BYU coach Kalani Sitake greeted fans following the Cougars’ 63-7 season-opening victory over Utah Tech on Saturday night. Even when BYU faced an FCS opponent, Sitake was impressed not only with his team’s play, but also with the fan support in the home opener at LaVell Edwards Stadium. He believes he set an impressive standard for players who transferred from other schools in his first experience playing at home in Provo. “Really proud of the team, proud of the way the guys played, proud of the energy we had. And I just want to say to all the fans, thank you so much for your energy. They stayed here until the end. The ROC (BYU student section) was here the whole time,” Sitake said. “(It) impressed a lot of our players who came from the portal, from other places. They couldn’t believe the support the fans had for the team and the energy; it made a lot of noise. And you know, we’re going to need them next week (vs. Arizona). It’s going to be a lot of fun, but we need them all year long.” 1-0. Jake Retzlaff returns to root for Cougars Former BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff was one of several former BYU players in the contest, as was former Cougar running back Jamaal Williams. Retzlaff, who left BYU after facing an honor code violation and played the 2025 season at Tulane, returned to Provo for the next game now that his college career over. Jake Retzlaff returns to @BYU to support the program, it says a lot. When you have a school that kicks you out for breaking the honor code… and you still come back and show support… that means something on both of us… pic.twitter.com/aKhQh4Cvo9 — Thoughtful-Faith (@ThoughtfulSaint) September 6, 2026 Retzlaff spent some time on the sidelines, and after freshman running back Devaughn Eka scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter, Retzlaff was there to congratulate the young back. Former BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff was present for the Cougars’ season-opening victory over Utah Tech. Call it a little karmic goodwill. When BYU returned to the field after halftime, a young Cougar fan had secured a spot where he could greet the players as they headed down the tunnel. ended up being Cannon DeVries, who minutes later returned the second half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. After DeVries high-fived the fan, he gained confidence and stepped closer to the players and coaches coming out onto the field and received several more high fives from BYU players and coaches, including head coach Kalani Sitake. One lucky young BYU fan high-fived the players and coaches when the team returned to the field after halftime during their home game against the fan. Utah Tech.
