Crew Wakley's reason to attend BYU is the same as the other 36,000 students on campus — to get a job after graduation. Saturdays in the fall, and an occasional Friday night, are critical for the redshirt junior from Sandy, Utah. Every time Wakley steps onto a football field in the Big 12, a three-hour internship begins where he can more fully develop his area of expertise.
"We are rolling! We have a complete team, and we are going to get everyone's best on offense, defense and special teams. The focus has to be that much sharper and that much more intentional."
"If you want to go to the next level, you want to play the best every week because I need to get that much better every week," Wakley told BYUtv's "GameDay" pregame show. "That is my mindset and my focus. I love it. I don't want weeks off. I want to play the best teams every week."
The No. 22 Cougars kick off at Baylor on Saturday morning (10 a.m. MDT, FS1) as slight underdogs. BYU is 4-0 and fresh off a one-sided 38-9 victory against then-No. 13 Kansas State , where Wakley had six solo tackles. Breakfast with the Bears is a chance for BYU to serve up another plate of "surprise" to a conference that listed them near the bottom of the menu in the preseason poll.
"We are rolling! We have a complete team, and we are going to get everyone's best on offense, defense and special teams," Wakley said. "The focus has to be that much sharper and that much more intentional."
Wakley played quarterback at Jordan High and was voted first-team All-State by the Deseret News. His understanding of offense helps him defend against it. The starting safety spearheads a BYU group that is ranked No. 2 in the Big 12 in scoring defense (12.8), pass defense (132.8), No. 3 in total defense (269) and No. 1 in turnovers gained (8).
"Anybody can get stops, but the really good defenses, the great defenses, are getting turnovers," he said. "Let's set our offense up. That has been the focus all offseason and going into these games."
The defense forced three turnovers against Kansas State. Freshman safety Tommy Prassas returned a fumble 30-yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff turned the other two into touchdown passes.
BYU's debut season in the Big 12 was rough all over and ended on a five-game losing streak. But somewhere in those painful lessons was the education Wakley and his teammates needed to get better.
"People know their assignments now," he said. "I think the process of not having that on your mind, 'What am I supposed to do on this play?' and instead it's 'How am I going to make a play?' I think that alone has (helped) cause a lot more turnovers."
In addition to forcing opponents into mistakes, the Cougars are keeping them out of the end zone. BYU is one of only two teams in the FBS who have not allowed a touchdown pass and Wakley hopes to keep it that way on Saturday.
"Stick to the plan. What we have done so far has gotten us here," he said. "Just keep doing what we are doing but be that much sharper with it. Trust the coaches, trust the schemes, but now, how much more assignment-sound can we be? How much harder can we hit? How much better can we tackle? Just the little things. It's nothing major, and that's what is cool about it."
Wakley is a history major but the former Texas Latter-day Saint missionary (Fort Worth) is focused on the future — starting Saturday in Waco when he steps onto the field at McLane Stadium. It's a chance for his Cougars to remain contenders, and another opportunity for Wakley to prepare for a job in the NFL when he graduates — something he and his wife Kimber are banking on.
BYU safety Crew Wakley defends a pass to Ryner Swanson as BYU holds their first fall football practice in Provo on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts "Y's Guys" at ysguys.com and is the author of the children's book "C is for Cougar," available at deseretbook.com .
