Buoyed by another clean sweep of BYU's non-conference opponents in the 2025 college football season, Cougars coach Kalani Sitake answered 12 questions Monday in his weekly press briefing with reporters.
Sitake's longest replies were to questions about BYU 's high number of penalties (10) in last Saturday's 34-13 win over East Carolina.
His shortest reply, by far, was to a question about a post on X by BYU running backs coach Harvey Unga hinting that the Pirates had pilfered BYU's signals.
"Rough when you can't steal signals huh," Unga posted about an hour after the Cougars made amends for a 27-24 loss to the Pirates in 2022. It was not clear whether Unga was referring to the 2022 game or the 2025 game with his tweet.
East Carolina came up with several huge fourth-down stops in the second half of the 2022 game to get the win, stuffing a Miles Davis run and a Jaren Hall quarterback sneak, and recorded five tackles-for-loss in the first half of the 2025 game.
Stealing signals is not illegal in college football unless it involves electronic equipment, according to a memo issued by the NCAA when it approved the use of coach-to-player helmet communication before the 2024 season.
"I don't know much about Harvey's thing," Sitake said Monday. "But let me just say that teams can do whatever they want."
The Cougars scored six points on offense in the first half Saturday, and 21 in the second half.
"You know, we can huddle and we (can) do a lot of different things, too, (to keep opponents from stealing signals), but I am not going to worry about it. You have to just play the game," Sitake continued. "Eventually it's going to be the guys on the field that play the game. So (I would) just rather us not talk about stuff and just play the game."
BYU and East Carolina split their four-game series 2-2, and after the game ECU coach Blake Harrell suggested it would be a "great series to continue" although no future matchups are scheduled.
"I think (Sitake) is first class, and I really respect the heck out of him," Harrell said.
Here are some other takeaways from Sitake's 20-minute media session on Monday.
BYU was able to get away with 10 penalties for 101 yards against the American Conference foe, but that sort of undisciplined play won't work against a squad such as Colorado (2-2) on Saturday in Boulder, Sitake said. Kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. MDT and the rematch of last year's Alamo Bowl will be televised by ESPN.
Sitake said the penalties ran the gamut, from unsportsmanlike conduct calls for taunting, to false starts, to holding, to defensive pass interference, to having too many men on the field.
"All of them are different types of penalties," he said. "… Those are easy adjustments to make (to avoid), and have nothing to do with whether you are home or on the road. It just has to do with your mentality and playing smart and playing with a good mindset, not getting angry (about) some of the things that are being said on the field."
Sitake took the blame for the too-many-men-on-the-field penalty, which occurred as Logan Lutui was running off the field when ECU snapped the ball. Tanner Wall picked off Katin Houser 's pass, but the interception was nullified by the penalty.
"We were actually trying to match their subbing and the (referees) didn't think we matched it fast enough. That was the argument that I had with the refs, is that you have to give us time to match the sub just like they did with the first substitution," Sitake said. "It is OK, we just have to be more decisive when we sub people in, even though you're supposed to be given that timing to do that. … It is a good learning experience for all of us."
BYU's 36-14 blasting of Colorado in last December's Alamo Bowl will be a big topic of conversation this week as the Cougars prepare for their Big 12 opener (Colorado is 0-1 in league play, having lost to Houston two weeks ago on the road) and the Buffs prepare for revenge.
However, Sitake said both teams have changed a lot, including the fact that CU has used three different quarterbacks already this season, and BYU of course had to make a late change in its QB situation with Jake Retzlaff moving on to Tulane .
"This is a really talented team, so it's not gonna be an easy game to go in there and play," he said. "I'm sure they remember the bowl game. I am sure they want some payback. But it's a different year, different mindset, and I'm happy with the way we're playing.
"We just got to go in and make sure that we do our part. I can't control what they do, but we can control what we do, and we can control all the things that we've made mistakes on from the last weekend and even the two games before that."
Sitake said a review of the film showed that BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier got more comfortable as the game against ECU wore on, and by the end the 19-year-old was playing like a poised veteran. Bachmeier completed 18 of 25 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for at least one touchdown for the third straight game.
"He was making great decisions from the start, he just wasn't connecting on all the plays," Sitake said. The first play "between him and Parker (Kingston) would have been a completion, but you just keep playing, and you keep taking advantage of your opportunities."
Sitake said he was "pleased" with everything Bachmeier did, from making the right reads and audibles to getting guys in and out of the huddle efficiently.
"He seemed to grow up quite a bit from the first play to the second half, and I think that was really good for us to see him do that, and I'm excited about what he can do," Sitake said. "He's highly intelligent, has great football IQ, is great leader.
"He is tough, and things are starting to click for him. So we just need to make sure to keep that momentum going."
BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier warms up before the Cougars' game against East Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 20 in Greenville, N.C.
