BYU vs. Arkansas Postgame Notes & Quotes

The following notes and quotes are from BYU's 52-35 loss to Arkansas on Saturday, Oct. 15 in Provo.

ALUMNI FLAGS: Kelly Bills (RB, 2006-07), Robbie Buckner (DB, 2006, and 2009-2012), Fahu Tahi (RB, 1999, and 2002-2005), and Jonny Harline (TE, 2004-2006)
AMERICAN FLAG: Caden Haws (DL)
STATE FLAG: Josh Wilson (LB)
SERIES RESULTS: First Meeting
Attendance: 63,470

Y Lighter
The ceremonial lighting of the Y was conducted by Maria Betioli a former BYU women’s track and field athlete. Maria came to Provo in 1979 as a heralded freshman pentathlete from Sao Paulo, Brazil. During her career, Maria focused on the high jump – eventually earning seven All-America awards. She also collected dozens of awards in the high jump, relays, and hurdles. 

Maria went on to also compete for Brazil in the Olympic Games in two sports, track and field and volleyball. To this day, she holds the South American record for high jump at 6-3½. Maria graduated from BYU in 1983 with a BS degree in recreation management, an MS degree in recreation administration, and an EdD in professional leadership. She has served for 12 years with the Food and Care Coalition in Provo. Maria remains on campus today as an associate professor in the school of education.

 

TEAM NOTES

Heads or Tails
BYU did not win the toss for the sixth time in seven games this year.   

Vs. the SEC
BYU dropped to 4-7 against teams against the SEC and 1-2 in games in Provo.

100-yard Club
BYU had two 100-yard receivers for the first time since Puka Nacua and Samson Nacua each had 107 yards vs. Virginia in 2021. Puka Nacua finished with 141 yards and Kody Epps had 125.

Turnovers
BYU was one of five teams to have not lost a fumble entering the game but lost two against the Razorbacks.

 

PLAYER NOTES

Kody Epps
Epps set career highs with nine receptions and 125 yards in the game. He also caught his sixth touchdown pass to lead BYU in touchdown catches this year. Epps has caught a touchdown pass in five-consecutive games. As of Saturday afternoon, he is one of four FBS receivers to haul in a touchdown pass is five-straight games.

Puka Nacua
Nacua had his first 100-yard game of the season with 8 receptions and 141 yards. He had one receiving touchdown and two rushing touchdowns, his second game this year with two rushing scores (at USF). 

Jaren Hall
Hall had 250 passing yards in the first half, his third-most of his career for a first half and finished with a career-high 356 yards in the game (Virginia 349). He also threw three touchdown passes for the third time this year and sixth of his career.

Isaac Rex: The tight end scored the first touchdown of the game, a four-yard reception in the first quarter. It was Rex’s second TD of the season and 17^th of his career.

Notable career highs/career firsts
Receptions: Kody Epps (9)
Receiving yards: Kody Epps (125)
Rushing TDs: Nacua (2, ties season/career-high)
Rushing attempts: Mason Fakahua (first and career high of 7)
Rushing yards: Mason Fakahua (first and career high of 14 yards)
Forced fumble: Max Tooley (first career)
Fumble recovery: Keenan Pili (had one previously at Boise State in 2020)

 

POSTGAME QUOTES

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake
Opening Statement
“You won’t win a lot of games if you give up 52 points. I think what’s frustrating is losing the turnover battle, because that’s not our identity. We’re focused on taking care of the football, and I didn’t feel like we did well enough at that today. There were quite a few mistakes on the coaches and myself, as well as the players. So, we’ll fix those. We had some moments in the second half, but just couldn’t generate enough momentum in the end. I think Sam Pittman is a great coach, and he had his guys ready. They’re a physical team, but we didn’t help ourselves in some ways, and that’s my responsibility. We believe in the players and believe in what we’re doing, and the effort we’re giving, but there are some things we definitely could do differently and better.”

