Win or lose, BYU football's culture to be defined in final 2 games

PROVO — Culture is in the eye of the beholder, or maybe that's beauty; but in the case of BYU football, the hope is for the former.

After three straight losses to Big 12 opponents, the Cougars (5-5, 2-5 Big 12) are finding life in the Power Five isn't everything some imagined.

After a 4-1 start to the 2023 campaign, BYU has won just one of its last five — and were outscored in the second half of a 27-14 win over Texas Tech back on Oct. 21 — to turn a strong start into a perilous misadventure.

With two games remaining, the Cougars need to win at least one against either No. 14 Oklahoma on Saturday (10 a.m. MST, ESPN) or No. 24 Oklahoma State to prolong its season. Otherwise, Kalani Sitake's squad will miss a bowl game for just the second time in 19 years.

BYU's culture of a consistent bowl-bound team is being tested in its first season in the Big 12. But it isn't breaking — not yet at least, Sitake said.

"If I had players out there quitting, then I would be really, really worried about what's going on," Sitake mentioned in addressing the media Monday. "That's why I'm excited to see that we can get done this week, to be at home again. … I love the fact that we're playing at home, senior game, 10 a.m. kickoff; a lot of really cool things to think about."

It's easy to talk about culture at the start of the season, or when a team starts 3-0 — even 4-1, like the Cougars once were after a 35-27 win over Cincinnati.

But culture isn't defined when the going is easy. And right now at BYU, the season is anything but.

"Some of the best times in life happen when things aren't necessarily going your way," BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill said after Tuesday's practice. "Today was a great indicator of what I think this team is, and the culture that coach Kalani wants to have: They came out and had one of their best practices of the year. They flew around, they were excited about Oklahoma.

"That happens in life — you get knocked down, and you have to get back up. I thought they did that today. Now we've got to do that tomorrow, and Thursday, and then on Saturday, which is most important. But I thought today was a good step in the right direction."

So what is the culture of BYU football?

"At the end of the day, the culture is that we love each other and we play with love," said defensive end Isaiah Bagnah, a Boise State transfer who will be among 30 players honored on senior day (though he could return for one final season of eligibility). "But we also work hard every single day. As long as that doesn't change and it stays one of our main priorities as a culture and a program, that's all that matters."

Deion Smith, the Colorado transfer running back from Texas who will wrap up his BYU career Saturday morning, added he's learned a lot about the Cougars' culture.

"One thing I've learned about this team is how hard everybody works," he said. "Even after tough losses and tough games where we knew we could've done better, the whole energy of the team and the attitude is what more can we do? We've adopted that in the running back room: What more can we do to help?"

The Cougars didn't practice Monday, the result of an NCAA-mandated civic engagement day established three years ago.

While the coaches couldn't formally meet with their players, they did challenge them, Hill said. They challenged the players to spend more time on film review, to show up for their daily weight lifting session, and to spend a little extra time scouting themselves and the Sooners to be ready to go to work Tuesday.

How it went won't be fully known until Saturday morning. But so far, so good, coaches opined.

"Sometimes taking ownership away from the coaches like that can be one of the best things possible," Hill said. "In the NFL, the coaches don't have them come in the office until Wednesdays. I think being away and handling your business like a professional can be a good thing."

For Bagnah, the culture starts with each player designated as captain and the 15 seniors (and 15 COVID seniors) to be honored Saturday morning — from Max Tooley to Chaz Ah You to Tyler Batty and Ben Bywater, to name a few.

But everyone has a role to play — even backup quarterback Jake Retzlaff, who started the past two games for an injured Kedon Slovis but to whom Sitake did not commit as the starter for a third straight game — in steadying the shift if the Cougars are going to navigate out of stormy waters.

"All our captains are making an emphasis and trying to remind us of our purpose that we had at the start of the season," Bagnah said. "It's important for us to finish out on a good note, to play our hearts out. That's our identity, especially as a defense."

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