BYU hosts Cal on Saturday in home opener

PROVO, Utah – BYU is set to take on the California Golden Bears at 8:15 p.m. MDT on Saturday, Sept. 8 at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The game will be televised live on ESPN2.

Live radio coverage can be found on the BYU Sports Network two hours prior to kickoff with Greg Wrubell, which will be broadcast on BYU Radio Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM HD2, KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM, BYUCougars.com/LiveRadio, BYURadio.org and on the BYU Cougars app, BYU Radio app and KSL app.  

BYUtv will provide pregame and postgame coverage with Countdown to Kickoff starting 7 p.m. MDT. Postgame coverage runs for half an hour or more after the game depending on the timing of the game.

BYU (1-0) vs. Cal (1-0)
Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018
Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. MDT (8:20 p.m. MDT kick)
Provo, Utah
LaVell Edwards Stadium (63,470)

BYU Game Notes
Cal Game Notes

WHITEOUT. The home opener is going to be a "whiteout" with the Cougars in their white jerseys and white pants. Fans are encouraged to wear white to the game. For more information on tickets, visit BYUtickets.com

SERIES NOTES. BYU and California are meeting for the fifth time overall and the second time at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The Cougars defeated the Golden Bears 42-35 on the road in the regular-season finale in 2014. In Cal's only other visit to Provo, BYU topped the Golden Bears 38-28 in 1999.

HOME OPENERS. BYU is 7-3 in home openers over the past 10 seasons, with wins over Power 5 teams Texas, Washington State and Washington. Last season, BYU defeated Portland State 20-6 in the opener at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

BOUNCE BACK LIKE LAVELL. Head coach Kalani Sitake and the Cougars are hoping to bounce back in 2018 similar to how LaVell Edwards and company did after his second season at the helm of the program. Edwards' second season (1973) was his only losing season of his 29-year career as the head coach. In season three of Edwards' tenure, the 1974 squad turned around from 5-6 the year before to 7-4-1, a WAC championship and a Fiesta Bowl appearance – the first bowl appearance in program history. BYU looks to follow in the hall of famers' footsteps.

NEW PLACES, NEW AND FAMILIAR FACES. BYU had several changes on the coaching staff in the offseason. Jeff Grimes is the new offensive coordinator. Grimes spent the last four seasons as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator at LSU and brings 25 years of coaching experience to his second stint as a Cougar. Grimes was BYU's offensive line coach from 2004-2006. Passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Aaron Roderick played at BYU in the late 90s and spent three years as a graduate assistant with the Cougars. Two other offensive coaches joined the program, Fesi Sitake and AJ Steward. Sitake was most recently the offensive coordinator at Weber State and Steward coached running backs at Rice. On the defensive side, Preston Hadley is the new safeties coach after coaching defensive backs at Weber State. Hadley played cornerback for BYU in 2011-12.

CALIFORNIA NATIVES. BYU has 25 players on the roster from California, second-most next to Utah. Offensive lineman Kieffer Longson is from San Ramon about 30 minutes from Berkeley, while fellow lineman Austin Hoyt is about two hours away in Ione. Wideout Dylan Collie is from a more inland El Dorado Hills while Squally Canada grew up about 20 minutes from Berkeley. Linebacker Riggs Powell is from Aptos, south of San Jose.

The following quotes are from Monday's press conference. 

Head Coach Kalani Sitake
On the Arizona game
“I think we hit on the points that we needed to improve on and the film confirmed it. It was a good learning opportunity for us and the fact that we got a win is a huge positive. I was really pleased with the players’ effort. We had a lot of young guys contribute in this win and I think we’re going to keep adding young guys as we go along. All the hard work paid off but we’re also just getting started. There are some things we can learn from but we have to move on and get ready for Cal.”

On offensive performance at Arizona
“I’ve been really happy with the blocking down the field. It’s not just guys looking to get the ball all the time, they care about the team. They understand their roles. Tanner Mangum did a great job of dishing the ball out, handing off the jet sweeps and seeing any changes that he needed to make along the way. They executed well and didn’t turn the ball over. We had a lot of guys on the field. We rotated a lot of players on offense and defense. It’s just nice that they relish their roles and love being part of the team.”

