BYU coach Kalani Sitake is pictured here during a timeout during the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. The Cougars fell to the Cyclones 45-13. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
Isaac Rex became BYU’s all-time touchdown leader for tight ends late Saturday night when he snagged a pass from freshman receiver Parker Kingston.
That was the biggest moment of BYU’s embarrassing 45-13 home loss to Iowa State in LaVell Edwards Stadium.
The other historical markers were not so nice.
It was the first loss by a BYU sports team in the Big 12 in Provo.
It was the first home-field loss of the season.
The Cougars have now been outscored 117-26 during a three-game skid.
“There’s not a lot of things going right for us right now,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said afterward. “We need to get back to work on Monday and fix things.”
It was the third-straight Big 12 loss where the Cougars struggled mightily to not look like a Division III football team. “Embarrassing” is one word Sitake used to describe the Cougars’ play as he walked off the field at halftime, speaking to a sideline broadcast reporter.
#BYU Football halftime deficits in the last 3 #Big12 games:
21-3 (at Texas)
27-0 (at West Virginia)
31-7 (vs. Iowa State)
That’s a combined score of 79-10.#BYUSN
— Spencer Linton (@Spencer_Linton) November 12, 2023
It wasn’t a surprise that Iowa State beat BYU.
After all, it was Iowa State’s Big 12-leading defense against the Big 12’s worst offense in the home-team Cougars.
It was predictable.
What wasn’t expected is the complete ineptitude of BYU’s team on offense and defense. Six yards passing in the first half? Maybe historic. Defensive players leaving their assignments, gaps and edges to play hero individual ball after the first quarter?
The crowd booing the team…
..
