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Vol. 36, Issue 20– December 21, 2015
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BYU Uthanized 35-28 But It Wasn’t Painless
Euthanasia is described in the dictionary as “the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma.”
It remains to be seen if the irreversible description will hold true now that BYU has a new head football coach in Kalani Sitake, but coma is the cold hard fact when you have a five game losing streak to Utah.
I’m not an advocate of euthanasia when it comes to my own species, but am not against it when it involves hobbled horses. Apparently neither is Kyle Whittingham. He put a Bronco out of his misery with his 35-28 fifth consecutive win over Mendenhall.
Ok, that’s enough Bronco. He is gone and being remunerated handsomely for doing so by Virginia.
Like every one of us, he had his good points and his bad points. One of his good points was his loyalty to BYU and his players. He made men out of boys and was able to do it couched in the culture of BYU. Good for him. He just couldn’t beat Utah in his last 5 tries. Both of those facts will likely be his legacy left at BYU.
Yeah, I know, there is a valid reason BYU lost this game. Turnovers and lots of them in the first quarter. There is also a valid reason Harrison Ford is in Star Wars and not me. Had I been more handsome, more masculine and been able to act, it would have been a different story. Speaking of Handsome, Sitake’s hiring has already earned the early juco signing of Handsome Tanielu. Look for Sitake and BYU to announce his signing next week. The 6-2, 310 pound defensive lineman was deciding between Oregon State and BYU, depending on where Sitake was coaching. He originally committed to Utah earlier in the fall.
Funky Fedora
I empathize with Bronco and his BYU football team. Had they only had 4 turnovers in the first quarter and had I only been 3 inches taller, 30 pounds lighter and able to wear a funky fedora like Ford, I would be raking in the dough now from the big screen as a has been actor.
The bad news about this BYU football team is they have been a has been and runner up to Utah. That’s a fact.
The good news is that the last 3 quarters of the contest showed that Bronco didn’t slink out of town without leaving some players for the new coach to work with. BYU needs to pick up the pace when it comes to play making receivers and running backs, but mainly receivers.
You can be a tall receiver, but still not be a good receiver. Check out the box score. BYU needs big on both sides of the ball on the line of scrimmage and receivers in the worst way. If they don’t get them, then they are wasting a once a two-decade talent in Mangum.
If Sitake can find a couple of wide outs and one or two linemen, the tough schedules will still be tough, but so will BYU.
I endured Sylvester Stallone and 5 Rocky movies. Now there is a sixth sequel with “Creed”. I actually like this one because Rocky wasn’t doing the fighting. I have the same hope for the sixth sequel of the BYU-Utah game next September. Bronco will still be in the BYU corner of Cougar fans’ minds, but Kalani Sitake will actually be doing the punching and fighting and hope always springs eternal.
Plethora of Picks
Let’s roll the credits to this Rocky Horror Show. Tanner Mangum had a plethora of picks, but he also threw for 305 yards and 2 touchdowns. In my opinion, his best plays came after the picks and he actually made a legitimate effort to stop both db’s from getting into the end zone.
BYU outgained Utah 386 yards to just 197 for the Utes. In passing Mangum was 25-56 for 314 yards. All of his three picks were deflected and picked off. He also had one fumble. Add Squally Cananda’s inauspicious debut of one carry and one fumble and the 5 turnovers was the story of the game.
The other story was the BYU defense. Bronco can go out proud of his pet project. The Cougars allowed just 71 yards in passing and 127 on the ground. Defense was not the problem. Turnover, Turnover, Turnover, Turnover and Turnover in the first quarter and game over.
The only significant loss for the defensive side of the ball for BYU next season will be Bronson Kaufusi. The other defensive defectors include coaches Mendenhall, Nick Howell and Kelly Poppinga. If it was put to a vote to Cougar fans as to whom is the greatest loss. my money is on Kaufusi in a landslide.
Republican Debate
On the offensive side of the ball, if next year is a Republican Presidential debate, I would have Mangum in the center flanked by importance to his left and right, Ty Detmer (More later) Jamal Williams, Squally Canada, Moroni Laulu-Pututau, and Jonah Trinnaman. In front of Mangum would be the entire offensive line with the exception of Ryker Matthews.
BYU should be good next year. At least in the first game in Phoenix against Arizona. Then they face Utah in Salt Lake City.
That’s when we will see how much of the new coach hiring is just fluff or actually the real stuff. According to my calendar, we will know in just 9 months.
To wrap this deal up, here are three quotes: “It’s a Utah world and BYU is just livin’ in it.” That’s what Tom Hackett, the Ute punter, said in a pregame meeting between the two schools.
Dizzy Dean said, “It ain’t braggin’ if you can do it.” He must have been a Ute fan. I say, “It ain’t trash talkin’ if you can back it up. Hackett and Utah did.
Tom Northup said and Bronco Mendenhall often quoted him, “All organizations are perfectly designed to get the results they are now getting. If we want different results, we must change the way we do things.”
Which Brings us to the Next Headline…
Kalani Sitake Hired as New BYU Football Coach
Here is video of Tom Holmoe Announcing new coach. Click Here.
Here is the official announcement of Sitake’s hiring released by BYU Saturday night at 6:30 pm MST.
PROVO, Utah (Dec. 19, 2015) — Brigham Young University director of athletics Tom Holmoe today announced Kalani Fifita Sitake has been hired as the head football coach at BYU. Sitake comes to BYU from Oregon State, where he served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.
“We are excited to announce Kalani Sitake as our new head football coach and welcome back one of our own,” Holmoe said. “He is an outstanding leader and coach, an exceptional recruiter and knows BYU through and through. We look forward to having Kalani build on the great tradition of BYU football.”
