Five Takeaways From Sitake’s BYU/Stanford Media Session
PROVO, Utah – The 2025 campaign continues for BYU football this week as the Cougars welcome the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday, September 6.
To get ready for the contest, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake addressed reporters on Monday during a virtual Zoom press conference.
Here are five key takeaways from Sitake’s session with the media.
#1 Sitake feels “even better” about BYU’s showing after watching the film
It’s tough to nitpick following a 69-0 win. Still, coaches usually manage to identify areas that need cleaning up.
Immediately after the game, Sitake cited the five penalties as an area to fix. But by Monday, after studying the film, he was even more pleased with his team’s effort.
“I felt really good about the overall performance [against Portland State]. I think you guys heard me say that before. Now, after watching the film, I feel even better. Obviously, there are still some errors out there, but those are very fixable. We’ll get through that.”
#2 Cougar fans made a lasting impression on the team
When Kalani Sitake was introduced as BYU’s head coach in December 2015, he highlighted that he grew up supporting the Cougars.
Sitake regularly expresses appreciation for Cougar Nation because, in his own words, he’s a lifelong fan, too.
On Monday, during his opening comments, he praised BYU fans for the turnout against Portland State. A total of 64,494 fans attended, the largest Provo crowd since the 2009 TCU game.
“The biggest highlight for me as a head coach and for our program was the fans. We keep talking about it. I keep hearing the players talk about it in the locker room after the game. Even today, you can hear the buzz going around about how amazing our fans were. School is not even in session yet, and the ROC was amazing,” Sitake said.
“Seeing the student section and all of the fans and everybody being supportive– and they were loud, too– so that was really impressive. To have that type of atmosphere, since 2009, so that’s super special.
“I just want to let the fans know how much we love and appreciate them. Man, they have been big time since I remember being part of the fan base when I was a little boy. It’s nice to see them out doing their things and making noise for us.”
#3 “Overprepared” is the motto entering the Stanford clash
Stanford dropped its opener at Hawaii in Week Zero, losing on a last-second kick, 23-20.
The Cougars are considered heavy favorites, but Frank Reich’s squad is still somewhat of a mystery, having only played one contest and then rested during a bye week.
Sitake expects some creative wrinkles from Stanford when they meet in Provo.
“It’s one of those moments where I trust Jay Hill, A-Rod, and K-Popp. It’s going to be a little bit of getting overprepared. I think we have to look at everything and try to get them ready for everything.”
BYU also saw surprises from Portland State, which debuted a new quarterback and used 13- and 14-personnel sets.
“It happened in this game against Portland State. We weren’t expecting some of the formations and some of the personnel sets that Coach Barnum gave us. It took a while for the first series for us to adjust to it, but once the defense adjusted to it, I think everything was going to be fine, and we had that in control. So we kind of expect that a little bit in this [Stanford] game. They’re quality coaches. Those guys know how to get a team ready. There’s good talent on that team.
“We recruited a bunch of those guys, too. So they’re going to be ready to go, and they have a week of rest and preparation for us. So we’ve got to make sure that we’re on top of our game when it comes to getting ready for this one.”
#4 Isaiah Glasker and Jack Kelly are “really primed” in BYU’s defense
The linebacker duo of Isaiah Glasker and Jack Kelly has opened the 2025 season with momentum.
Kelly returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown to ignite the scoring, while Glasker contributed 1.5 tackles for loss.
Sitake was asked if they’ve “taken a step up this season.”
“There aren’t a lot of mistakes that they’re making on defense. So they’re really primed right now,” Sitake said of Glasker and Kelly. “They’ve been in this defense for a long time. They have ideas and they communicate to the front how it goes, and they communicate to us on the sideline what they think could really work.”
#5 BYU’s mantra: “Stay humble, stay hungry”
Did Sitake have to caution his players that things won’t be as easy against a Power Four team like Stanford compared to Portland State?
“No, that’s part of our values, to stay humble, stay hungry. So it was a lot of fun [last week]. They got to enjoy it on Saturday night, go to Church, and be humble. They did that yesterday. Come to school and come to the facility, get humbled even more,” Sitake said. “We’re going to find out and show you what you did wrong, and then we’re going to be really picky about it, because that’s what we want to do.”
BYU vs. Stanford
Date: Saturday, September 6, 2025
Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. (MDT).
