...he said in an interview this past year on ESPN960 with Criddle that Kyle has set a very determined expectation to his team that they don’t lose to BYU. According to Jake this gets drilled into a new player as soon as he steps off the bus his first day. They play looped feeds of Utah highlights vs BYU all year long, they drill the understanding that losing to BYU is unacceptable and that this education goes on all year.

If the old adage “Actions speak louder than words” is true, while Kyle might not say in specific words that the BYU game is the most important game on the schedule, his actions certainly show it. No other game on their schedule gets year long attention and focus. I think this explains their ability to make those little plays in key moments that determine the outcome. Culture eats strategy for lunch every day of the week and when the game is on the line those guys find a way to dig a little deeper.

We need to reach that level of determination and the casual attitude by Bronco towards the rivalry created, by comparison, a lackluster culture with the team towards it and undermined results on the field. The speed of the leader determines the rate of the pack. Kalani has been digging us out of a huge hole left by the previous coaching staff and is on the cusp of finally turning this thing around.