What BYU HC Kalani Sitake said about Arkansas
The Arkansas Razorbacks (3-3, 1-3) and the BYU Cougars (4-2) will face each other for the first time Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah.
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake has led the program since 2016 and he was a three-year starter at fullback for the Cougars from 1998-2000.
Here is everything Sitake had to say the Razorbacks, who his team will play at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN this Saturday:
General thoughts on Arkansas and Sam Pittman.
Sitake gave some very high praise to Razorback head coach Sam Pittman, who is in his third season as the Head Hog.
"Looking forward to this matchup," Sitake said. "Arkansas is really good. Head coach Sam Pittman, he's one of the great ones, man. Just a really good person. I know a lot of people that work for him and worked with him and we've had some great exchanges. I think he gets it. He's one of the good guys of football."
Arkansas has dealt with plenty of injuries, and especially in the secondary. Sitake acknowledged that on Monday.
"They've had some injuries and I know they're looking to getting healthy again and playing this game," Sitake said. "We're excited to invite them out here to Provo and play this game in front of our home crowd."
How can you bounce back from a loss with a tough Arkansas team coming to town?
The Cougars dropped their second game of the season in a 28-20 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday. Sitake was asked how his team can bounce back with anther tough task against the Razorbacks this weekend.
"You watch the film, they capture our attention right away," Sitake said. "We know they're the same type of athleticism, speed and great talent (as Notre Dame). So we have to be on top of it. This gives us a chance to play a lot cleaner, play a full 60 minutes and do it the best we can and then we can live with the results afterwards."
How unique of a challenge is KJ Jefferson?
The age-old question of how Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson is a challenge to defend was presented to Sitake.
"You can see it on film, and you can see the things that he does to great talent on defenses that they're going against," Sitake said. "He's a special player. Big, too, and he can fly. He's got it all, man, and he's a pain."
Jefferson did not play last Saturday against Mississippi State, but Pittman said Jefferson will have a normal week of practice leading up to Saturday's game at BYU.
Sitake said the Arkansas offense in general presents a challenge, but Jefferson just adds salt to the wound with his ability to make plays.
"Fundamentally, we have to be really sound at football assignment wise, because of the style of offense that they run it can really punish you if you make mistakes. We really can't afford to make a lot of mistakes against him. He'll punish you. He can do it with his arm and his legs. He's extremely talented and you can see it. When he's in there, he makes a huge difference for their team."
Arkansas has lost three straight games. What do you expect from the Hogs with their backs against the wall?
After starting the season 3-0, the Razorbacks have lost three straight games to fall to 3-3. Sitake was asked what he expects to see from an Arkansas team that desperately needs a win.
"The talent is there, you can see it," Sitake said. "They've had a string of injuries and some things that have happened where it knocked the off track of where they can play. I'm expecting their best shot. It seems like we get everyone's best shot, so we need to make sure that we give ours this weekend."
BYU is coming off the loss to Notre Dame that set it back to 4-2 on the year. Sitake said there are things his team didn't take advantage of against the Fighting Irish that they can improve on this week.
"We had that opportunity to play against Notre Dame, and I maybe didn't take advantage of all the opportunities that we had against them," Sitake said. "But, this is a way for us to do it again against a really talented team that can hurt you. I think it's a great challenge for us, and I hope it gets the most out of our guys. They definitely have our attention."
Like the Razorbacks, the Cougars need a win this week. After entering the season with high expectations — similar to Arkansas — BYU is in danger of dropping to 4-3.
"They're in a similar position as we are," Sitake said. "There's a sense of urgency to play your best and hopefully we can get there when we play against them Saturday."
Do you aspire to have more SEC games at LaVell Edwards Stadium?
BYU hosted Mississippi State back on October 14, 2016, in Provo. Sitake said he likes having other teams experience the atmosphere in Provo.
"Yeah, it was really cool," Sitake said. "You talk about Mississippi State, we were a part of that...I always like having the opportunity for other teams to be at our home crowd and to experience that energy and the atmosphere that we have here."
Sitake finished his Monday press conference with one final compliment for the Hogs.
"They're a talented team from a great conference," Sitake said. "Great coach, great coaching staff. So if we're going to play our best, this is the time to do it."