BYU’s Sitake emphasizes respecting Utah — and the rivalry game

Only a couple days removed from the matchup against UCF down in Florida, BYU coach Kalani Sitake had a lot to address at his weekly media presser, including the highly anticipated rivalry game.

While emphasizing the need to stay focused on the little things and improving the fundamentals this bye week and also appreciating Will Ferrin, BYU’s kicker and co-recipent to Big 12’s special teams player of the week, it was clear that Sitake was already thinking about and preparing for the upcoming Utah game.

Sitake’s emphasis on being grateful for being able to face Utah again stood out the most.

While lots of BYU fans and Utah fans are going to be very excited to try and reclaim the yearly bragging rights that come from being the latest victor, coach Sitake had a much different take on the rivalry.

“I don’t like telling fans what to do, but man this is a really cool thing that we’re both in the same conference. … I don’t know what the result of the game is going to be, but I think the level of respect and admiration should be from both sides,” Sitake said. “There is a chance for us to do it better and have a lot more respect and appreciation for each other.”

The two-year gap has been the longest the schools have gone without playing each for a very long time, dating back to 1942, when there were three straight seasons when Utah and BYU didn’t play each other due to World War II.

So time spent away from each other is a really foreign concept for both sides. A longer hiatus was going to be entirely possible if not for Utah joining the Big 12 one year after BYU made a similar jump.

With the landscape of college football being more unpredictable than ever, having a historical rivalry like BYU-Utah secured is important and really does give both teams a chance to appreciate the rivalry.

It’ll help, too, with the stakes being higher than ever with both BYU (8-0) and Utah (4-4) competing against one another in the same league for the first time since 2010 when both schools were a part of the Mountain West Conference.

For No. 9 BYU, the goal is to remain undefeated, continue its push for a College Football Playoff berth and win in Salt Lake City for the first time since 2006. For Utah, simply getting a win to snap out of a four-game losing streak would be good, especially if it came with dashing the dreams of its biggest rival.

If the Cougars end up getting the win, it would also be Sitake’s second career win against Utah and would be the first time since the 2006-07 seasons that BYU has gotten back-to-back wins against the Utes.

So Sitake knows that this shouldn’t be chalked up as another rivalry game, but rather a chance to be grateful that the break from the rivalry was as short as it was.

“There's a great connection between the schools. I’ve mentioned that we need each other and that’s always been the case,“ Sitake said. “We are connected. Whether you admit it or not, we are connected.”

Sitake is connected personally due to his time working at Utah for nine years. He eventually became both the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator during his tenure there. Meanwhile, coach Kyle Whittingham played at BYU before he landed on Utah’s coaching staff in 1995.

Even Utah’s starting quarterback Isaac Wilson has connections to BYU due to his older brother Zach Wilson having played QB for BYU.

The family ties go from the players and fans to both of the head coaches as well with Sitake facing off against his brother in a BYU-Utah game.

“If it weren’t for Utah I wouldn't be here. If it weren’t for BYU coach Whitt wouldn’t be at Utah,” Sitake said. “Just really excited that we get to play this game and looking forward to it.”

With both teams on a bye, the game isn't until Nov. 9. Kickoff will be at 8:15 p.m. on ESPN.