2016 BYU Football

kalani comes home

On Deec 19th, 2015 Kalani Fifita Sitake was hired as the head football coach at BYU. Sitake came 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,” said Tom Holmoe, BYU Athletic Director. “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.

Sitake hired Ty Detmer to serve as his offensive coordinator, Ilaisa Tuiaki to serve as the defensive coordinator and Ed Lamb to be the assistant head coach.

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Spring Ball

On March 1, BYU opened spring practices, giving many of the new and returning players their first opportunity to work with the new coaching staff.

Fall Camp

The players reported for Fall Camp on Aug 4, 2016. The coaching staff spent several weeks working on installing their new schemes and determining depth charts while preparing for the season opener against the University of Arizona.

BYU 18 – Arizona 16

True freshman Jake Oldroyd made a game-winning 33-yard field goal with eight seconds left to give the BYU football team an 18-16 win over Arizona in its first game under head coach Kalani Sitake at University of Phoenix Stadium in the Cactus Kickoff.

BYU was led by Jamaal Williams, who had 29 carries for 162 yards. Taysom Hill completed 21 of 29 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown.

The Cougars (1-0) held the Wildcats (0-1) to 328 total yards and no first-half points en route to the win. BYU forced the Wildcats into two turnovers. BYU’s new-look offense recorded 415 total yards.

BYU 19 – Utah 20

In a game that saw nine total turnovers, BYU attempted a two-point conversion for the win but came up short as Utah escaped with a 20-19 home win at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

Despite forcing the Utes (2-0, 0-0 Pac-12) to turn the ball over six times, the Cougars (1-1) only scored 13 points off of turnovers.

Hill completed 21 of 39 passes for 176 yards with two interceptions, rushing for both of BYU's touchdowns. Kai Nacua had two interceptions to go along with his two tackles. Francis Bernard tallied eight tackles, one interception, one pass breakup and one forced fumble.

BYU 14 – UCLA 17

Despite rallying late, BYU came up short in its home opener against quarterback Josh Rosen and the UCLA Bruins at LaVell Edwards Stadium, falling 17-14.

The Cougars (1-2) scored all 14 points in the second half, but were still playing catch-up as time expired. The Bruins (2-1) nabbed BYU in a close game for the second year in a row.

Jamaal Williams and Nick Kurtz both scored their first touchdowns of the season in the game. Linebacker Butch Pau’u tied the BYU record (since 2000) for tackles in a single game with 19. Taysom Hill finished the game completing 26 of 48 passes for 250 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

BYU 32 – West Virginia 35

In another close battle, BYU suffered its third straight close defeat, falling 35-32 to undefeated West Virginia at FedEx Field, the home of the Washington Redskins. With less than five minutes left, the BYU offense had two chances to take the lead, but turnovers proved to be costly. BYU’s final possession ended in scoring position when a tipped-ball interception sealing the hard-fought victory for the Mountaineers.

BYU (1-3) out gained West Virginia (3-0) 521 to 481 yards but had three interceptions and one lost fumble. The Mountaineers scored 14 points off of those turnovers. Jamaal Williams totaled 169 yards with two touchdowns. Taysom Hill completed 23 of 35 passes for 241 yards with two touchdowns to go with his 105 rushing yards. On the defense, Fred Warner totaled 14 tackles.

BYU 55 – Toledo 53

Rhett Almond kicked a 19-yard field goal as time expired and Jamaal Williams had a career night to give BYU a 55-53 win over Toledo at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Williams broke the BYU (2-3) single-game rushing record with 286 yards on the ground and had five rushing touchdowns to tie a school record. The previous single-game rushing record, held by Eldon Fortie, was set in 1962.

A Toledo (3-1) touchdown and two-point conversion with 1:11 on the game clock gave the Rockets a 53-52 lead and set up the Cougar offense up for its game-winning drive. Almond's kick went right down the middle for the win.

BYU 31 – Michigan State 14

Seniors Taysom Hill and Jamaal Williams led BYU to a 31-14 win over Michigan State on the road with a big second-half effort.

The Cougars (3-3) out gained the Spartans (2-3) 398 to 206 in total yards. The BYU defense held Michigan State to its lowest output since 187 yards against No. 13 Nebraska in 2011.

Hill completed 18 of 27 passes for 138 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 47 yards and one touchdown. Williams tallied 163 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the win. Sae Tautu notched six tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss.

