56. 9/6/16 - BYU wins Kalani Sitaki’s coaching debut with last second win: BYU - 18, Arizona - 16

             When head coach Bronco Mendenhall left for Virginia, Kalani Sitaki was hired as the new head coach. Under Coach Mendenhall, the Cougars had never had a losing record, and had played in 11 straight bowl games. Coach Sitaki and his staff were determined to keep both streaks alive. Their first test would be the Arizona Wildcats in the Cactus Football Classic, held at a “neutral site” in Glendale, AZ. The Cougars and Wildcats were common foes back when both teams played for the WAC, and Arizona held a 12-9-1 advantage in the all-time series. Even in recent history, Arizona held a 2-1 advantage. The Cougars were out to prove to their former conference rivals that they were now the top Cat in the west.

Coach Kalani Sitake
Courtesy of BYU Photo

            Both defenses were excellent in the first quarter, as every drive ended with a punt. BYU began its first drive of the second quarter at their own 48 and managed to break inside the Arizona 10 before facing fourth down. Rhett Almond put the Cougars on the board first with a 24-yard FG that barely floated over the bar after being deflected on its flight. Following an interception by Francis Bernard, BYU QB Taysom Hill guided the Cougars to the Wildcat 5, where they faced a fourth-and-one. Rather than kick a FG, BYU went for it, with Alge Brown converting the first down. Brayd El-Bakri busted into the end zone from less than a yard out for the Cougars’ first touchdown. Unfortunately, the extra point attempt sailed wide left. Nevertheless, Arizona missed a long FGA at the end of the second quarter, and the Cougars entered the locker room with a 9-0 lead at the half.

            The third quarter once again belonged to the defenses, though Arizona did manage to boot a 46-yard FG, pulling to within 6. As the quarter drew to a close, BYU entered Wildcat territory on a 36-yard rush by Jamaal Williams. By the end of the quarter, they had reached the Wildcat 33, poised to score.

            After three quarters of dominating defense, the offenses finally made some noise in the fourth. Taysom completed an 80-yard march by zipping a 6-yard pass to Colby Pearson for a touchdown. With a 15-3 lead, the Cougars went for 2, but the conversion attempt failed. Arizona responded with a 75-yard drive that ended with 15-yard TD rush by Nick Wilson. After the extra point, Arizona now only trailed by 5. The BYU offense went backwards on their next possession and had to punt. A pumped up Arizona team then made a crucial mistake, turning the ball over on an interception by Kai Nacua. Unfortunately, the Cougar offense couldn’t capitalize and were compelled to punt again. With just over three minutes remaining, Arizona quickly advanced into Cougar territory. Nick Wilson then broke free for his second touchdown - a 49 yard romp that put Arizona ahead for the first time that night. With a 1-point lead, Arizona went for two, and was thwarted when BYU intercepted the pass attempt. BYU got the ball back at their own 31, with only 1:20 to work with. Hill demonstrating his clock-management skills as he guided the Cougs to the Wildcat 16. With under ten seconds remaining, BYU was whistled for a false start, and would have lost the game due to a 10-second run-off rule if they didn’t have a timeout remaining. With 8 seconds remaining in game, true freshman Jake Oldroyd was called on to boot the game-winning field goal. In his first ever collegiate field goal attempt, he nailed the 33-yarder, giving the Cougars an 18-16 win.

Jamaal Williams
Courtesy of BYU Photo

            RB Jamaal Williams played a huge role in the win, netting 162 rushing yards despite have two long runs called back on penalties. Although the season opener was followed by three straight losses, Coach Sitake guided the Cougars to an 8-4 regular season record, followed by a victory over Wyoming in the Poinsettia Bowl, making his first season as a head coach a rollicking success.

Game highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7MxBWISOSI


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