We’ve reached the end of October, and the BYU Cougars are 8-0. Eight wins. Zero losses. Something mysterious is brewing in Provo, Utah, and Kalani Sitake seems to be the one behind all the madness.
Suddenly, a seemingly mild-mannered football program has become a top-10 nationally ranked crew that has broken all algorithms and calculations designed to make sense of the subjective world of athletics.
Jake Retzlaff, the worst-rated quarterback in Big 12 preseason polls has become a confident game manager and the perfect leader for a well-balanced offense. Jay Hill’s defense flipped the switch this season to become a disciplined and talented unit capable of halting the most potent offenses in their league.
This is spooky season, and with the BYU Cougars standing at the top of the Big 12 Conference and possessing an unbeaten resume, there’s no doubting that something supernatural is going on at the campus of Brigham Young University.
Home Field Atmosphere
The LaVell Edwards Stadium atmosphere is the most hostile in the Big 12, and a home crowd constantly on the verge of eruption is enough to strike fear in the heart of opposing players, coaches, and even fans.
BYU’s home stadium boasts the largest capacity of all Big 12 teams, and the ROC student section behind the south end zone brings to mind the Los Angeles Clippers’ “Wall” of fans. Staring into the heart of your enemy takes great courage, but escaping a football game in Provo unscathed has been an impossibility, even for teams who lead with less than a minute remaining.
To add another diabolical factor to the mix, the altitude quite literally steals oxygen from teams that aren’t native to mountainous regions like Utah. Don’t be fooled by the gorgeous scenery surrounding LES, visits to Provo will be far from pleasant for opposing football teams.
Inexplicable Success
What could be scarier than a team that will straight-up dominate you on the football field? No matter how you slice it, the BYU Cougars are a good football team, and it isn’t easy for a “little guy” like BYU to crack the top 10 of the AP Poll without the brand recognition of an SEC or Big 10 program.
Though doubts continue to swirl around this team’s legitimacy, there’s no denying that an 8-0 record with two wins over current top-25 teams is a massively impressive reputation. In the preseason, the biggest question for this team was if bowl eligibility was on the horizon. Now, the goal has moved to finishing with an undefeated regular season.
The unpredictability of a team so capable of surpassing expectations should be horrifying to the remaining teams on their schedule. BYU is after a Big 12 championship in just its second season as a member, and the likes of Utah, Kansas, Arizona State, and Houston are simply in their way.
You’d better look out, too–they’re out for blood.
Vampire Cougs
In the early season, a haunting theory bubbled up in regards to this team’s ability to overperform when the sun goes down and the floodlights of LaVell Edwards Stadium are the only illumination on the field of play. Going back to upset wins over Utah, Arizona State, and Baylor, a pattern was forming.
BYU seemed to take on an entirely new form when the moon rose, and it was unrecognizable to opponents that took the field with the hopes of leaving with a win.
This year, when the Big 12 favorite Kansas State Wildcats invaded LaVell’s house, the curse of the “Vampire Cougs” took hold over that matchup. A game that BYU was supposed to lose in blowout fashion drastically shifted to an emphatic statement, as the bloodthirsty Cougars held no regard for their conference peer in a 38-9 explosion.
Though the reverse effects have been dampened when the sun rises this season, the Vampire Cougs seem to be just as potent in the daylight this year. Just ask the remains of UCF, Baylor, and Arizona.
When you enter the gates of LaVell Edwards Stadium, you likely won’t stroll past an archaic suit of armor or a towering portrait with eyes that follow your every move, but every team unfortunate enough to face the Cougars have returned with haunting tales and chilling experiences.
Doubt the authenticity of these BYU Cougars if you dare, but don’t say you haven’t been warned of the horrors that await you on that field. The things that occur when Sitake’s crew storm into action would terrify even the bravest among you.
