The stars align for BYU football and men’s basketball fans over the course of five days, from November 5 to 9. Here’s what’s on tap.
November is coming.
It just takes one scorching hot week in July to want for a truly cold week in November. That’s when Utah’s triple-digit temperatures will be cut in half, daylight will be decreased by four hours, and fans across Cougar Nation will scream at an unparalleled volume.
Over a five-day period from November 5-9, when daytime highs could reach 50 degrees, BYU football and basketball will experience a unique week of anticipation that makes weathering a 100-degree weekend worthwhile.
Kevin Young, BYU’s new head basketball coach, will unveil his first roster against Central Arkansas on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at the Marriott Center. Four days later, Kalani Sitake’s football squad will travel to Salt Lake City to regroup with the rival Utah Utes.
Both “cool” events will make distinct types of history, and neither will necessitate sunscreen, more water, or constant air conditioning.
Kevin Young’s debut
In just a few months, BYU’s basketball program has accomplished something unprecedented. First, the Cougars recruited the NBA’s highest-paid assistant (Young) to run the program. Second, Young recruited a program-record five assistant coaches, a chief of staff, a director of player development, and a director of operations.
While putting together the team, Young kept Dawson Baker, Richie Saunders, Dallin Hall, Fousseyni Traore, Trevin Knell, Trey Stewart, Jared McGregor, and Townsen Tripple from the previous roster. Then, in an unprecedented move for BYU, he began catching large fish swimming in ponds far from Provo.
Freshmen Egor Demin (Moscow, Russia) and Kanon Catchings (Brownsburg, Indiana), who are both expected to be first-round picks in the NBA draft next year, generated headlines. Demin is regarded as a potential lottery choice.
Young also added two additional ESPN Top 100 freshman (Elijah Crawford and Brody Kozlowski) and three post-player transfers from Utah (Keba Keita), Rutgers (Mawot Mag), and Snow College (Max Triplett). Last week, he reportedly signed 6-9 Khadim Mboup (NBA Academy Africa) to his last scholarship.
To thirsty fans in July, the roster (on paper) resembles a tall glass of cold water. However, for Young and his crew, the calendar is far from rejuvenating. They’ve got job to do. The outcomes of the next three months of on-court campaigning will determine who starts on November 5 — both election night in America and Young’s debut night at the Marriott Center.
Football reunion
Four days after Young’s much anticipated debut, Sitake will try to finish the wild week with his first win against Utah since taking over as head coach, as well as BYU’s first victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium since John Beck and Jonny Harline defeated the Utes back in 2006.
The kickoff time will be determined by the broadcast, but this has been a long-awaited game since their previous meeting as conference members in 2010. As shared Big 12 inhabitants, there will be more at stake than just pride.
Utah quarterback Cam Rising, who missed last season due to a knee injury, has never played in the rivalry game, but he understands it.
“I just want to go down there, whoop their (expletive) pretty much,” Rising told Big 12 media members in Las Vegas last week. “That’s all I’m focused on.”
BYU center Connor Pay fired right back.
“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Pay explained. “We feel the same way. We’re looking forward to the game. We’re delighted they’re in our conference now.”
During BYU’s 12-year independent streak, the Cougars went 0-3 against Utah, losing by an average of four points. Sitake is 0-2 at Rice-Eccles against his longtime friend and former boss, Kyle Whittingham.
The daring first-year head coach ordered a two-point conversion attempt in the last minute of the 2016 game. Quarterback Taysom Hill was tackled at the one-yard line, and the Utes won 20-19.
Two years later, in 2018, true freshman quarterback Zach Wilson led BYU to a 27-7 advantage late in the third quarter. The No. 18 Utes recovered to win 35-27, the biggest comeback in series history.
BYU and Utah have not played since 2021, when the Utes came to Provo looking for their 10th consecutive victory in the rivalry. Sitake had his Cougars prepared, and one day after BYU accepted an invitation to join the Big 12, he secured his first victory in the historic matchup, 26-17.
Now that both teams are in the Big 12, the Nov. 9 game takes on added significance. The Cougars and Utes will compete in the same conference for the first time since leaving the Mountain West in 2010. The game remains significant on its own, but the return of potential conference championship and playoff ramifications will make it seem like old times, capping off a fantastic week.
Something to think about as we bake in July.
