‘This is what you live for’: BYU savoring opportunity to host No. 13 Kansas State

It has been suggested by some that BYU’s Big 12 opener Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium against No. 13 Kansas State represents a litmus test for the Cougars, a chance to prove whether they have really improved in the trenches after getting pushed around so much in league play last season.
BYU players and coaches aren’t running from that assessment — they’ve heard the naysayers and critics, too — but the pitch head coach Kalani Sitake and his coordinators have made this week is more focused on the opportunity that stands before them.
A victory over the also 3-0 Wildcats (8:30 p.m. MDT, ESPN) would rank among the best victories of the past five years, likely propel BYU into the national rankings, and serve notice that Sitake’s insistence that the program is on an upward trajectory is well founded.
“I want to see us make a huge step in improvement from Wyoming to this Saturday against Kansas State,” Sitake said Monday. “It is a tough task, a difficult team. But man, it is going to be a lot of fun, and I want our guys to enjoy it. It is going to be a great opportunity for us.”
Offensive lineman Connor Pay, who has been beating the drum about BYU’s need to get bigger, beefier and more physical up front on both sides of the ball to better compete in the Big 12 for nearly a year now, said each game is more like a quiz than a final exam. But he acknowledges this matchup is a huge step up from what Cougars faced in Week 1 and Week 3.
“You have to make a statement that you have improved every single week. I don’t know that I would weigh one game more than any other in terms of overall improvement, because SMU’s D line was a good D-line,” Pay said. “But as we get into conference play, we are going to have to see continually, each week, (if) we can continue to produce on the ground.
“When we get to the end of the season, and can look at the season as a whole, that will be more of a litmus test of how far we have come versus one single game,” Pay said.
Kansas State is a touchdown favorite, and deserves to be. On paper, the Wildcats are more talented, have a better quarterback (sophomore Avery Johnson), are able to run the ball and stop the run better, and were picked to finish second in the league for a reason.
Kansas State is in the top 25 in rushing yards (16th), and fewest rushing yards allowed (24th). That’s a recipe for success, especially on the road.
“Big game, against a ranked opponent. First game this season for Big 12 conference for us in LaVell. So it is a big deal,” said BYU running back Enoch Nawahine, who will likely be RB1 or RB2 Saturday, rotating with Miles Davis, because season-opening starters LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati are questionable with injuries.
“We have been practicing super hard this week,” Nawahine continued. “We know they are coming to play, so we are going to bring the party to them and play with a lot of physicality, and have fun.”
While the aforementioned attributes of crafty coach Chris Klieman’s team favor K-State, all the intangibles lean toward the Cougars, with the exception of the injury factor and the fact that the Wildcats have had an extra day to prepare, having smoked Arizona 31-7 last Friday.
As has been well-documented, BYU plays better at night, generally thrives against teams unaccustomed to playing at elevation (4,551 feet) and will have a huge crowd of supporters.
“LaVell Edwards Stadium for a (late-night) game, that is as good as it gets in college football. It should be a great environment,” said BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick. “We are playing a great opponent. This is what you live for if you are in this profession, or you play this game as a player. This is what it is about.”
If there is a Kansas State weakness the Cougars might be able to exploit, it is that the Wildcats are below average against the pass. Tulane and Arizona averaged more than 300 yards through the air against KSU, which is allowing 236 passing yards per game, 93rd in the nation.
The Wildcats play a 3-3-5 defense, but have given up some long passing plays, including three of more than 45 yards. Last week, BYU had nine passing plays of 20 or more yards in the 34-14 win over Wyoming.
“On defense, they are just so squared away and physically tough. Everybody does their job every play. … They are one of the best defenses in college football the last three years,” Roderick said. “So we have a big challenge on our hands. They are very good.”
Despite KSU being susceptible to the pass, this one has all the makings of a game that will be won in the trenches.
Line play “is going to be a difficult task in every conference game. You guys saw it last year. We definitely knew that we needed to get better from what we had last year, and this is going to be tough,” Sitake said. “Kansas State has got great personnel on both O-line and D-line. … These guys are tough kids. Man, they show it on film. What a great matchup. I am looking forward to our guys getting out there and competing with them. We will find out how good we are and how physical we can be against a good team like Kansas State.”
Special teams helped BYU overwhelm Wyoming, thanks to Keelan Marion’s 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, but K-State has traditionally been phenomenal on kick and punt returns. The Wildcats have returned 62 punts/kickoffs for touchdowns since 2005, the most in the nation during that stretch.
“This is going to be a true test for us,” Sitake said.
Maybe not a final exam, but close.