BYU coach Kalani Sitake refused to call a 39-31 double-overtime loss to UCF on Saturday night a letdown game, a week after an emotional win over Notre Dame vaulted the Cougars to the No. 2 ranking.
"No, I think it would be easy for me to say that," Sitake said. "We played hard. We started fast. We were in the game. I just don't think I want to disrespect UCF by saying this was a letdown for us. They bested us. I can't sit here and tell you, oh yeah, there's this letdown. We just made a lot of mistakes. These mistakes shouldn't be happening midseason. That's on me."
Indeed, playing on the road as the undefeated favorite, BYU made uncharacteristic mistakes and looked out of sorts at times. That includes multiple personal foul penalties that ended up giving UCF new life. One in particular ended up costing BYU in the end.
In the second overtime, UCF made a 26-yard field goal to take a 34-31 lead. But Kendal Wall was called for roughing the kicker, giving UCF first-and-goal at the BYU 5. The Knights scored a touchdown two plays later and then converted the 2-point conversion to go up 39-31.
BYU failed to score on its possession, and the game ended. UCF fans stormed the field as the Knights achieved the biggest win in school history.
"I didn't get an explanation," Sitake said of the call. "From what I saw, I don't think that's a personal foul roughing the kicker. Sometimes the calls work out for us and sometimes they don't, and that one it didn't."
Notre Dame fans would point out the officials made a mistake at the end of their game against BYU, acknowledging that there should have been time left on the clock following an incomplete pass at the end of the game. Instead, BYU won 28-24 for its first victory over a top-10 opponent since 2018, pushing the Cougars further into the College Football Playoff conversation. Those playoff hopes remain alive, but the margin for error now is much slimmer.
"There's so many things we could have done better. That's my job as a coach," Sitake said. "We weren't disciplined enough as a team. We missed a lot of assignments. That falls on me. This is humbling for them."
