BYU Football Game Week — Kansas

No. 7/8 BYU hosts Kansas at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 8:15 p.m. on ESPN.

BYU Football Game Week — KansasBYU Football Game Week — Kansas

PROVO, Utah — No. 7/8 BYU hosts Kansas at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 8:15 p.m. 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. 

Game Info

Game Info

BYU (9-0) vs. Kansas (3-6) Saturday, Nov. 16 Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. MST

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TV: ESPN

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Listen to the Game

BYU Radio SiriusXM 143, BYURadio.org, BYU Radio app, KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM

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BYU Sports Nation Game Day Pregame and Postgame Shows

BYU Sports Nation Game Day Pregame and Postgame Shows

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Live Stats

Live Stats

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Game Notes

BYU Notes

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Kansas Notes

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Kansas Game Week—BYU Media Availability

"We are excited about it being a home game this week, going against Kansas. Excited about the atmosphere that we will see is LaVell Edwards Stadium. After reviewing the film, we were happy to get the win. What a great battle. It was one of those games that came down to the wire. It worked out in our favor but it was a great battle between two teams, and a great rivalry. That’s why it’s such a special game. It will be a great matchup every year with us being in the same conference."
 
"The energy in that stadium was awesome. The Utah fans did a good job at creating a home field advantage. I appreciated all our BYU fans that were able to get tickets. It was cool to see as many royal blue fans as we could. I really feel good about some of the things we did in that game, but we didn’t do our best consistently enough. But we did enough to get the win. There were a lot of uncertainties, especially regarding the quarterback. The boys were able to feel that out a bit, and then settle down and just play football. The ability to get a shutout in the second half gave us that chance to get that win. Winning the turnover battle and playing clean football helped us out. They have a great defense and we knew that going into this game."
 
"We are looking forward to this week’s game. We have to stay humble and keep working. We’re glad we got to enjoy the festivities and all that stuff after coming home on the buses. The ROC greeted us and celebrated the win, and we went to bed probably a bit later than we anticipated because of that. We were able to get enough sleep and get to church and enjoy the win. Now we have to get back to work. As much fun as that game was, we go back to that same process."
 
On celebrations in Provo after the game
"That was awesome. There were literally thousands and thousands of students and fans, with the majority of them being our students on campus. I appreciate all the others that came that late at night. All these young people were there with a lot of energy, and it was hard to not give that energy back to them. Will Ferrin got to crowd surf with Cosmo. My body type should never do that. It was cool, and I was really happy for the players. I want to thank all of those fans that were here. We felt that energy. I am really happy for the players and even more happy for the fans and how they enjoyed that win. I always look at how we can get better each week. It was a lot of fun, so now we have to separate it and move on."
 
On handling reactions after a call doesn’t go your way
"It’s a human reaction to be upset and frustrated. I know how I can deal with it. I am not here to tell anyone else how to deal with it. There were things that didn’t go in our favor. I was frustrated about the face mask. You can see it on film. I was getting upset and getting my words in. The ref came over to the side and gave me some time, and listened to my frustration. Then he sat there and gave me an explanation that from his point of view it was a face mask. There is some point for me where you have to move on and keep coaching. That was part of it. I do appreciate them explaining things to me and communicating it to me."
 
On special teams
"I think you have to praise a couple things. The players executing is one, and taking ownership of it. The importance of that phase is huge to us. I think Poppinga has been a huge asset for us. When you allow him the opportunity to do that he demands the most of his players. He has to be really efficient. He works really well and has a good gauge on the entire team. It’s a huge phase for us and it has been quite the x-factor." 
 
On familiarity against Kansas
"We are excited because we know it didn’t go our way last year. We know we can play better than what we did against them. We are excited for that opportunity to play them again at our house. A lot of their guys are back, so the matchup is going to be awesome. They have a lot to prove and had a great game last week. They have a ton of talent and are well-coached. Their football IQ is impressive. They are playing well right now. I have to get these guys ready to play this weekend."
 
On similarities between Utah and BYU’s defenses
"We have very similar schemes. There is only so much defense you can do. The foundation is similar. There are a lot of familiar looks that we saw. That was probably why it was quite a low scoring game. The score was because you have some really good teams who know each other, so it came down to the wire like a lot of people were predicting. You have to admire what was done on both sides of the ball. I thought Utah brought a lot of intensity. It seems like this happens quite often. We were really looking forward to it. We knew it could be a huge catalyst for us. With that being said, there are a lot of things that we could do better. I was definitely enjoying the matchup. That is what college football is all about. It was a lot of fun. I was just really glad that it was back."
 
On Jalon Daniels
"He’s gifted. He can run and he can throw. He’s a veteran. It’s a difficult matchup. Their running back is back too. He is one of the premier running backs, and there are so many all over this conference. They don’t get enough credit for their defense either. We saw that last week. I am looking forward to the matchup. We want to play our best game of the year this weekend. We can be more efficient and it starts with today and today’s practice."
 
