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PROVO — A familiar piece of BYU lore won't be on hand for BYU football's afternoon kickoff against Southern Utah (1 p.m. MDT, ESPN+).
You'll have to wait at least another week to see the acclaimed Cougarettes at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said he would "take the blame" on the multi-year national championship-winning Cougarettes dance team's absence and promised a swift return.
"I'll take the blame on this one," Holmoe wrote. "Poor communication on my part for this week's game entertainment. Cougarettes are amazing student athletes and you'll see 'em performing again soon — better than ever."
The post was in response to former BYU (and Stanford) fullback Houston Heimuli, who said he found out that the Cougarettes "can't perform their timeout numbers this weekend" because "people" complained about the group's choice of music.
"Way to ruin it for the majority," wrote Heimuli, who was recently married to a former Cougarette and three-year captain, per his Instagram page.
I'll take the blame on this one. Poor communication on my part for this week's game entertainment. Cougarettes 🤍 are amazing student athletes and you'll see 'em performing again soon - better than ever. https://t.co/Wngofz5lcZ
— Tom Holmoe (@TomHolmoe) September 8, 2023
BYU officials did not respond to KSL.com's request for comment, other than Holmoe's post on X.
Arguably the highest performing program in the BYU athletic department, the Cougarettes won 22 national championships from 1997 through 2022, according to the most recent news release from the university. They also won NDA Division 1A national titles in hip hop and jazz this past year, according to the group's official Instagram page.
