Three Things BYU Coach Kalani Sitake Said ahead of OSU’s Trip to Provo

The tables have turned.

When Oklahoma State and BYU met last season, the Cougars needed a win for bowl eligibility and the Cowboys needed a win to get to Arlington. Although Friday’s meeting doesn’t carry the set-in-stone stakes that last year’s regular-season finale did, this game could be big for OSU’s journey to bowl eligibility, and it could further push the Cougars to Arlington.

OSU and BYU play at 9:15 p.m. (Central) on Friday night in Provo. BYU coach Kalani Sitake met with the media Monday to preview the matchup. Here are three things he said.

1. Prepping for OSU’s Quarterback Situation

The Cowboys are leaving some mystery for the BYU staff to have to decipher.

Mike Gundy didn’t name a starting quarterback at his Monday media availability. This comes after Alan Bowman has been pulled in two of OSU’s past three games. Although the difference from Bowman to Garret Rangel, who has replaced Bowman in those two games, isn’t as vast as a Bowman to Spencer Sanders change would be, Sitake said the Cougars still have to prepare for whichever quarterbacks the Cowboys throw at them,

“We gotta cover everything,” Sitake said. “I think they’re a really good coaching staff. You don’t just luck into playing for the conference championship last year. We have to be ready for all of it, but I think the key for us, going off of this last week, we made some mistakes that were not like us on defense. I think if just play assignment-sound football, focus on the fundamentals, the simple things that we can fix, I think that’ll put us in a better position for success, regardless of who the quarterback is.

“That’s their expertise. They know how to get their quarterbacks ready, and we’re looking forward to seeing their best guy. We might see one. We might see all three. We just have to be ready to do our part on defense.”

2. Gordon Is an ‘NFL Guy’

Ollie Gordon had five rushing touchdowns against BYU last season. Through six games this season, he’s found paydirt just four times.

OSU’s inability to find any semblance of success on the ground has been the most perplexing thing about the Pokes’ 3-3 start. Despite Gordon not having a rushing touchdown since Sept. 7 nor having a 100-yard outing against an FBS team this season, it sounds as if the Cougars are still on high alert for No. 0.

“Dangerous player,” Sitake said. “It’s hard to keep a guy that’s that talented down. Eventually, he’s gonna find ways to poke holes in your defense. We gotta be assignment-sound and make it really difficult for him and for that offense. Great player — he’s a next level player. You can see he’s an NFL guy, so it’s a tough challenge.

“We see it on film. We saw it on film last year. He’s the same guy with the same talent. He’s got tremendous speed and athleticism, so this is a tough matchup. We just gotta be on top of it and make sure we can make it difficult for him. I see a lot of teams that do make it difficult for him, he finds ways to make plays. It’s gotta be all 11 guys on the field taking care and being aware of what he’s doing.”

3. ‘We Know We’re Gonna Get Their Best Shot’

So, it doesn’t sound like BYU is counting out Ollie Gordon, and it also doesn’t sound like the Cougars are counting out the Cowboys.

On a couple of occasions during his Monday news conference, Sitake made mention to the double-overtime game these teams played last season. OSU won that game 40-34, sending the Pokes to the Big 12 title game and ending the Cougars’ season. BYU finished 2023 a win from bowl eligibility. Entering this matchup at 6-0, the Cougars have already clinched a bowl game, but like OSU did last year, the Cougars could need this game to continue their Big 12 title aspirations.

OSU has been struggling, sure, but Sitake knows much of this OSU team was on that same team that beat the Cougars last season and made it to Arlington.

“Playing against a really good team, Oklahoma State, that played in the (Big 12) championship game last year,” Sitake said. “They have a great head coach. Mike Gundy, he’s one of the longest tenured coaches in college football. He’s seen it all in terms of what types of seasons and responding to adversity. So, we know we’re gonna get their best shot.”