Kalani Sitake will bring his BYU team to Kansas on Saturday, coming off a big win over Arkansas on the road. The Cougars fell behind 14-0 but came back to beat the Razorbacks 38-31.
It will be a battle of two undefeated teams and Sitake would like to see his team get off to a better start.
“The fight in our young men to come back from two scores down early in the game and then do it again in the second half,” he said. “I'd like to get started a lot better for us this week, but I know it's nice to see a team that can fight back when they need to.”
A large BYU crowd is expected in Lawrence on Saturday as the game approaches a sellout.
Sitake interacted with Lance Leipold and the KU players at Big 12 media days in July.
“We're looking forward to having great effort again against another great coach,” Sitake said. “Lance Leipold is an amazing coach and I like watching him as a leader. Had great interactions with him and his players, especially during media days.
“Really talented team and you look at the things that they are able to do on offense, defense and special teams. Tons of great size. They have a lot of returning production. You start with the quarterback and not just the starting quarterback, but they have a couple quarterbacks that can play.”
When Sitake was in Dallas for media days he spoke with Jalon Daniels.
“I've been able to meet their quarterback Jalon and had really cool interaction with him,” he said. “Just seemed like really great kids and committed to their culture and their coach and I think the world of their coach. So, I know that they'll be ready to play.”
During Sitake’s Monday press conference he was asked about going against the Kansas offense and what he sees from them on film.
“Movement all over the place,” he said of KU’s offense. “And I mentioned Coach Leipold. He's had success everywhere he's been. So, he has a system that he likes. And then I've seen enough film on him and his teams that he's coached that they do variable things. They're so diverse in their movement. They use the entire field, and they can hurt you in so many different ways.”
Sitake was complimentary of the Jayhawks and went beyond just talking about the offense. He likes what he sees from the defense and said he does not see a lot of weaknesses.
“They have a returning rusher that rushed over 1000 yards,” he said. “Their quarterbacks can run as well, they can throw, they have talent at the receiver position. But when you start talking about their offensive weapons, everybody forgets that their defense is solid too. So, I don't see a lot of weaknesses on this team. It's the reason why they're winning a lot of games and why they've had a lot of success.”
Saturday’s game will be the first contest BYU plays as a member of the Big 12. Sitake is looking forward to playing in the Big 12 and his first visit to Kansas.
“We’ve got to find ways to take advantage of our strengths and things that we think we can do in the matchup,” he said. “And that's the whole battle of the game, is practice what we think we're good at and what we can take advantage of. And they're going to do the same until we see what happens on Saturday.
He continued: “But I am really excited about the competition, about the game, and the opportunity to go out to Kansas and to be on that field and play against them. They're really a great program and the way that they're coached. And I like their young men on their team. So, it's going to be a lot of fun. Looking forward to the interaction with the fans, too.”
