Lawless Republic
Fansided

BYU Football: 3 keys for success in 2021

By Adam Gibby

HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 16: Zach Wilson #1 of the BYU Cougars is tackled near the goal line by Grant Stuard #0 of the Houston Cougars and Gervarrius Owens #32 in the first half at TDECU Stadium on October 16, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 16: Zach Wilson #1 of the BYU Cougars is tackled near the goal line by Grant Stuard #0 of the Houston Cougars and Gervarrius Owens #32 in the first half at TDECU Stadium on October 16, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
PROVO, UT – SEPTEMBER 14 : Jake Oldroyd #39 of the BYU Cougars kicks the game winning field goal off the hold from Hayden Livingston #29 against the USC Trojans at LaVell Edwards Stadium on September 14, 2019 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
PROVO, UT – SEPTEMBER 14 : Jake Oldroyd #39 of the BYU Cougars kicks the game winning field goal off the hold from Hayden Livingston #29 against the USC Trojans at LaVell Edwards Stadium on September 14, 2019 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images) /

Focus on the Moment

Whether BYU Football gets a big win or has a heartbreaking loss, the ability to have a short memory will serve the Cougars well in avoiding upsetting losses.

On the schedule I see four moments where focusing on the moment will serve the Cougars well.

  1. Arizona state vs BYU – BYU needs to get past Utah to avoid a loss regardless of how the Utah games turns out. If the Cougars win, watch out for letdown, if they lose, the motivation for the Cougars will be down.
  2. Boise State vs BYU – The Cougars are going on a long streak of respectable games with Boise State, Baylor, Washington State, and Virginia. With the Bronco’s being first, the Cougars need to be able to take each game one at a time.
  3. Idaho State vs BYU – No, I am not projecting a loss here, but this game could be messy, ugly and kill momentum for the Cougars. With an extremely late BYE week in the season, the Cougars will want to get past Idaho State as quick as possible. If BYU Football were to win this game 28-17 or something the Cougars would not be feeling good going into the final few weeks of the season.
  4. BYU vs Georgia Southern – Coming off of a BYE week, traveling across the country to south Georgia, playing against the option offense and USC lurking the next week, there are going to be a million things trying to take away the Cougars’ attention away from this game. The Golden Eagles are a good team that could upset the Cougars if they aren’t 100% into this game, especially because BYU won’t have too many possessions to make a comeback.

Coach Sitake has done a great job keeping the players focused on the moment, but this season is going to be particularly difficult with so many “traps”. If they can stay focused, I see a real route of the Cougars being 4-0 in these games.

Home/BYU Cougars