Football Media Availability - Arkansas

PROVO, Utah – BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake and select players addressed the media on Monday in preparation for Saturday's game vs. Arkansas. 

Watch and read interviews from Coach Sitake, offensive lineman Harris LaChance, defensive back Micah Harper and defensive lineman Caden Haws. 

Head coach Kalani Sitake (Video)
"I am looking forward to this matchup. Arkansas is really good. Head coach Sam Pittman is one of the great ones. He is a really good person. I know a lot of people that work for him and work with him. We have had some great exchanges. He gets it. He is one of the good guys in football. I am looking forward to this matchup. Obviously he does a great job leading his team. They have had some injuries and are looking to get healthy again and playing this game. We are excited to invite them out to Provo and play this game in front of our home crowd."

On Gunner Romney’s health
“Gunner got banged up, and because of his previous injury, there was more caution. He didn’t spend the night at the hospital, but they needed to do some tests before releasing him. We’re looking forward to him being ready for us this week.”

On the personnel issues from the Notre Dame game
“The accountability is on the players and the coaches to be in the right place at the right time. That’s just what it comes down to. And if they’re not in the right place at the right time, then we’ll find a new player to do it.”

On where Jaren’s health is at right now
“He has no choice. He has to go. This is mid-season football, so he needs to be ready to go.”

On the mindset of the staff and team after the loss to Notre Dame
“It’s another opportunity to play, and we know we missed an opportunity to play a full 60 minutes on Saturday. In the past, I think people have wondered if we ever belong on the same stage with teams like Notre Dame and the talent they have, and I think we proved we do. But that’s not a consolation prize for me. We have a tough opponent coming in this week and we have to be ready to play a full 60 minutes and live with the results afterward.”

On the challenge KJ Jefferson poses from Arkansas
“He’s a special player. He’s big and he can fly. He has it all, so we have to be fundamentally sound assignment-wise because of the way he can punish you if you make mistakes. So, we can’t afford to make a lot of mistakes against him, because he can punish you with his arm and his legs. He makes a huge difference for their team.”

Offensive lineman Harris LaChance (Video)
On what needs to happen to correct slow starts
“I think we’re constantly working, adapting and trying to figure things out. We’ve changed up our schedule a little bit this week, so hopefully that will help us get used to an earlier game. We’re working on it and I think we’ll be good.”

On the offense’s improved rushing performance against Notre Dame
“We’ve been working on our run game for a while now. When the rush yards started piling on and we kept running on them, I felt really good. We’ve been working on it, trying to get better and I think it showed.”

On facing SEC competition
“They have a lot of talent at all positions. That’s what’s fun about being Independent right now. We get to play a lot of great teams from all over and play teams that have a lot of great talent and coaching.”

On watching film after a loss
“It’s tough to go back and watch it but it’s absolutely necessary. In this program we teach accountability and responsibility. We watch film for a purpose, to get better, to understand and learn from our mistakes. You have to be tough and have some thick skin about you when you’re talking with coach about your mistakes. You have to take constructive criticism and get better so you don’t make the same mistakes again.”

Defensive back Micah Harper (Video)
On his physical style of play
“Honestly, it’s just about taking the right angles and using my strike foot. We preach that every day in practice. Use your angles, don’t overrun the ball-carrier and put a good chest on them. That’s all we do.”

On the team’s mindset after the loss to Notre Dame
“Losing to Notre Dame was a big loss for our team. Right now, we’re more motivated than ever. Arkansas is a great opponent. They have a great quarterback and great receivers from the transfer portal that are balling this year. This week’s going to be a good test for us to bounce back at LaVell Edwards Stadium.”

On the team’s attitude with a 4-2 record
“Our team is very disappointed at the moment, because we expect to go undefeated and nothing less. There’s still a lot of season left and a win against Arkansas this week would change the momentum of our season.”

On playing an SEC team
“I think it’s cool to play an SEC team. Being Independent, we get to play a good variety of teams from every conference. That shows the brand of football and toughness that we have. It shows that we’re able to play in any conference.”

On facing Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson
“He’s a great quarterback. We’re going to have to do a great job scheming on him this week. At BYU, we plan our defense on their offense week-to-week so that their offense doesn’t really know what to scheme for. We can come up with a whole new defense today and plan for them on Saturday.”

Defensive lineman Caden Haws (Video)
On facing hometown team Arkansas
“When I saw them on the schedule, I was way excited. I still have a couple of friends on the team from high school with Luke Jones and Hudson Henry. It will be cool to see them. I have a lot of family and friends coming to the game. It’s a cool opportunity, especially to have them come to Provo.”

On getting off the field as a defense
“We have to take a lot of responsibility for that. Looking at the Notre Dame game, we definitely needed to get off the field faster. There were a couple of 3rd downs we gave up and a couple of really long runs where our tackling could’ve been better. We could’ve had guys in a better place at the line of scrimmage that would’ve kept those big plays from happening. We’re looking at that as a challenge with such a run-heavy team like Arkansas.”

On his background with Arkansas football
“I love the state of Arkansas. I loved growing up there. I wish I could go back more often. I didn’t have an offer from Arkansas but I went to camps there and talked with (then offensive line coach) Sam Pittman pretty regularly for a little bit, because I was recruited as an offensive lineman out of high school. I was interested in Arkansas but never had an offer. When BYU offered, I took my time to commit, but when Kalani Sitake became head coach and I took my official visit out here. After talking with everyone out here, it became pretty clear that this was where I was supposed to be. It felt like home.”

On switching to defensive line after being recruited as an offensive lineman
“It was the best change that could’ve happened. (BYU defensive coordinator) Ilaisa Tuiaki saw me in the weight room one day and said, ‘Have you ever thought of playing defensive line?’ I kind of wrote it off, I was like, ‘No, I play center. I’ve always played offensive line.’ But our head strength coach, Nu’u Tafisi played defensive line in college and for the next two weeks he would say something to be about switching. I went and talked to Kalani about it and he had me switch that day. It was a good transition. I’ve really enjoyed it. It allowed me to get on the field a lot faster than if I had played center.”

On Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman
“I have the utmost respect for Coach Pittman. He’s a really great man. You can tell he’s a total players’ coach but he also demands respect. I love what he’s done at Arkansas. He’s definitely the right man for the job and that’s been evident since he was hired.”

On playing Arkansas at home
“It will be huge to play them at home. Cougar Nation has showed-out for us in every home game so far this year. They’ve gotten us a couple of false start penalties. The atmosphere at LaVell Edwards Stadium is unmatched.”