On Kansas’ win against Iowa State
"It’s not just what they did this weekend. That is what is going on in the conference. There is a lot of parody in the conference. Anyone can play and win at any time. This is one of those matchups that you have to take seriously. I am excited that it is at home. We see the talent that they have and we have to play at our best. It’s an opportunity to make another statement. We have tons of respect for Kansas and their coaching staff. I have so much respect for Lance as a leader. He is an amazing man and coach. Just like they did last week, they can get up on you and beat a ranked team. Nothing is easy in this conference. We don’t anticipate it to be easy. In order for things to go our way, we have to play at our best no matter what game it is."
 
On CFP rankings
"I wasn’t concerned about where BYU landed in August, so I am not worried about it right now either. I am so focused on getting this team better, but really this team starts with me. How can I improve from last week, and so I am focused on that. There is a lot of room for me to improve. We need to focus on what we can control with this team and not worry about the distractions. Whether they are in favor of us or not, we have to just go to work."
On experience getting off the bus after Utah game to BYU supporters
“It’s crazy because being at my last school, you don’t really get those kinds of experiences, especially after big wins like that. To see everyone still up, still cheering, and still happy that we got the job done, it was great.”
 
On refocusing after rivalry week
“I feel like it's the same thing when we played Oklahoma State, how we came back and won right at the end. We celebrated the win, but we had to kind of flush it, because next week, things could be different, and we can't really dwell on the things that we did in the past when we can hope to look for the things that we can accomplish in the future. I feel like everybody knows that what we did last week is not good enough to get the job done for this week. So everybody's ready to look forward to the next game.”
 
On family rivalry this week playing Kansas
“They’re all BYU this week. Last year they were split between two, but now that it’s just me in college, they’re just rooting for the Cougars. Even though they’ve got friends, good friends and coaching staff that they still talk, they’re going for Cougar Nation this week.”
 
On growth from last year’s first Big 12 game against Kansas
“I really think it’s that we can match the intensity of the Big 12 now. Last year, our first game, like you said, just being [in Lawrence], we kind of came out flat. We know that if you do that in this league, that it can kind of get you behind and get you clawing from behind. That’s what you don't want to do, because in this league there’s a lot of offenses that can score a lot of points, so you don't want to play catch up. I feel like we just learned from our mistakes last year, and that kind of just put us in a position that we are in now.”
 
On special teams performance week to week
“Special teams has been huge for us. Each week, we go over our goals for special teams, and our ultimate goal is to get nine out of nine each week and complete all that. Sometimes we go eight out of nine, and only once we went under eight out of nine this whole year. So we know what it takes and how we can complement the offense and defense with special teams to help put us positions to win a game, and you see the returns or game changer plays for us. Without those returns, who knows what the score may be, so we’ve got to continue to attack special teams the way we are, and that's just hats off to Coach Kelly Poppinga  getting us ready."
 
On teammate Jojo Phillips progress this season
“Just to see Jojo from last year to this year, you can kind of see the growth in his game. The game is just slowing down for him. Last year, he kind of just got thrown in a situation where he couldn't really get situated and get his feet warm, and so a lot of things kind of just moved faster. And now this year, he knows what to expect, being around guys like Chase (Roberts), me, Keelan (Marion), and Kody (Epps), who's kind of been here for a long time. So he's just learning each week, and then Coach Fesi (Sitake) is getting him ready, just to go out there and make those plays. He has all the ability in the world, so once you put that together, the sky's the limit for Jojo.”
On atmosphere getting back to Provo Sunday morning  
“Oh, it was insane. We got back at three in the morning. We couldn't even get off the bus because there were so many fans. There's no fan base like this one. It amazes me every single week. I thought it was cool when we had hundreds of fans [waiting] getting off the plane at the airport, but then you get off the bus and there's thousands of fans. You're scrolling on social media on your way there, and you can see fans rushing the streets. I was scared for the fans. You see cars honking, and they're just running out there mindlessly. But it speaks to this fan base that we have, and shout out to them. They're amazing.”
 
On experience as a player seeing the enthusiasm of the fans
“It gives you another reason to play. I mean, it's amazing when you have your family behind you, but it's even more amazing when you have your family and then you have thousands and thousands of fans cheering for you. We see how it is with teams down on that south side of the end zone when they're trying to run the ball or pass the ball in the ROC. The center can't hear. They have trouble with communication. So it's awesome. I love it.”
 
On special teams difference to the defensive side
“It definitely does [make it easier]. When you can trust all three phases of the football, and all three phases of the game are rolling, it's awesome. It's awesome when you have a kicker that's reliable. It's awesome when you have a returner that’s reliable and when you can just trust special teams, that they're going to get the job done, and they're going to achieve our goals. It's awesome.”
 
