Provo • BYU football coach Kalani Sitake refuses to make excuses.
Injuries have mounted throughout the Cougars’ six-game losing skid — the school’s longest since 1968 — but Sitake in almost every interview has said they aren’t the reason the Cougars are 1-6 and being billed as one of the most disappointing teams in college football this season.
“Injuries are a part of college football,” Sitake said during his weekly press briefing Monday. “We just have to adjust. It is a great opportunity for our other players to step up and take advantage of their chance to show what they an do on the field.”
Thirty-four players have missed “significant time” with an injury this season, including 12 projected starters, Sitake said. Of those 34, 22 have been on the two-deep chart.
There was a sliver of good news Monday. Sitake said quarterback Tanner Mangum’s ailing left ankle “is better today than it was even last week” before the junior completed 16 of 26 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown, with one interception, in the 35-10 loss at Mississippi State.
“I think that helped him, especially with his technique and his footwork and delivering the ball,” Sitake said.
Before the season, Sitake expressed fear that the Cougars’ depth was not where he wanted it to be, and those fears have been realized due to the injuries and preseason suspension of starting linebacker Francis Bernard.
“It is not an excuse, but I think it limits you a little bit in what you can do because now you are not doing the stuff you did all camp and all spring ball,” Sitake said. “But that is our job as coaches, to get the best guys and the best 11 on the field and make sure they are doing their job effectively so we can get off the field on defense and so we can score points on offense.”
Running back update
Junior running back Squally Canada “wasn’t able to go last week” against MSU and junior Trey Dye was injured after catching a screen pass and missed the rest of the game. Austin Kafentzis and KJ Hall, who has been out with an arm injury, are now listed as the halfbacks on the two-deep and Dye is not.
Canada is now listed as the starting tailback, with sophomore Riley Burt his backup there. Fumble-prone Ula Toluta’u is still the starter at “big back,” with Canada his backup. Junior Kavika Fonua, who hasn’t played in weeks, is now off the two-deep completely.
“We will probably try to get Riley Burt involved a little more,” Sitake said, when asked address the running back situation and why walk-on fullbacks Brayden and Bracken El-Bakri played as much as they did.
Andy Reid is even assisting
Sitake said “a lot of people” have reached out during the losing skid, including Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, a former BYU player who “had been a good mentor to me. Since LaVell [Edwards] passes, he has filled that role a little bit.”
Former BYU offensive coordinator Norm Chow, former Oregon State coach Gary Andersen and Utah coach Kyle Whittingham are also mentors Sitake trusts, he said.
“We are dealing with some things that are unique here and they are not excuses,” Sitake said. “They are just adjustments that we have to make, whether they are personnel or scheme or whatever it is.”
Utah’s two-point decision
Sitake said he watched the last part of Utah’s 28-27 loss to USC Saturday night. He called Whittingham’s decision to go for two “awesome” and “aggressive” and he understood why his former boss did it.
Sitake made the same decision last year against the Utes, choosing to go for the win instead of overtime, but Taysom Hill’s quarterback draw was snuffed short of the goal line.