On what is most concerning about the defense after giving up 644 yards
“I’m really focused on third downs. That’s the biggest issue for me. Third downs are the only down, when it comes to defense. So, you have to get off the field. Arkansas converted 12-of-15 third downs, and that’s not good defense. The other area of concern is fundamental tackling and mistakes on the field. We had some guys not doing their 1/11th, and that’s on the coaches to make sure they get that done and execute their assignment."

On the challenges successful play calls but poor execution creates: 

“The execution is on the coaches, but there’s also some responsibility on the players. Talking about the fumbled snap on fourth down, we were just trying to draw them offside. There was not even a play call in place. But the ball was snapped, which is why Jaren was surprised by it.”

On the health of Payton Wilgar and Jaren Hall: 

“Nobody is out for the season from today’s game. Payton wasn’t able to come back in the game, but he seemed pretty positive. He was in a boot on the sidelines. So, it’s not anything that I think will be lengthy, it’s just a matter of when he can get back. Hopefully we can get him back soon, but unlikely for next week.”

Linebacker Ben Bywater

On how the defense can improve:

“There’s a lot of things we can learn from a game like this. Anytime a team puts 52 points up, it’s not good enough defense. On Monday, we’ll be looking at the film, and it will be a tough few days with some honest conversations with ourselves and the coaches. We all need to step up.”

“We left some plays out on the field and missed opportunities. Fortunately, football is week-to-week, and we have a chance to get out again next week at Liberty and prove ourselves.”

On the Arkansas’ momentum-swinging third-down conversion near the end of the first half:

“We had a chance to sack [their quarterback], but they turned it into a 40-yard play. People can say all they want about schemes, but at the end of the day, we have to get off blocks and make tackles. Hats off to KJ Jefferson, but we have to take him down. We had four shots at it. We have to be better.”

On the mindset of the locker room right now:

“I would not say we’re losing faith. We recognize with our three losses that some opportunities are off the table, but we’re playing for our brothers, family and BYU. We understand that we need to play to a certain standard. If you’re not getting the job done, somebody else will.”

Wide Receiver Kody Epps

On the pressure of keeping up with Arkansas offensively:

“It’s tough, but at the same time, it’s pretty fun from an offensive perspective. When we get on the field, we’re trying to make big plays and score. So, it’s fun and competitive. It’s the stuff you dream for as a receiver, with your coaches and team looking for you to make a big play.”

On dealing with adversity and keeping momentum going:

“Football life is all about adversity. It’s about perspective. Coach Kalani talks about faith, and to not just hope but have faith. It’s all about how we view what we can do. Every game is a practice for the next game. Now we can focus on the things we didn’t do as well today, as we prepare for next week.”

On how he views the mindset of the team after Saturday’s loss:

“I see a bunch of guys that are crushed but still ready to go to class Monday. They’re still ready to go to church tomorrow and be great human beings on and off the field. And still guys ready to get to practice and keep grinding. We’re a group of guys that love the game, and we want to approach life like Christ.”

Wide Receiver Puka Nacua

On key takeaways from today’s game:

“My biggest thing is just execution. There’s a lot of good things we did out there, but ball security is another one that stands out. I’m thinking of my fourth down play and our fourth down fumbled snap. Arkansas didn’t do anything to get us out of our game plan, and we knew we were coming in for a shootout, but there were struggles with execution in all phases of the game.”

On his involvement in the run game with the absence of Lopini Katoa and Miles Davis:

“I didn’t have my best day, but I’m trying to do whatever the team needs from me on the offensive side of the ball to move the chains. It’s fun. I trust our linemen, but being in the backfield and creating spaces is definitely different than being on the outside.”

On what the coaching staff is saying after the loss:

“We all need to love and learn. That’s how it works. Obviously, this wasn’t the end goal we wanted, but we talked about execution in all phases.”

On the schedule ahead:
“We’re a good football team. We expect every game to be really good, and we expect to have a target on our backs. We’ve had a tough independent schedule all the way up to this point, and we’re just going to grow and go through the grind. We expect everybody to want to play their best game against us every week.”