A former Cougar running back (1994, 1997-2000), Sitake returns to his alma mater with 15 years of coaching experience, including seven years a defensive coordinator and four seasons as an assistant head coach.
“I’m honored, excited and humbled by the opportunity to lead the BYU football program,” Sitake said. “I’m grateful for everything BYU gave me as a player. It’s a dream come true for me to return home. I love the university and what it stands for and I’m looking forward to helping the young men in the program reach their goals athletically, academically and spiritually. I want to thank Tom Holmoe, President Worthen and the administration for their faith and trust. I’m excited to get to work and continue the incredible legacy of BYU football.”
Prior to serving as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Oregon State in 2015, Sitake spent 10 seasons at the University of Utah. He started at Utah in 2005 as the linebackers coach and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2009 before also being named assistant head coach in 2012.
“I want to express my appreciation to Gary Andersen and Kyle Whittingham who have given me tremendous opportunities in my career and helped prepare me for the chance to be a head coach,” Sitake said. “I am forever grateful to them and all the other great coaches I’ve worked with and players I’ve coached throughout my career.”
Sitake has coached several Pac-12 and Mountain West Conference honorees, including Morris Trophy winners Star Lotulelei (2011) and Nate Orchard (2014). He also helped mentor 14 NFL Draft picks during his time at Utah, including 12 all-league players and three freshmen All-Americans. He helped the Utes win seven of eight bowl games during his tenure.
Sitake began his coaching career in 2001 as the defensive backs and special teams coach at Eastern Arizona before becoming a defensive graduate assistant at BYU in 2002. Sitake then joined the staff at Southern Utah where he coached running backs, tight ends and offensive line during the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
Born in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, and raised in Laie, Hawai’i and Provo, Utah, Sitake becomes the first FBS head football coach of Tongan descent. He is the 14th head coach in BYU history, and just the fourth since 1972, when Hall of Fame coach LaVell Edwards took over the program.
Sitake began his BYU playing career in 1994 prior to serving a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Oakland, California. After returning and redshirting in 1997, Sitake was a three-year starter at fullback for the Cougars from 1998-2000 under Edwards.
He was named BYU’s Football Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1998, Impact Player of the Year in 1999, along with team captain and the most valuable running back in 2000. He signed a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2001, but was forced to retire due to an injury.
Sitake graduated from BYU in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in English. He and his wife Timberly have three children, Skye, Sadie and Kelaokalani (KK).
Deal Breakers and Deal Makers
It is no secret that Ken Niumatalolo was BYU’s first choice to replace Bronco Mendenhall. The deal breaker was that he wanted to continue to run the triple option.
That is akin to Dave Rose saying that he wants to play defense at BYU. Neither is ever going to happen.
Which brings us to Sitake. He has already reached out reportedly to his contacts in search for assistants starting last week. He supposedly says that he is looking for recruiters and deal makers who can close the sale.
He also wants guys that have some connection or familiarity with BYU and all of its nuances and nuisances in recruiting.
The hiring of a staff and assistants could be much more interesting than the hiring of Sitake. There were only three names to choose from for a head coach. There are many more for an assistant coach. Here are some:
Justin Ena – linebacker coach at Utah
Ilaisa Tuiaki –defensive line at Oregon State
Ed Lamb – head coach at Southern Utah
Brandon Doman – former coach at BYU
Ty Detmer – high school coach, but watch this video for qualifications
Guy Holliday – current BYU wide receiver coach
Joe Dupaix – former BYU running back coach
Kevin McGiven –assistant coach at Oregon State (with him you may also get his father in law, Gary Crowton, who left SUU to help with the offense at OSU in mid season.
In case you didn’t know, anybody hired to work at BYU or the LDS Church has to have either a temple recommend or an temple worthy endorsement from their Bishop. No recommend, no job for LDS assistant coaches.
If a coach is non LDS, he just needs an equivalent ecclesiastical endorsement. I look for Guy Holliday to be on the new staff. Since recruiting will be a big emphasis with the new head coach, Holliday already has connections to Texas and has been Holmoe’s right hand man during the last two weeks in keeping contact with BYU recruits.
I’m not so sure that Steve Kaufusi and Paul Tidwell will survive the transition. We shall see. If they don’t make the cut, don’t look for BYU athletic department to cut them from the payroll, however. They have plenty of pastures and positions to be filled.
It’s just getting started for Sitake in putting together a staff. There is more urgency in doing that than there was in finding a replacement for Mendenhall.
Basketball Bits…
BYU did what it almost always does at home in the Marriott Center. They beat Central Michigan 98-85. They did it with threes. Specifically, the did it with threes from Zac Seljaas, the 6-7 freshman. All he did was hit 7 of 9 from beyond the arc and spark the Cougars to the win.
Kyle Collinsworth did what he does. He added his eighth career triple double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Chase Fischer added 23 and Kyle Davis chipped in 20 more to give Dave Rose some well-rounded scoring. They needed it because CMU was read hot shooting from distance also.
Next up for BYU will be Harvard in Honolulu in the opening game of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. The game is set for Tuesday, Dec. 22 and will tip at 2:30 pm MST and can be seen on ESPNU. A win over Harvard and the Cougars will face the winner of Auburn/New Mexico on Wednesday.
This is an eight-team tourney with Auburn, BYU, Harvard, Hawaii, New Mexico, Northern Iowa, Oklahoma and Washington State.
Television Timetable
BYU vs. Harvard (M Basketball)
Tuesday, December 22 at Honolulu
Tipoff: 2:30 pm MST
TV: ESPNU
BYU vs. Auburn or New Mexico (M Basketball)
Wednesday, December 23 at Honolulu
Tipoff: TBA
TV: ESPN Networks
BYU vs. TBA (M Basketball)
Friday, December 25 at Honolulu
Tipoff: TBA
TV: ESPN Networks