterback to do, I’ve been really impressed with him on film.”
On how ready the underclassmen are for Big 12 play
“They’ll be ready. I think they have a role and a lot of them will be called on to do some things depending on the matchups. I was pleased with how they’ve come along. Obviously, the drive in the Wyoming game I wasn’t happy about when we gave up those points and a lot of yardage, but it’s what we needed. We needed those guys to get that valuable experience, and it was worth the sacrifice of yards and even some points in the game last week. I think it’ll pay off in games like this coming this weekend. This is going to be a fun atmosphere and a fun game; everyone wants to be a part of it. We feel like we’re deeper than we’ve ever been before. We had to test some of our depth in the running back position, and I think we’ll be in a good spot. We knew that this was a violent, physical game, and I feel good about where we stand and I feel good with our talent, especially the incoming freshmen, there’s a lot of talent there.”
On the difference between quarterback Jake Retzlaff’s four games last year and three games this year
“He seems to be more comfortable, not just with the scheme but just playing on the field and being the starter. He’s starting to settle in a little bit. Being a quarterback at BYU, you get a lot of attention, good and bad. If it doesn’t go well, then everyone gets mad at the quarterback, but on the other side, if things go well, they get a lot of credit too, so that’s part of being a quarterback here. The efficiency on offense is on everyone, everyone’s got to do their part so the quarterback can make the right reads. We need Jake to be at his best, but I like his comfort level and that he’s feeling a little more settled. I think we’ll be in a good spot with him there. He’s doing a great job in everything that we’re asking him to do right now. It’s not perfect, but there are very few quarterbacks that are playing perfect football right now. He’s improving, understanding, and learning, and that’s what I love about it. Last year I thought he was in a really difficult spot, where we had a lot of reps that we spent on Kedon [Slovis], but now we’re in a position where he’s the guy that’s getting the bulk of the reps, and that means he’s getting a bulk of the learning, which will be helpful for us.
On the opportunity to play a ranked opponent in a night game at LaVell Edwards Stadium
“I want to show off our fans. That’s a big part of our program and the athletic department here, our fans will pack the house. You guys saw our game against Southern Illinois, it was a full house. There’s already a lot of energy leading up to this game just because our fans are awesome, but we knew that Kansas State had a good team coming back and well coached, and they’re going to be ready for this game. I’m looking forward to playing our best ball this weekend. As long as we keep progressing and getting better, I want to see us making a huge step in improving from last Saturday to this Saturday against Kansas State. It’s a tough task and a difficult team, but man, it’s going to be a lot of fun, and I want our guys to enjoy it. It’s going to be a great opportunity for us.”
On defense’s confidence level heading into Big 12 play
“We are really confident because we’ve obviously been playing really well. All 11 of us and the backups are playing really well and everyone is doing their part. We know it’s going to be a big test for us this week, but we are confident in our abilities.”
On Kansas State’s offense
“Avery Johnson is a really great quarterback, and they have a lot of deep threats on offense. The O-line is super physical and they have a great set of backs, so I think it will be a big test for us. I think if we do our job and we all do our one-11th, we’re going to have a good outcome.”
“I think our coaches will do a great job installing everything we need to have ready for him [Johnson], and I think as long as we all do our jobs, the scheme that the coaches have ready for us is going to be what determines the outcome of this game.”
On pass rush this year
“I think the scheme has been really good, and everyone has a year under their belt with this scheme so we are all trusting it. Our strength coaches have also done a great job getting us bigger, faster and stronger in the offseason, which plays a big part, and Coach Chad [Kauha'aha'a] has done a great job working with all the pass-rushers here.”
On comfort level at BYU
“I’m super comfortable here. All the boys have welcomed me in, rallied around me and answered any questions I’ve had. I think this is one of the closest teams I’ve been a part of, and everyone is super bought-in and everyone trusts each other.”
