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STILLWATER, Okla. – One by one, they entered the visitors’ locker room. Many wore their emotions more clearly than others, but all showed their emotions clearly as a handful of Cougar fans tried to shout encouragement to them from the stands .
Each BYU football player had a similar facial expression of shock, sadness, disgust or more as they handed over a piece of equipment one by one. For some of them, it was the last time they would use these Big 12 facilities, the last time they would put on that jersey.
Even head coach Kalani Sitake was shaken after the Cougars’ 40-34 road loss in double overtime to No. 20 Oklahoma State, a loss that sends the Cowboys (9-3, 7-2 Big 12) into next week’s Big 12 championship game sent against No. 9 Texas.
It doesn’t matter that BYU was a 16.5-point underdog, drastically downgraded as a team competing for bowl eligibility and a .500 record against Power Five competition in its first season.
Sitake showed his surprise — or at least feigned it well — a few moments later when he met with the media for the final time of the 2023 campaign.
“It’s a tough end to the season,” he said before congratulating Oklahoma State, which overcame a 24-6 halftime deficit with 21 unanswered points before winning in overtime. “To be honest, I didn’t even think about it. It was difficult for me to say goodbye to the seniors.”
Some of these seniors could go on to the NFL; everyone will move on to something else. It’s a group that includes leading tacklers AJ Vongphachanh and Max Tooley, and possibly defensive end Tyler Batty, who said he’s unsure about returning for what could be the fourth-year senior’s final season in 2024 .
Although Saturday night was the former Payson High star’s last game in Cougar Blue, he ran in a debut win with six tackles, a sack, another tackle for loss and a well-placed 36-yard catch from punter Ryan Rehkow Bravura – half a wrong punt.
In four seasons, Batty totaled 165 tackles, 89 solo stops, 26.5 tackles for loss, 15 sacks and three forced fumbles – arguably the most consistent edge rusher in the program at the time. Not that he wants to take anything away from his teammates or the depth needed to compete with the Cougars’ new Power Five competitors.
“Honestly, I think it can always get better, but I truly believe this team can compete with the best in the Big 12,” Batty said. “Unfortunately we couldn’t show that week after week. But there were moments of it. It’s more about the consistency of the game.”
There were also several newcomers on display, including former Weber State cornerback Eddie Heckard. The former FCS All-American had very specific transfer goals to play his final season under former coach Jay Hill in Provo, which he didn’t hide when he joked with a television reporter that his next step was “hopefully the NFL”; I don’t decide that.”
It’s hard to imagine that NFL scouts and executives won’t give the 5-foot-10, 190-pound defensive back from Las Vegas a look – if for no other reason than the two tackles, two interceptions and the forced fumble, that he had against the Cowboys, a line that includes his pick six in the second quarter that helped the Cougars take a 24-6 halftime lead.
“This season has meant everything to me,” said Heckard. “I originally came here to try to increase my reserves for the NFL and show that I could play at the Power Five level. I think BYU definitely made that possible for me. I appreciate BYU for everything. … We have one.” I lose the record, but I’m proud of what BYU did for me.
Above all, Heckard added, he is proud of the fight in his team. The same battle that gave BYU (5-7, 2-7 Big 12) its hot start also brought the Cougars together as Oklahoma State stormed back on the fourth of six touchdowns by Ollie Gordon II with 53 seconds left to make it 27-24 took the lead.
The same struggle was on display as Will Ferrin hit a 48-yard field goal as time expired and as quarterback Jake Retzlaff scored his second touchdown to open overtime.
“I can’t imagine this team giving up,” Heckard said. “I can’t imagine any BYU team giving up. We attend a religious school and trust in God. I don’t think there’s ever an exit.”
Give up or not, there will be changes. Whether disappointing or expected, BYU’s loss in Stillwater ends a streak of five straight bowl games. The Cougars are ineligible for the postseason for just the second time in 19 years.
Sitake likely remains safe as long as he’s under contract through 2027, and defensive coordinator Hill was in just his first season with additional roles as safeties coach and associate head coach.
But thoughts have shifted to the offensive side of the ball and potential shakeups that could impact offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick, offensive line coach Darrell Funk, wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake and running backs coach Harvey Unga.
The Cougars’ once-explosive offense ranked 119th nationally in total yardage with 308.2 yards per game and 117th in rushing offense with 3.47 yards per carry and 102.0 yards per game, despite the additions of former UNLV 1,000-yard rusher Aidan Robbins and former four-star recruit LJ Martin from El Paso, Texas.
Sitake was noncommittal about upcoming changes, but hinted that changes are coming.
“Part of the next step is that change is inevitable,” he said. “There are a lot of things we need to change, and when I talk about change, it depends on the extent to which it changes. We need guys to get bigger and stronger; we have already seen that. It’s hard to say. “Guys need to get bigger and stronger if they haven’t been through the fight. Now they’ve gone through it.”
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