The Ten Best Wins of the Kalani Sitake Era (so far)

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last year and a half (in which case, welcome back!), you're probably aware that the independence era of BYU football is finally at an end. When the Cougars take the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium to open the 2023 season, that field will be branded with the logo of the Big 12 Conference. That's right, the Cougars have officially taken the step into the world of Power 5 football. BYU's twelve seasons as an independent produced some serious highs and lows, but today at least, I want to focus on the highs. In a previous write-up, I looked at the best wins of the Bronco Mendenhall era, and today I'd like to do the same thing for the first seven seasons of Kalani Sitake's tenure. Let me know on Twitter if you think I missed any or the order should be different.

10. 10/14/2016 vs. Mississippi State (28-21 2OT): This game took place a mere six days after the next one on this list—not a bad stretch for BYU football. In a homecoming tilt with an SEC opponent, the stars of the show were the Cougars' NFL-bound backfield duo of Taysom Hill and Jamaal Williams. Hill had one of his better games of the season, accounting for all four of BYU's touchdowns—three through the air and one on the ground. Meanwhile, a nine-yard run during the first OT period made Williams BYU's career rushing leader as he surpassed Harvey Unga's record. It was a poignant moment—in anticipation of the fact that the record was likely to be broken in this game, the ROC had prepared '21' signs for everyone to hold up and as they did so, Williams got a lengthy ovation. Then, of course, the game ended in dramatic fashion in a second overtime and the fans stormed the field in celebration. It was a pretty epic homecoming night for the Cougars—probably their best ever until it was eclipsed three years later, as you'll see below. Highlights here and a link to my own recap of the game here.

9. 10/8/2016 @ Michigan State (31-14): The Cougars’ dominant road win over Michigan State marked the real resurgence of Taysom Hill following his 2015 Lisfranc injury. That’s not to say Hill was horrible over the Cougars’ first five games of 2016, but he clearly wasn’t his old self. With BYU sitting at an unimpressive 2-3 and the offense looking inconsistent, the calls to play Tanner Mangum instead of Hill were growing louder by the minute. Then, the Cougars played Michigan State. Hill looked comfortable, confident, and in control throughout the game, and the rest of the team responded with enthusiasm as the Cougars beat the Spartans by a surprisingly comfortable margin. Hill's starting job was never again in question. Highlights here.

8. 11/6/2020 @ #21 Boise State (51-17): This game was a cathartic experience of sorts for BYU fans. The BYU-Boise State rivalry had, by 2020, become one of the Cougars' most competitive—as long as it was being played in Provo. The problem was that when the series relocated to Boise, BYU consistently found creative ways to self-destruct. In 2018, a strange playcall led to Zach Wilson taking a sack on the Boise State 2-yard line as time expired when a TD would have won the game. In 2016, the Cougars lost 28-27 despite having two very good chances to get into field goal range in the closing minutes. In 2012, they lost by the hilarious score of 7-6 despite holding the Boise State offense scoreless. And back in 2004, they fell by that familiar score of 28-27 after the normally reliable Matt Payne shanked a makeable 38-yard field goal attempt with seconds on the clock. All of that is to say that the Cougars felt a little snakebit when playing in Albertsons Stadium. In fact, going into this 2020 matchup, BYU had never beaten Boise State on the Smurf turf. Zach Wilson and Tyler Allgeier broke that streak, ringing up 573 yards of total offense and dominating the talented Broncos for three quarters before the starters came out. It was a satisfying game, and one that gave the Cougars' hopes of a NY6 berth serious momentum. Highlights here and a link to my recap here.

7. 9/18/2021 vs. #19 Arizona State (27-17): In what has to be the greatest two weeks in BYU football history, the Cougars, fresh off the announcement that the program was moving to the Big 12, won the #1 game on this list and then played this game a week later. The Sun Devils had a talented but undisciplined team, and both of those attributes were on full display in this game. At times, they played the Cougars tough and got the job done on both sides of the ball. But at the end of the day, their sloppy offensive line couldn't handle the noise of LaVell Edwards Stadium and collected a mountain of penalties. These mistakes allowed BYU to get ahead early and keep the lead throughout the game. At this point in the 2021 season, it felt like the sky truly was the limit for the 3-0 Cougars. Those were good days. Highlights here and a link to my recap here.

6. 9/7/2019 @ Tennessee (29-26 2OT): Like the #10/#9 and #7/#1 games on this list, this game and the one after it took place one week apart. It seems that good things come in two-week increments for BYU football. While Tennessee wasn’t the most elite opponent the Cougars faced in 2019, this game makes the list for sheer entertainment value. It was an exciting, hard-fought win that showcased the Cougars’ grit and ability to perform in the clutch, and it took place in one of college football's most legendary venues, Neyland Stadium, against one of its most prestigious programs. Zach Wilson, Micah Simon, and Jake Oldroyd's late-game heroics to survive in regulation were the stuff of BYU football legend, and seeing Ty'Son Williams muscle his way into that iconic checkerboard end zone for the game-winning touchdown in 2OT was an unforgettable moment. Highlights here and a link to my recap here.

5. 9/14/2019 vs. #24 USC (30-27 OT): Ah, 2019, when Kedon Slovis was a fresh-faced true freshman starter who was already gathering Heisman hype a couple of games into USC's season. Slovis, who had just finished thoroughly embarrassing Stanford, constantly looked one step behind the BYU defense as he threw three interceptions, including the game-sealer in overtime. Zach Wilson had the ESPN commentators raving about his abilities and laying on the Johnny Manziel comparisons thick. Slovis, meanwhile, watched his Heisman chatter disappear as his team fell victim to the Cougars’ surehanded linebacker corps and well-executed defensive scheme. This was a special win—the first really big home victory of Kalani Sitake's career—and it briefly shone a national spotlight on the Cougars. Injuries and gradually worsening defensive execution and gameplanning led to the 2019 season being a bit of a letdown, but in the moment, the thousands of fans rushing the field after Dayan Ghanwoloku's overtime pick would have suggested otherwise. Now, of course, this game has really come full-circle as Kedon Slovis is slated to start at quarterback for the Cougars this year. Highlights here and a link to my recap here.