BYU 28 – Mississippi State 21

Jamaal Williams became BYU's all-time career rusher as the Cougars beat Mississippi State 28-21 in two overtimes at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Taysom Hill rolled right and found tight end Tanner Balderree, who did most of the work after the catch for a 25-yard touchdown to give BYU (4-3) a 28-21 lead after the Cougars' second overtime possession. BYU linebacker Fred Warner broke up a fourth-down pass in the end zone on the Bulldogs' (2-4) possession to seal BYU's win.

Williams rushed for 76 yards in the game to increase his career rushing total to 3,468 yards, which broke Harvey Unga's career mark.

BYU 27 – Boise State 28

Despite the defense forcing five turnovers and BYU leading entering the fourth quarter, No. 14 Boise State came back to edge BYU 28-27 on the blue turf in Boise. BYU had two chances get the win after reaching scoring position on its final drive, but the Broncos blocked BYU’s game-winning field goal attempt on a second down and then after BYU recovered the kick also batted down BYU’s Hail Mary pass into the end zone on the final play.

The Cougar (4-4) defense forced five turnovers, including two pick-sixes in the contest, but the offense was able to score just three points when the possession was returned to them. Boise State (7-0, 3-0 MWC) had 571 total yards to BYU’s 322.

Fred Warner and Dayan Lake each recorded an interception for a touchdown. Warner filled out the stat sheet with seven total tackles and a forced fumble to go along with the interception. Freshman Lake totaled eight tackles, including five solo stops.

BYU 20 – Cincinnati 3

BYU took down Cincinnati 20-3 on the road with a stout defensive effort and a strong run game. BYU (5-4) outgained Cincinnati (4-5, 1-4 AAC) 338 to 286. The Cougars were successful on third down in the game, converting 10 of 16 attempts.

The Cougar defense held Cincinnati without a touchdown. It was the fewest points the Bearcats have scored since a 10-3 loss to Rutgers in 2012. Taysom Hill completed 15 of 25 passes for 130 yards and one interception while rushing for 75 yards and a touchdown. Francis Bernard led the team with nine total tackles along with one pass breakup.

BYU 37 – Southern Utah 7

BYU beat Southern Utah 37-7 at LaVell Edwards Stadium to become bowl eligible for a 12th consecutive season. The Cougars (6-4) recorded several offensive season highs in the win. They tallied 596 total yards, 441 of which were through the air.

Taysom Hill played for most of the first three quarters, and passed for 320 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 59 yards and another trip to the end zone. Freshman running back KJ Hall contributed significantly to BYU’s offensive attack, rushing for 59 yards and a touchdown, along with 68 receiving yards.

BYU 51 – UMass 9

Behind a strong rushing attack and second half takeaways on defense and special teams, BYU defeated Massachusetts 51-9 at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The Cougars (7-4) rushed for 247 yards and amassed 437 yards of total offense, while holding the Minutemen (2-9) to just 40 rushing yards on 20 attempts.

KJ Hall rushed for 101 yards on 18 carries and senior Harvey Langi gained 56 yards on 14 carries in his first game on offense this season. Senior quarterback Taysom Hill passed for 165 yards. Sophomore Francis Bernard recorded seven tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown.

BYU 28 – Utah State 10

BYU beat Utah State 28-10 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in the regular-season finale, claiming the Old Wagon Wheel for the second consecutive season.

The Cougars (8-4) collected 355 total yards in the game, including 249 rushing yards, while holding Utah State (3-9) to a season-low 200 total yards.

Taysom Hill went 10 for 21 with 101 yards and a touchdown and Jamaal Williams had 131 rushing yards on 18 attempts. Fred Warner and Francis Bernard anchored the defense with six total tackles apiece and Michael Shelton returned a fumble 52-yards for a score.

Poinsettia Bowl Week

BYU 24 – Wyoming 21

On a rare wet and rainy night at Qualcomm Stadium, BYU capped off its 2016 season with a wild 24-21 win over Wyoming in the 2016 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. BYU (9-4) led 24-7 in the fourth quarter, but a furious Cowboy (8-6) comeback made it a thriller in the final minutes. Wyoming cut the advantage to 24-21 and had the ball at the Cougar 32-yard line with 1:22 to play before senior Kai Nacua picked off a pass heading near the end zone to end the final threat of a comeback.

"We were hoping one of those guys would make a play, and Kai has done that throughout his career," BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said. "To compete in the Poinsettia Bowl is an accomplishment in itself, and the win is for the players and the fans... It was an entertaining game and our guys fought to the end. These guys have played every down their hardest and I can't ask for anything more as a coach."

Senior running back Jamaal Williams put on a show in his final game at BYU, running for 210 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries. He finished his career with the most rushing yards in school history with 3,901 and the most games of 100 rushing yards or more with 16.