Usually we use this space to write about football. But the first moments of BYU's bowl game against UAB were about something much more important than a game.
While the Cougars (10-2) are favored by seven points and the highest-ranked team to ever play in the bowl game that dates back to 1976, the bowl game has a must-win feel to it.
All-American offensive lineman Clark Barrington and running back Lopini Katoa confirmed that the duo will be return to BYU next year, giving the Cougars a solid core around expected quarterback Jaren Hall.
The Blazers reinstated football in 2017 after a two-year hiatus, and head coach Bill Clark has UAB in a bowl game every season in the four years since.