BYU HC Kalani Sitake Refuses to Underestimate Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia

As his team prepares to face West Virginia, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake refuses to ever underestimate the Mountaineers. Even aware of WVU’s recent injury report, Sitake  will never underestimate a team coached by Rich Rodriguez.

Sitake expressed his respect for Rodriguez and his legacy in college football throughout his Monday press conference.

“West Virginia is a really good team. With a lot of talent. I know they have an amazing head coach. I admire him (Rodriguez), and I know he’ll have his guys ready,” said Sitake while adding that anyone who knows college football knows Rich Rodriguez.

BYU HC Kalani Sitake on facing WVU:

"West Virginia is a really good team. With a lot of talent. I know they have an amazing head coach. I admire him, and I know he'll have his guys ready."

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) September 29, 2025

And beyond admiring Rodriguez’s impact on the sport, Sitake brought up the challenge facing Rodriguez when they matched up over a decade ago. When Rodriguez was the head coach at Arizona, Sitake was coaching linebackers and serving as Utah’s defensive coordinator.

But Sitake doesn’t expect their past to provide him any advantage now, fully expecting Rodriguez to have adapted his offense so many years later.

Regardless what happens on the field on Friday night, Sitake always wants to make sure he shows his opponent the respect they deserve. Sitake actually said his desire to show respect is what prompted his team running on the field while carrying the West Virginia state flag before a 2023 game in Morgantown.

BYU enters the field carrying the West Virginia state flag before a 2024 game at WVU’s Milan Puskar Stadium. (WVSN photo by Kelsie LeRose)

WVU & BYU entering the matchup…. 

Now sitting 2-3 and 0-2 in Big 12 play, WVU heads to Provo, Utah to take on the BYU Cougars. Rich Rodriguez’s team is coming off back-to-back conference loses to Kansas and Saturday’s 48-14 defeat at the hands of Utah, both games the opponent dominated WVU in every phase of the game.

Heading into the Week 6 game, BYU is undefeated at 4-0 and ranked No. 23 by the Associated Press. BYU most recently beat Colorado 24-21 to secure their first win over a Big 12 opponent. Prior to getting into the Big 12 schedule, BYU beat the likes of Portland State, Stanford and East Carolina.

West Virginia and BYU are set to kickoff from Provo, Utah at 10:30 pm ET. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

For a related story, BYU opens the week as a massive favorite thanks to the largest spread against WVU this season.