On how other guys have stepped up with Ben Bywater out this year
“I think the guys have done a great job. Obviously it sucks we had to replace Ben, but Harrison Taggart and Isaiah Glasker have done a phenomenal job putting in the extra work to understand the assignment and giving full effort, and they’ve been making plays. At the end of the day, I think those guys haven’t missed a single step and are doing what they need to do.”
On playing at Lavell Edwards Stadium on Saturday night
“I’m super excited, especially with it being a night game. I know the crowd is going to be packed and it’s going to be wild. It will be a huge advantage for us, and I’m excited to go out there and make some plays in front of this crowd and hopefully come out with a victory.”
On boosting third down conversion number
“I feel like we've had plays out there that we can make and we just didn't make. Obviously, I had one last game that I should have made, but I think it's just making the plays when we need to. We can convert them, we just need to make the plays.”
On Quarterback Jake Retzlaff
“It's been awesome seeing him really grow and develop from last year to this year. We were with him all off season throwing. We went down to California with him and John Beck, and it's just good to see all the hours he put in in the off season paying off right now. I mean, he's throwing the ball well, he's running the ball well, and he's playing great all around. Obviously, there's still some throws, right? But every quarterback has those. He's looking good, and I'm riding with him.”
On the importance of this week’s game
“We've had some good games with Southern Illinois and Wyoming. Obviously, the SMU [game] wasn't what we wanted to put on film, but we know we can do better. We have the tools to do it. I think we'll definitely show up and show out against Kansas State and make all the plays that we need to, especially playing at LES. It'll be a fun game."
On Big 12 play preparation compared to last year
"I would say we're miles ahead of where we were last year. We didn't really know what to expect going into last year, and now we have a feel. We know we've played some of these teams. We know what to expect. It’s no rollover games in the Big 12. Every game is tough, every game is going to be close, and we just need to lock in every week.”
On Big 12 play
"I would say that nobody's going to be soft in the Big 12. There's not going to be a soft team. Everyone's going to come and hit. Everyone wants to play hard. So we've just got to be physical, the most physical offense out there, and the most physical team out there.”
On defensive potential
“You know, I think we're getting there. I think we've still got some good progress to make. As we've seen, we have a capable defense, and it's been a lot of fun these first three games to be able to show that. But I think we still have a lot more to prove and a lot more to work on.”
On preparing for quarterback running
“Everyone’s just got to do their job. That's really what it comes down to. If everyone does their job, nobody's unaccounted for and we'll be able to contain that QB rush.”
On K-State’s quarterback Avery Johnson
"Yeah, he's a good quarterback. He runs their offense really well, really efficiently. He's a dual threat. He’s dangerous. You can't leave him unaccounted for. He can throw the ball well. He can run really well. I think he's a good quarterback, and I think it's a good challenge for our defensive unit.”
On key to having more potent pass rush this year
"I think chemistry is part of it. I think everybody understanding their role in the defense is another part of it. And then I think the last third of that is just execution. Guys executing how they're supposed to execute.”
On preparedness for Big 12 play
"I would say we're significantly ahead of where we were last year. We learned a lot from last season. We've put a lot of that into our preparation in the offseason and getting ready for this fall. So I think we're ready for it."
On late night games
“I think it's our fans. I really do. LaVell just gets rocking. As soon as the sun goes down, LaVell is a dangerous place to be. I think a lot of that really does come down to the home environment, the home atmosphere. We've got a great game day experience and we've got great fans, so playing at home definitely gives us a big home field advantage.”
On playing in close games
“They're a ton of fun. Those are the moments you live for. It’s when you're out there and you're scrapping and you're either going to be really happy, or you're going to be really sad. I love that part about the Big 12. You never know, week in, week out. It's competitive. It's fun. The key to winning those games just comes down to the basic football fundamentals. Take care of the ball, execute our scheme on offense and on defense. That nine times out of ten will get you the win.”
Cougar Canyon & Cougar Walk
Cougar Canyon will take place on the West side of the stadium from 5:00 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 6:30 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. Kansas State football game this Saturday. You can ride UVX for a $2.50 fare, 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 within 15 minutes following the game.
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.