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STILLWATER, Okla. — One by one, they filed into the visiting locker room, many wearing their emotions more on their sleeve than others but all wearing some sort of emotion in plain visibility as a handful of Cougar fans tried to shout encouragement from the stands.
Each BYU football player had a similar look of shock, sadness, disgust or more as they handed in a piece of equipment one at a time. For some of them, it would be the last time they used those Big 12 facilities, the final time they put on that jersey.
Even head coach Kalani Sitake was shellshocked after the Cougars' 40-34 double-overtime road loss to No. 20 Oklahoma State, a loss that sent the Cowboys (9-3, 7-2 Big 12) into next week's Big 12 championship game against No. 9 Texas.
Never mind that BYU was a 16.5-point underdog, dramatically discounted as a team fighting for bowl eligibility and a .500 record in its first season against Power Five competition.
Sitake wore his surprise — or at least feigned it well — several moments later when he met with the media for the final time of the 2023 campaign.
"It's a tough end to the season," he said before congratulating Oklahoma State, which turned around a 24-6 halftime deficit with 21 unanswered points before winning in overtime. "Honestly, I wasn't even thinking about this as a result. It was tough to say goodbye to the seniors."
Some of those seniors may move on to the NFL; all will move on to something else. It's a group that includes leading tacklers AJ Vongphachanh and Max Tooley, and may include defensive end Tyler Batty, who said he was undecided about returning for what could be the fourth-year junior's final season in 2024.
If Saturday night was the former Payson High star's final game in Cougar blue, he went out on a high note with six tackles, a sack, another tackle for loss, and a well-placed 36-yard catch from punter Ryan Rehkow during a first-half fake punt.
In four seasons, Batty totaled 165 tackles, 89 solo stops, 26.5 tackles for loss, 15 sacks and three forced fumbles — arguably the most consistent edge rusher in the program during his time. Not that he wants to take anything away from his teammates, or the depth required on the line to hang with the Cougars' new Power Five competitors.
"Honestly, I think things can always get better, but I firmly believe that this team can hang with the best of them in the Big 12," Batty said. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to display that, week in and week out. But there were flashes of it. It's more just consistency of play."
Several newcomers were also on display, including former Weber State cornerback Eddie Heckard. The former FCS All-American had very specific goals for transferring to play out his final season under former coach Jay Hill in Provo, and which he didn't hide as he joked with a TV reporter that his next step is "hopefully the NFL; I don't decide that."
It's hard to imagine NFL scouts and executives won't give the 5-foot-10, 190-pound defensive back from Las Vegas a look — if for no other reason than the two five tackles, two interceptions and forced fumble he had against the Cowboys, a line that includes a his second-quarter pick six that helped the Cougars to a 24-6 halftime lead.
"This season meant everything to me," Heckard said. "I originally came here to try to increase my stock for the NFL and show I can play at the Power Five level. I think BYU has provided me that, for sure. I appreciate BYU for everything. ... We've got a losing record, but I'm proud of what BYU has done for me."
Mostly, Heckard added, he's proud of the fight in his team. The same fight that helped BYU (5-7, 2-7 Big 12) to its hot start also rallied the Cougars when Oklahoma State stormed back to take a 27-24 lead on Ollie Gordon II's fourth of six touchdowns with 53 seconds left.
That same fight was on display when Will Ferrin nailed a 48-yard field goal as time expired, and when quarterback Jake Retzlaff opened overtime with his second rushing touchdown.
"I can't see this team quitting," Heckard said. "I can't see no BYU team quitting; we go to a religious school and put our faith in God. I don't think there is ever a quit."
Quit or not, there will be changes. Whether disappointing or expected, BYU's loss in Stillwater ends a string of five straight bowl games. The Cougars aren't postseason eligible for just the second time in 19 years.
Sitake likely remains safe while he's under contract through 2027, and defensive coordinator Hill completed only his first season with additional roles of safeties coach and associate head coach.
But thoughts have shifted to the offensive side of the ball, and potential shakeups that could affect offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick, offensive line coach Darrell Funk, wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake and running backs coach Harvey Unga.
The Cougars' once explosive offense finished 119th nationally in total yardage with 308.2 yards per game, and 117th in rushing offense with 3.47 yards per carry and 102.0 yards per play despite the additions of former UNLV 1,000-yard rusher Aidan Robbins and former four-star recruit LJ Martin from El Paso, Texas.
Sitake was non-committal about forthcoming changes, but he indicated change was coming.
"Part of the next move is that change is inevitable," he said. "There are a bunch of things that we need to change and when I'm talking about changes, it depends on what degree of change. We need guys to get bigger and stronger; we have seen it already. It is hard to tell the guys to get bigger and stronger when they haven't been through the fight. Now they have been through it."
