BYU names Kalani Sitake head football coach

Sitake takes over as head coach following Bronco Mendenhall’s departure to Virginia.

The most intriguing bowl games are the national semifinals. BYU had a chance to record what would have been the largest comeback in bowl history in a game that did justice to all the clichés and fables regarding the unpredictability of college football rivalries. That’s something I’ve learned from every one of them…. “Going down 35-0, we weren’t going to score points just by running it”. In the end, BYU out-gained Utah 386 to 197 and had 21 first downs to Utah’s 14. BYU head coach (now former coach) Bronco Mendenhall said in the post game that the Utah pressure by the front four was faster than Mangum was comfortable with, thus creating the opportunities.

Those turnovers skewed a first half in which Utah couldn’t do much on offense.

Utah’s newly a Pac-12 team, previously in the lower-tier Mountain West. The Utes have now been in this game five times since 1999, thrice as a mid-major. Meanwhile, BYU finished strong, going 7-1 SU in their final eight games, including 2-0 ATS in their final two games while scoring 52 and 51 points. BYU basketball player Nick Emery was recently suspended a game for punching Utah guard Brandon Taylor during a game.

When Mendenhall was asked about what it was like to coach BYU one final time, Mendenhall got choked up and had a tough time getting the words out.

Tanner Mangum passed for 315 yards and two touchdowns, but threw three interceptions, which contributed heavily to BYU (9-4) losing the Las Vegas Bowl. The Cougars are just 1-3 against Power Five teams this season, but that goes out the window when you play in a rivalry game.

Byu Cougars rank at 35 for scoring 34.2 points where as Utah Utes rank at 31 for allowing 21.8 scores. “To go out 35-0 and have it end like this, it shouldn’t have been that way”. Mangum would bring BYU back, throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for another with 3:23 left to get the Cougars within one score.

After taking over a team four years ago that had suffered through three straight one-win seasons, Davie has turned around the New Mexico program. Five plays later, Utah QB Travis Wilson ran 20 yards for a touchdown.

But the Utes were outcoached for long stretches of the rest of the game as the offense failed to manage any kind of rhythm.

He signed a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals following the 2001 season, but was forced to quit the game due to a back injury. “Even our wins, in numerous games this season, we trailed”.

When both schools get together it’s always a big deal and with so many storylines this year, you can see why ticket prices on secondary markets like StubHub are in the same range as the Sugar, Orange, and other big-time bowl games. His departure could impact players who have already made verbal commitments to be part of OSU’s 2016 class, especially on the defensive side. “We’re preparing our behinds off to win this game and I think there ain’t no bowl game out there more serious than this bowl game”. “We had the best record in the South, overall, and the second-best record in the conference overall – we were tied with OR but we beat them head-to-head – so that being the case, and then being in the sixth bowl (in the Pac-12 pecking order), that was, that was unique”, coach Kyle Whittingham told the Salt Lake Tribune on December 7.