BYU Cougars College Football Pregame Quote, 09/28/2020

We watched all the film on Louisiana Tech and they’re a well-coached team. Skip Holtz is a great coach and he’s been there for a number of years, so they have their identity and culture in place. We’re looking forward to a matchup against a really experienced team. They have a lot of returners and had a lot of success last year. They won 10 games and beat Miami in their bowl game. We know we’re getting a quality opponent coming into our house and we have to get some things done in preparation. It’s going to be another test of our toughness.

On LA Tech head coach Skip Holtz:

I’ve been around him quite a bit and I’ve been really impressed with his leadership style. It makes a lot of sense being the son of a legend. More importantly though, you see the things he’s done as a coach, especially at LA Tech. They scored a bunch of points this last game against Houston Baptist. They were down early against Southern Miss in the first game and they came back to win that game. That’s indicative of a great leader and that starts at the top with the head coach.

On the sideline atmosphere during the game against Troy:

We’re going to turn up the dancing even more now that everyone is giving it so much attention. I just want my guys to enjoy the moment and have fun with the game. We’re just trying to keep our guys loose. I taught the players the cabbage patch this past week. I thought it would be fun to teach them some old school moves that we did back when I was younger. This year it’s just getting attention because there is nothing else to look at with no fans in the stands.

On game planning with the uncertainty surrounding COVID testing:

It’s way different. You’re doing a depth chart, trying to get practice ready and having anxiety over a test result. Then, you’re dealing with contact tracing and spacing guys out so that doesn’t become an issue. You try to keep a low-risk environment, so it only impacts the person that tests positive. We have to cross-train a lot more now than ever before. I’ll give an example, we have a great group of linebackers that can play more than one position, but that doesn’t allow you to let them settle in one spot because you have to deal with COVID testing. We usually cross-train in spring quite a bit, but now it is part of everyday football in the year 2020.

On the receivers and tight ends:

We knew we had something special in this group. Even in the depth there are some young guys that are very capable. I think Gunner Romney is doing exactly what we thought he’d do. The same thing with Dax Milne, Neil Pau’u and the group of young guys behind them. I thought Isaac Rex, Carter Wheat, Lane Lunt and Masen Wake have done a great job in filling in for Matt Bushman. They’re all still young and cutting their teeth in the game of football. I think Steve Clark has done a great job with the tight ends and Fesi Sitake has done a great job with the receivers.