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ALBUQUERQUE, NM– When BYU football was 4-5, there were a lot of doubts about the program. From a Top 25 team earlier in the season to No. 12 in the polls, BYU was suddenly staring at the possibility of not making the postseason.
That result would have been devastating for the roster and coaching staff that returned so much experience. That would have stopped the idea of momentum toward the Big 12.
Instead of being home on vacation, BYU came out strong.
So proud of this @BYUfootball team! What a finish! With adversity and a 4 game losing streak, they could have thrown in the towel and called it quits. Kalani decided to keep them focused on the importance of each week and set goals – they achieved ALL of them! pic.twitter.com/JHkFtXM4gm
Jon Swift (@swifty1303) December 18, 2022
They finished the 2022 season with an 8-5 record and a New Mexico Bowl victory over SMU with a fourth-string quarterback and a defensive staff of analysts and post-secondary assistants.
BYU football continued to fight to finish the 2022 season strong
It was quite a turnaround for a team that faced a lot of adversity this season. And when you’re an independent team, the question of “what do you play” becomes a big talking point.
To stay focused on finishing the 2022 season strong, BYU created weekly goals to keep players engaged.
BYU football chief of staff Jon Swift gave a glimpse of BYU’s four goals in the past month.
Win the competitions
Rivalry games are always a priority for BYU in all seasons. After starting the year 4-5, BYU traveled to the blue turf as an underdog against Boise State and won 31-28.
#BYU defeats Boise State in Blue, 31-28 pic.twitter.com/uS400vHugg
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 6, 2022
BYU wide receiver Puka Nacua had the best game of his career for the Cougars, and Hinckley Ropati had a breakout performance out of the backfield.
Protect LaVell’s house
Since 2019, when Patti Edwards spoke to the team, “Protecting House Lavelli” has been a goal of Kalani Sitake’s program. They ended their home schedule by pulling away from Utah Tech in the second half.
#BYU WR Puka Nacua shares a Senior Day moment on the LES field with his family.#BYUFootball @kslsports pic.twitter.com/pJs23YfZIA
– Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 20, 2022
BYU finished the 2022 home schedule with a 4-2 record.
Leave a legacy
The only Pac-12 program BYU had never beaten was Stanford. BYU players bought into the motivation to get the program’s first over the Cardinal.
#BYU beat Stanford 35-26 pic.twitter.com/miVH6eQbPz
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 27, 2022
In the week leading up to the game at The Farm, the players pointed out that they never beat Stanford as a reason to get into the game, even though bowl eligibility was already clear.
BYU beat the Cardinal 35-26. The only downside was that it led to an ankle injury for quarterback Jaren Hall.
Earn bowl eligibility and win
BYU played in its sixth bowl game in Kalani Sitake’s seven seasons as head coach. The Cougars beat SMU 24-23 because BYU running back Jakob Robinson made SMU’s two-point conversion attempt off a last-second tackle.
What a stop pic.twitter.com/u4wOZD1pYq
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 18, 2022
2022 BYU football fought to the end
BYU in 2022 deficit. With 12 wins out of 13 games for the star signal, 10 wins was a reasonable goal despite the tough schedule. But this group can hold their heads high that they competed until the end.
In the final month of the regular season and the fight shown in the New Mexico Bowl should be a lasting image of this year’s BYU football team.
Mitch Harper is KSLsports.com’s BYU Insider and host of the Cougar Tracks podcast (ROOM) and Cougar Sports Saturday (starting at 123 on Saturday) on KSL Newsradio. Follow the Mitchs’ coverage of BYU’s move to the Big 12 Conference on Twitter:@Mitch_Harper.
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