Kalani Sitake filed Senior Day away on Saturday and checked all the boxes in an expected 42-10 win over Idaho State in LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Senior receivers Talon Shumway and Micah Simon scored touchdowns. Senior D-backs Austin Lee (pick six) added another and Dayan Ghanwoloku joined in with an interception. Junior defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga, who may not return next year, got a rhino rush touchdown out of the scrum formation.
“This is bittersweet,” said Lee. “I’ve made a lot of memories and a lot of bonds were made.”
“This is bittersweet. I’ve made a lot of memories and a lot of bonds were made.” — BYU defensive back Austin Lee
Sophomore QB Zach Wilson made his long-awaited return after a thumb injury and looked sharp until an ill-advised interception early in the fourth quarter. Sure, there is rust for him to knock off after a seven-week absence, and this was his process.
As usual, in games where favored by a gob of points, BYU looked sloppy with 40 yards in penalties in the first 16 minutes. Lee’s TD was something BYU’s offense couldn’t do in early possessions. Bad focus plays and execution challenges have been that way since the days of playing bad UTEP teams in the ’80s.
Sitake got DBs Troy Warner and Chris Wilcox back on the field for the first time in like forever, providing them the much-needed game experience, and he filtered out a lot of young players whose redshirt eligibility will not be impacted due to the four-game rule.
On one of his first plays of the season, it was Wilcox tipping a pass that led to Lee’s interception for a TD.
Joe Critchlow got some well-earned time at QB in the final 12 minutes and fans were introduced to freshmen receivers Keanu Hill and Tevita Ika and running back Jackson McChesney. They had 95 yards on BYU’s final drive called back on penalties.
But the biggest deal was ESPN making an official invitation to the Hawaii Bowl Dec. 24 in Honolulu.
Aloha.
Saturday’s victory extended BYU’s win streak to four games and at 6-4.
In the summer, I thought a seven-win BYU team and a bowl trip would be considered a good effort and success for this team. With games at struggling UMass and San Diego State remaining, Sitake could get this team to 8-4, and I would consider that a very good year. A bowl win gives the Cougars the possibility of nine wins.
I don’t think it’s going out on a limb to say if senior transfer running back Ty’Son Williams had not been injured against Washington, BYU would have defeated Toledo and South Florida, two of the most disappointing losses of the season.
This team should have eight wins right now. But those losses likely sparked changes that have led to a four-game win streak.
Even in this era of a glut of bowl games, I’m not of the mindset that they are a waste of time for a program. It rewards seniors, motivates underclassmen and gives a coaching staff 15 more practices.
For a program that has based its recruiting on developmental players, this is a must, an absolute necessity for a foundation for the next season.
This will be Sitake’s third bowl appearance in four seasons and BYU’s 12th bowl in 13 years.
That is an accomplishment.
The road to bowl eligibility was a long one, longer than some expected when you add up some of the challenges.
It seems like a year ago the Cougars opened up against Utah and beat ranked USC and Tennessee on the road in SEC territory.
Imagine starting 2-4 against what was the No. 7 toughest schedule in the country in early November, and losing your star running back, your best defensive player, four offensive linemen and starting five different quarterbacks the last five games. Add to that, the squad will have traveled 15,000 miles round trip after the UMass game at Amherst next week.
Examine the shuffling and teaching that has to go into fielding a team with 48 different starters in nine games. That includes starting 13 freshmen, which ties Purdue for the most freshmen inserted as freshmen in any FBS program this season.
The fun part of Saturday was seeing the playmaking and fire in Simon, Shumway, Lee, Ghanwoloku and other seniors.
It didn’t matter the foe. It didn’t matter the day. Didn’t matter that Idaho State came in with just three wins, BYU’s seniors were determined to bury the needle before the home crowd for the last time. And they did it without offensive stars Lopini Katoa and Aleva Hifo.
These seniors, the ones who had to hurt and swallow a non-bowl, four-win 2017 season, understand the importance of Saturday’s Idaho State win.
On this day, aloha took on a special meaning.