4. 10/19/2019 vs. #14 Boise State (28-25): Boise State had a good team in 2019; they ran the table in the Mountain West and finished the season ranked #23 in the AP Poll with a 12-2 record. BYU...didn't have that great of a team in 2019. Zach Wilson was banged up all year—he didn't even play in this game—and the Cougars suffered a revolving door at running back after losing future NFL talent Ty'Son Williams to an ACL tear five games into the season. All of which served to set up peak drama on a miserable, sleet-soaked Homecoming night in Provo as the Cougars pulled off one of the most improbable upsets in program history. With a third-string quarterback and a fourth-string running back leading the offense behind an offensive line missing four starters, BYU absolutely stunned the Broncos. That third-string QB, Baylor Romney, found a connection with future NFL tight end Matt Bushman that worked over and over—nobody on Boise State's defense could cover Bushman, so all Romney had to do was throw the ball in his general direction. Meanwhile, that fourth-string RB, Sione Finau, had astonishingly large holes opened for him by that cobbled-together offensive line. When sports historians look back at Kalani Sitake's career, this might well be considered his most important game, period. Coming into this game, the Cougars had lost three straight—the most recent two at the hands of bad Toledo and South Florida teams. Coach Sitake's seat was starting to warm measurably as the team consistently underperformed against inferior competition. Had BYU lost this game, the slide might have continued, and I find it highly unlikely that Coach Sitake would have kept his job with a losing record in 2019. This win arguably saved his career and benefited the program enormously as a result. Highlights here and a link to my recap here.

3. 9/10/2022 vs. #9 Baylor (26-20 2OT): This game might be even higher on this list if not for the fact that Baylor ended up having a pretty mediocre 2022 season—ranked 9th when the Cougars played them, the Bears collapsed after this loss and stumbled to a 6-7 record. Still, in the moment, this was an incredibly special game. The 2021 matchup between these two teams had been a disaster for BYU—the Cougars' defense simply melted away and allowed the Bears to do pretty much anything they wanted in the run game. The result was a 38-24 loss that was even more lopsided on the field than it looked on paper. The Cougars took that loss personally and it was obvious from the first kickoff of this game. The defense in particular was on another level—this might be the best single-game coaching performance Ilaisa Tuiaki ever put together at BYU, which is ironic given that it came in the season that ended with his dismissal. Beyond a titanic defensive effort by the Cougars, this game was notable for the emergence of Chase Roberts at WR. Roberts, whose college debut had come just one week earlier, was thrust into the WR1 role by a rash of injuries ahead of him on the depth chart. He responded with gusto, catching 8 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown while also throwing a touchdown pass to Jaren Hall on a trick play. It was an entertaining game with a nail-biting finish and gave the Cougars their first home win over a top-10 team since beating #1 Miami in 1990. Highlights here and a link to my recap here.

2. 9/15/2018 @ #6 Wisconsin (24-21): Injuries and inconsistent quarterback play derailed the Cougars’ 2018 season, but for a brief moment early on in their schedule, they vaulted themselves into national prominence with this expectation-shattering win over a top-10 opponent on the road. Granted, the Badgers didn’t live up to their preseason hype, finishing 8-5, but make no mistake—this was a colossal win for the Cougars. The really amazing part is that they did it with virtually no passing game—Tanner Mangum finished the game with just 89 passing yards and a ghastly QBR of 88.53.  Enter Squally Canada: the Cougar running back rushed eleven times for 121 yards (eleven yards per carry!) and a pair of TD's, keeping the BYU offense moving when it threatened to stagnate. Though 2018 would be remembered more as a season of injuries and bad losses than any kind of triumph, this game allowed the Cougars, for a moment, to genuinely stand out on a national level. Highlights here.

1. 9/11/2021 vs. #21 Utah (26-17): Either of the two previous games could arguably take this spot. Wins over top-10 teams are nothing to sneeze at and don't come around very often for BYU. But truth be told, the Utes were a better team in 2021 than either 2022 Baylor or 2018 Wisconsin. In fact, it's not particularly close. Utah would go on to win 10 games and a Pac-12 title, which is far more than the previous two teams could claim. And this game takes the #1 spot for another reason—not only is this Utah team probably the best overall opponent BYU has beaten under Coach Sitake, but this is easily the most meaningful win the team has enjoyed during his tenure. Twelve years and nine games went by without a BYU victory in this most storied of rivalries. There were nail-biters, to be sure, but the Cougars always found a way to mess things up in the end. I was in fifth grade when BYU beat Utah in 2009—I was a senior in my final semester at BYU when this game happened. That's a really, really long time. And the way this win happened was just so satisfying. The Cougars beat the Utes at their own game, dominating the trenches completely on both sides of the ball, running the ball at will, forcing turnovers, and using special teams precision to gain a field position advantage. It was a masterclass in Kyle Whittingham-style football put on by Whittingham's old protégé, Kalani Sitake. I will never forget the experience of rushing the field after this game—barely able to hear the postgame fireworks over the deafening roar of a crowd releasing more than a decade of frustration. It felt like the party on the field lasted all night (it was more like 30 minutes before they cleared everyone off, but you get the idea). BYU may win important games in the future. The Cougars might even one day ascend once again to the national championship and Heisman Trophy heights they experienced under LaVell Edwards. But there might not ever be another BYU football win this emotional again. Highlights here and a link to my recap here.