On Squally Canada's performance at Arizona
“He’s played a lot of football. He’s a senior and he got to learn from Jamaal Williams for a couple years. I think Squally is in a position now where he’s really doing a good job of leading the position group. I’ve been really impressed with the little things like the pass protection and the blitz pickup that he had. He had opportunities to pick up on blitzes and had a pass thrown to him and he did a great job at it. We knew he could do this last year and he’s worked hard this year and our offense really trusts him.”

On facing Cal this week
”I’m familiar with Coach Wilcox and what he does on defense. It’s a different opponent so we’ll have to scout them and see where we match up and where we can have some success. They’ll be ready, they’re a sound team. They’re tough and they played really well last week so it’ll be a good challenge for us. We’re going to look for opportunities to make some big plays and get turnovers this week on defense. We’re excited for it. The goal is to work harder this week and get us in a position where we can be 2-0. That’s what we’re trying to get done.”

Linebacker Butch Pau’u
On winning first game of the season
"That’s what we wanted. We’ve worked so hard for that first win. When you have a team that’s doing 600 up-downs as a punishment and then run stadiums right after it’s tough and it’s a grind. We’re just thankful that all of our hard work paid off and the energy right for the team is at a high. Everyone showcased that we’re a great team and can play with anyone. We just hope to keep the wins rolling."

On offense putting together longer drives
"It allows us to relax for a little bit. It was great to see the offense continue to get first downs and keep the ball moving. When that happens it allows us to get rest. Some guys need it to fix their equipment or get treatment before they get back onto the field. We’re really thankful that they were able to do their thing and we were able to come out with full energy right after and play our game."

On facing Cal
"We know that Cal is a great team. They have a great defense and we have a great offense so that’s going to be a battle. For us as a defense we need to handle our side of the ball. They’re very explosive, they have a great quarterback that can put the ball anywhere. We need to keep our assignments sound and stay relaxed, especially when we’re playing in our home stadium for the first time this year."

On first home game of the year
"We went over to the freshman orientation and those guys are excited. What we’re expecting is to see that excitement from the rest of the crowd. There’s been a lot of doubt of about this team and we’ve proven that we can play. We expect a lot of excitement, a lot of energy and for 65,000 people there to cheer us on. It’s a big game so it’s important to do our job in those kinds of moments. We’re playing for our brothers, we’re playing for each other and we’re playing at home. We’ll be relaxed and play our game."

Tight end Moroni Laulu-Pututau
On being able to playing again
"I’m just humbled and grateful. It’s been a long journey. It was the 2016 season that I last played. There have been so many ups and downs getting back. I very grateful to Heavenly Father, teammates and the staff, not just me but the whole team has worked so hard so I’m just happy to be back out there."

On the ball being spread across wide receivers and tight ends
"It’s great for each individual because it is hard for anyone to key on you. When you have an offense so balanced and there are so many weapons it makes opportunities for you so much great. So, I love it."

On how quickly the offense got going was clicking and being prepared
"I feel like a lot of people were doubting us but on the offense we weren’t doubting. You could tell we had the confidence that we knew we were prepared. So, I don’t think that we were surprised, I think we were happy about quickly it happened. I think we know and trusted the system enough."

Offensive lineman Austin Hoyt
On how satisfying the game was
"It was great. I think we have put in a lot of work, meeting and film during the off season. There were a lot of repetitions and trying to get everything right, whether its scheme and technique wise and to see all that come together last Saturday night was nice for us. It was a great night and we are hoping to just get better from here."

On dominating the opposition
"That was the number one key to this game, to physically dominate at every position. It is something that Coach Pugh talks about every day, the importance of being physical and violent and manhandling people. I think that was something that we thought about going into the game and I’m glad we were able to do that."

On the difference it made doing a lot of live reps during fall camp
"I think it was great. I can honestly remember at times during fall camp when I was more tired than I was in the actual game. I think  a lot of that was just the physicality of camp and when we got to the game we were playing at a high physical level because we had done that all through fall camp."