BYU wide receiver Gunner Romney (18) catches a pass as Boise State cornerback Kaonohi Kaniho, left, defends in the second half during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021, in Provo, Utah. BYU returns to action Saturday with a game against Baylor in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
WACO, Texas — A week after losing at home to Boise State, the No. 19 BYU Cougars will look return to the winning ways Saturday afternoon with a game against the Baylor Bears.
Kickoff from Waco, Texas is set for 1:30 p.m. MDT. Pregame coverage begins Saturday morning at 10 a.m. MDT. You can listen to all of the coverage on KSL NewsRadio 1160 AM or 102.7. Click here to listen.
The Cougars (5-1) are coming off a 26-17 loss Boise State. It was a mistake-filled performance by the Cougars. BYU turned the ball over four times – three fumbles and one interception. The Cougars also turned the ball over on downs two other times.
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake says taking care of the ball is something his team needs to be better at moving forward.
“That’s something that we preach over and over again,” he said during last Monday’s media availability. “I don’t think we can emphasize it more than what we already do. You can’t go more than five minutes without hearing about it during practice. It’s part of our identity and we really focus on it. Mistakes happen. With the fumbles, I still believe in those guys, but those hurt us. I don’t think we need to do anything special this week. You will never hear me say there’s too much ball security.
Saturday’s game will reunite Baylor offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and offensive line coach Eric Mateos with BYU. Grimes spent three years as the offensive coordinator for the Cougars. Mateos served as the BYU offensive line coach for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
“We’ve been very fortunate to have him (Grimes) here for three years and have Mateos here for a few years, too,” Sitake said of facing his former assistant coaches during Monday’s press briefing. “They’ve had an impact on their team and program, just like they did here. They know our personnel, they know our team. That’s college football. That happens. I’m really more focused on us as a team and our issues first.”
Baylor (5-1) has scored at least 45 points in three games this season. The Bears’ signature win of the season is a 31-29 victory over then No. 14 Iowa State.
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