September 11, 2024 |
Photo – Pokes and Cougars played in a snowstorm – Courtesy gowyo.com
BYU Head Coach Kalani Sitake’s message this week to his quarterback, Jake Retzlaffe, was short and simple.
Take care of the ball.
The Wyoming Cowboys are likely taking their own notes.
Retzlaff’s job was on the line this year after last year’s 5-and-7 season. The quarterback was making his head coach’s head spin last weekend. In his second start of the year, Retzlaff turned the ball over three times against SMU.
The Cougars came away with an 18-15 win to improve to 2-and-0 on the season. Sitake has reason to be concerned. Retzlaff now has four lost fumbles and five interceptions in his six starts.
The Cowboys are taking notes as they watch the film on the Cougars this week.
“Take care of the stinking football,” was Coach Sitake’s final word on the matter this week.
BYU knows the 0-and-2 Cowboys are hungry. Wyoming needs a win. And Retzlaff’s careless ball-handling is likely on the minds of the Wyoming defense.
On the second turnover last week, Retzlaff would have been sacked. As he was wrapped up, he decided to throw the ball late into no-man’s land. The bad throw was picked off, giving SMU great field position.
The Cowboys should be taking notes as they look to overcome their own careless play and notch the first win of the season.
Coach Sitake, who is personal friends with former Wyoming Head Coach Craig Bohl, said he is looking forward to bringing his team to Laramie this week. Sitake is no stranger to the rivalry with Wyoming. After redshirting with the Cougars in 1997, Sitake was a three-year starter at fullback from 1998 to 2000 under hall of fame coach LaVell Edwards. He was named BYU’s Football Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1998. Sitake helped the Cougars to the first Mountain West Conference championship in 1999.
In 2000, Sitake was named team captain and BYU’s most valuable running back.
Now the Head Coach, Sitake said he’s looking forward to the trip to Laramie as part of a two-game contract that started with 38-24 BYU win in Provo in September of 2022.
The Cowboys will be looking for their first win of the season against a team that has yet to lose this year. The game will be the Cougar’s first trip to 7,220 feet and War Memorial Stadium since 2009. It’s a game Wyoming fans would like to forget. Quarterback Max Hall led the Cougars to a 52-0 win that day, throwing for 312 yards and four touchdowns in just over two quarters of play.
That said, sports writers in Salt Lake City are worried this is a trap game for the Cougars against a hungry Wyoming team looking to prove themselves.
We’ll see. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. We’ll be on the air with the pre-game show at 5:30 here on Bigfoot 99.
