Head coach Kalani Sitake noticed a change around the program during the Cougars’ only bye week of the 13-game regular season. While Sitake and several assistant coaches were spending extra time on the recruiting trail, the players led practice all week — at times alongside no one but a handful of graduate assistants.

“That’s what we have been trying to promote with our players: to lead this team,” Sitake said. “This is their team, and I want them to feel like they have a say in what we do as a program.”