Undefeated BYU expects ‘big blow’ with surging Kansas – Deseret News

After celebrating Saturday’s 22-21 rivalry win over Utah as much as possible in the 24 hours allotted by head coach Kalani Sitake, special teams coordinator and rush ends coach Kelly Poppinga appeared on tape of Kansas’ 45-36- upset of nationally ranked Iowa State and quickly sent out a text message Monday morning to players on BYU’s 9-0 football team.

“This is the best 3-6 team I’ve ever seen,” Poppinga wrote.

The Jayhawks (3-6, 2-4) are arguably playing the best football in the Big 12 right now along with No. 6 BYU (9-0, 6-0) and Coach Prime’s Colorado Buffaloes, who host Utah at 10 MST Saturday in Boulder.

Three months ago, it looked like it would be one of the toughest games on BYU’s schedule — and it still is. But instead of the Jayhawks, who were a preseason top 25 pick, being the dominant force, it’s BYU, picked to finish 13th in the 16-team Big 12 at home in front of more than 60,000 fans excited by the streak and the improbable. come from behind win over the Utes, the Cougars are only a slight favorite, less than a field goal.

Many national forecasters predict an upset.

“We see on film how dangerous they are,” Sitake said Monday. “Tons of talent. … They’re playing really good football right now.”

Kansas’ record includes a 23-17 loss at Illinois, a 23-20 loss to UNLV, a 32-28 loss at West Virginia, a 35-31 loss at Arizona State and a 29-27 loss in nationally ranked Kansas State. The Jayhawks could easily be 6-3, or better.

“We respect all of our opponents the same, regardless of record,” BYU safety Tanner Wall said. “It was eye-opening to see them come out and beat a respectable team like Iowa State the way they did. … They’ve lost a lot of close one-possession games. They’ve been in every game. Their offense scores many points. So it will be a good match.”

Kansas brings one of the best quarterbacks, Jalon Daniels, and two of the best running backs, Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw, that the BYU defense will face all season. The Jayhawks are averaging 421 yards per carry. battle, 42. best in the country. They are no. 4 in third-down conversion percentage (51.8%).

Kansas’ offensive coordinator is former BYU offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, who was almost hired to be BYU’s offensive line coach last winter after he lost his job at Baylor.

“Their offense is very creative. They have great players. We’ve faced them, they’ve faced us,” BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill said. “I think they’ll be familiar with our scheme and we’ll be familiar with many of the things they do. It’s going to come down to execution.”

With the cold weather expected to possibly be a neutralizer, the Cougars could have a shootout on their hands after crushing the win over Utah that could leave them with an emotional hangover if they’re not careful.

Kansas’ defense has been mostly mediocre, though that wasn’t the case last year when the Jayhawks used two defensive scores — one coming on BYU’s first possession — in the 38-27 win over BYU in Lawrence.

“A year ago they came after us quite well. Their secondary is really good. They do their thing. They’re an athletic team,” BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said. “They seem to have a little wrinkle every week for somebody that you’re not ready for. We’re going to have something on Saturday that we haven’t seen this year, and they’re just very good at it too, they doing every week.”

BYU led 17-14 at halftime last year and had held the Jayhawks to 139 yards in the first 30 minutes before faltering in the second half. The Cougars’ leading tackler, Ben Bywater, suffered a shoulder injury in the third quarter that would end his college football career.

Oregon transfer Harrison Taggart stepped in for Bywater, and is now a mainstay on the BYU defense. And he’s looking for some revenge.

“They gave us that Big 12 awakening, which I think gives our team a little bit of a chip on our shoulder,” Taggart said. “So yeah, I personally have a little chip on my shoulder.”

Hill and Roderick both mentioned this week how much of a home field advantage Utah’s crowd gave the Utes last week and would like to see the LES crowd deliver again like it has the first four home games. BYU is 14-2 in its last 16 night games at home.

“The home field advantage is huge for us, and being at LaVell Edwards Stadium and just the way our crowd is and how loud it gets and just the advantage they give us is huge,” Hill said. “We’re still going to have to go out there and make plays. When the ball is kicked off, it’s another football game. But being at home is a huge advantage for us. We need all the fans and we need them shows up loud and crazy.”