Why BYU football didn't practice Monday before upcoming kick vs. No. 14 Oklahoma

PROVO — BYU football did things a bit differently Monday afternoon in preparation for Saturday's regular-season home finale against Oklahoma.

The Cougars didn't practice, but not in any organized protest or sign of discontent, head coach Kalani Sitake said.

Monday was the required day the program had set aside for "civic engagement day," a new NCAA requirement that must fall on a non-operations day within 15 days of election day. That it happened to fall on the week leading up to a 10 a.m. MST bout with the 14th-ranked Sooners is circumstantial, the head coach said.

In 2020, the Division I student-athlete advisory council recommended that the Division I council adopt legislation specifying that countable athletically related activities be prohibited on the first Tuesday after Nov. 1 every year to promote participation in civic engagement activities.

Two years later, the council amended the legislation to allow teams more flexibility in pre-planning their civic engagement day — so long as it fell within 15 days before or after Election Day.

That means coaches can't hold practices (or games) on that day. And at BYU, because the program regularly takes Sundays off for religious purposes, the Cougars couldn't use a Sunday as such a day.

"It has to be a day that we normally use for football and operations," Sitake said. "I trust our guys to get stuff done. Luckily, we have players who love the game, love the matchup, and are excited to get going."

Additionally, no players were made available to the media Monday as part of the day. They essentially weren't required to come into the building (though they may run optional, player-run workouts).

The Cougars (5-5, 2-5 Big 12) have plenty to work on before Saturday. Iowa State gashed BYU for 443 yards of offense, including 234 yards on the ground, and led by as much as 31-7 en route to a 45-13 win in handing the Cougars a third straight loss and first at home of the season.

The Cyclones (6-4, 5-2 Big 12) netted 21 first downs, converted 8-of-14 third downs, and held possession for more than 33 minutes of game time.

BYU mustered just 4.8 yards per play for 318 yards — most of it coming on the ground while trailing big in the second half — and hurt itself more with three turnovers, four penalties, countless missed tackles, and a slippery field under the frigid night air at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Jake Retzlaff threw an interception on the first play of the game, and a fumbled kickoff gave Iowa State a 10-0 lead before most of the 60,754 fans could find their seat. Many of those same fans were then abandoning those seats midway through the third quarter, when Abu Sama scored his second touchdown on a 59-yard rush to push the Cyclones' advantage to 45-13.

"You can't just keep spotting teams points with mistakes," Sitake said. "Ball security is something that we pride ourselves in at BYU. That ball belongs to Cougar Nation, not the individual carrying the ball; it belongs to the fan base. … Those mistakes can literally cost you the game."

Saturday's game will be an even greater challenge.

Sitake expects wide receiver Darius Lassiter to return from injury after missing the past two games. Defensive lineman Caden Haws and John Nelson are significantly less likely, as well as cornerback/gunner Marcus McKenzie, he added.

Defensive end John Henry Daley is in "redshirt mode" after exhausting his four-game eligibility. He won't be available again unless the Cougars clinch a bowl game for the 18th time in 19 seasons by winning at least one of their final two games.

Starting quarterback Kedon Slovis could return to play against the Sooners after practicing last week but not being ready to play with an injury to his throwing arm.

"If he's ready to go and he's full strength, then he's our guy, usually," Sitake said.

A 24.5-point road favorite against the Cougars, Oklahoma (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) set a program record in last week's 59-20 win over West Virginia, when redshirt senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel became the first player in program history — and first in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season — to account for eight touchdowns in a game.

The Maxwell Award semifinalist who faced BYU with UCF in the Boca Raton Bowl in 2020 totaled 473 yards of offense, including 23-of-36 passing for a season-high 423 yards and five touchdowns and 11 rushes for 50 yards, and a career high-tying three touchdowns without a turnover in a win over the Mountaineers.

Saturday will also mark the earliest kickoff in Provo since Nov. 13, 2004, when Dontrell Moore ran for 101 yards and a score, and Fola Fashola forced the game-deciding turnover with 44 seconds left to lift New Mexico to a 21-14 win over BYU in Mountain West play.

Traditionally accustomed to night games — though even those haven't been kind to the Cougars recently, as Saturday's 8:15 p.m. kickoff vs. Iowa State showed — BYU players and coaches will be up as early as 6 a.m. for the traditional pre-game meal about four hours before kickoff.

Other pregame logistics will be modified more than they have in 20 years at the stadium perhaps most known for a 15-inch maple bar called the "Cougar Tail."

"This is a really cool experience, and I'm excited to play this game," Sitake said. "The earlier, the better. ... It's going to be weird going home after the game and having the sun up."

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