On feelings around this week’s game
“Every single week is, in my opinion, a big game. The Big 12 is an amazing conference, and we've seen that. We've seen that last year. We've seen that this year. There's tons of talent in the Big 12. Talking about Kansas, they're an amazing team. Seeing what they did against Iowa State, and then talk about what happened last year, they did give us that Big 12 awakening, which I think gives our team a little bit of a chip on our shoulder. So yeah, I've got a little chip on my shoulder personally, but I'm just going to do my thing and prep like it's normal week and go out there and play.”
 
On Kansas’ offense
“Their offense is really dynamic. They have a bunch of weapons, whether it's through the quarterback, the receiver, their running back is really good as well. I think their O-line is really good as well. Overall, they're a well put together team, and just shutting down their weapons, playing how we've been playing ball, and getting the ball back to our offense will be really important for this week.”
 
On defensive perspective of holding call from Utah game
“Yeah, I was watching the play. You know, the refs are going to make their calls. The refs are going to call what they see. At the end of the day, I was always taught that if you put yourself in the position to bank on somebody making a call for you, bank on somebody making the call against you, the game can go either way. You can't bank on a ref making a call either way. It could have been us in that position. You just can't bank on a ref making a call. If you put yourself in that position, then the game deserves to go either way.”
On watching kicker Will Ferrin crowd surfing at 3AM after Utah game
“Yeah, no, that was juicing me up. I mean, he deserves all the credit in the world. Will's obviously a phenomenal talent, and it's been cool to just kind of be by his side through it all, and to watch him develop even as the season progresses. I know he would have been uncomfortable doing it, which also made it even more funny for me to see.”
 
On experience taking part as the holder in the game winning field goal
“It was good fun. I mean, it's what you train all the hours for, is for moments like that. I sort of said to Will (Ferrin), you know, regardless of what happens that I love him and that he's going to be fine regardless of what the result is. We’re cracking jokes on the sideline, as we always do right before we go out. It's just something that we do, just to kind of take the result out of it. And you know, I've sort of said in the past with punting as well, that if you can take out, I guess in your mind, the result aspect of it, you should be fine just because you'll kick loose or punt loose.”
 
On key to special teams consistency
“I think it obviously just starts at the top, with the coaches implementing the right scheme for us to go out and succeed, and then all the boys buying in to do it. I've said in the past that if you don't have guys wanting to be on special teams, it's probably going to fail. So the fact that we have guys that are wanting to be out there and wanting to contribute and care about it just as much as offense and defense is probably why it's been so successful for us so far this year.”
 
On teammate Will Ferrin
“Will's very humble. It's funny, in the specialist community, they always talk about having or trying to have amnesia. And he's probably the best I've ever seen at having that mentality of, you know, whether he misses or makes it, just moving on to the next rep. I think that's probably what makes him special as a kicker, to be honest. But yeah, he's pretty similar on the field as he is off the field, he's pretty relaxed. I think for the operation I'm probably the one that gets a little bit too juiced up when he makes a play. So it's kind of a nice balance where he can calm me down and I can get him up. So it's cool.”
 
On experiencing college football atmosphere in the US as an Australian
“Yeah, no, it's bananas. I've said to the guys back home, like my friends, that it's until you're in it, you don't really know what it's like with the atmosphere. And I kind of like the animosity that we had on the weekend, because it just gets the juices flowing. It’s very different to anything that you would experience back home so I love it.”
 
On how much practice has gone into his performance
“A ridiculous amount. I remember when I got here in January, I said to Will (Ferrin) and Dalton (Riggs) that, I want to spend every day, twice a day, going out and practicing holding, just because I'd never really done it before. I knew that, you know, obviously there could be an opportunity where I would be the starting punter and starting holder. So I treated it as such, and I gave it the effort that it required because I knew that there might be situation like we had on the weekend where, you know, I'd want to be confident, and confidence comes from practice. I think we definitely did our due diligence with how much effort we put in and how much work we've done since January, since I got here. So credit to those guys as well.”
 
On Coach Kelly Poppinga’s key to success
“I think Coach Pop, and I think the coach would attest to this as well, that he's just a workhorse when it comes to his craft. He's always in here earlier than everybody else, dialing up schemes and plans for different teams. And I think his ability to be able to get the best out of his players is probably what separates him as a coordinator. I think he plays to a lot of our strengths, and even the fakes that we do probably play to all of our strengths, although practicing that through the legs was ugly at the beginning, it ended up being pretty good. So, yeah, I think Pop is just very good at understanding what we're all, I guess, capable of doing and then implementing it.”

Watch Coordinators' Corner on BYUtv

Game Day Information

Cougar Canyon & Cougar Walk
Cougar Canyon will take place on the West side of the stadium from 5 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 football game this Friday. 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.