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman
On BYU
“I want to first talk about BYU and the hospitality that we received since we've been out here. Incredible people. Starts with the head football coach — incredible man — and it's a hard place to play. They've got a trooper at quarterback. He's a fighter. He was hurt coming into the game and got hit in the second quarter and just got back up. But I think that's what the BYU program is about, about toughness and things of that nature. So, I want to give them a lot of credit, because they played extremely hard. We just got fortunate, had a few stops and of course our offense was on fire for most of the game.”

On if he thought the game was going to be a shootout
“I don't know what I thought, to be honest with you. I thought they had a really good team, and I was worried about Hall — very worried about Hall. I was hoping we could run the football, but I told KB all week, ‘let’s just open it up, and throw the ball on first down. Throw the ball in the middle of the field.’ That’s where we thought we might complete some passes. I was worried, because their receivers are really good at one-on-one catching. They’re big, and they catch the ball extremely well. I was more concerned about their passing game than I was their running game.”

On if BYU failing to convert on fourth-and-short was the turning point of the game
“I think so. I think that was a big turning point in the game because we hadn’t been able to stop them, and we get it and go right down and score, and then later we come back and score again right before half. I think we scored twice, with maybe around four minutes ago in the half. I think we ended up having that fumbled snap. We went and scored, and I think we scored with maybe 30, 40 or 50 seconds left, right before the half. To come in at half with a 10-point lead was huge, because they had the ball. The first possession of the second half.”

Arkansas linebacker Bumper Pool

On the team’s approach to the game:

“It was a must-win game for us, and I think that showed today. There's a lot of things that we had to change on the fly, especially in the first half. The guys on defense fought. We had a bunch of changes, and then BYU would make a new change, and then we would change again. We were constantly making sure we're doing our job. Credit to Coach (Barry) Odom (defensive coordinator), he did an unbelievable job, as did all the guys on defense.”

On the team’s momentum at the end of the first half:

“At the end of the second quarter, we came into halftime, and we had an identity back. We had some fight and being able to make a stop, go score, make a stop, go score makes you feel like everything that you're working hard on in practice is paying off. Obviously, they made adjustments and then we kept making adjustments, so credit to BYU and their coaching staff. But it was a great team win.”

On the impact of earning a win:

“That's what winning does for you. It can change your entire fanbase’s opinion. For us, we don't hear the outside noise. It's about making each guy in the locker room happy. We went in there, it wasn't pretty, but we fought, and we won. I'm extremely proud of the group, and I know they are as well.”

On the environment at BYU:

“They're really good people. They have great values, and you can see it. The other team was respectful. They played hard. It wasn’t too chippy, so respect to them.”

Arkansas defensive back Hudson Clark

On the team’s approach to the game:

“Coach said it was a must win, early in the week, and there was a shift going from the coaches to us with holding each other accountable. We saw that today during the game, whenever adversity hit and BYU had some big plays we bonded together, locked our arms and went out and made plays.”

On his interception:

“It's kind of a relief, getting one for the first time since 2020. I've had my hands on a few but just coming down with it was big.”

On his fumble recovery:

“Dwight (McGlothern) made a heck of a play. He was real excited about it on the sideline. We were hyping each other up. He was really the one that made the play, stripping it. I was just there to fall on it.”

Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson

On returning from injury for this week’s game:

“It felt good, just to be able to get the anxiety going, knowing that you’re getting the ball first as you're going out there on the field. Just being able to feel that anxiety was amazing.”

On his fourth quarter injury:

“No, I'm doing good. I actually got a stinger. In all the years I've been playing football, I’ve never had a stinger. It kind of scared me because, I like went numb, and I was like, ‘did I break my neck or something?’ So, I'm doing good. It went away quickly so I'm fine.”

On the environment of a shootout:

“That's why you want to play college football, to have these memories and be able to reflect back on it like, ‘hey, this is what we did in this game,’ and just being able to embrace that moment. Just being able to be in college ball and playing this game is truly amazing.”