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BYU head coach Kalani Sitake talks with media members after the Cougars held their first fall football practice in Provo on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
It became quite clear after various BYU coaches and football players spoke to reporters on Monday that the Cougars know which starting quarterback candidate — Jake Retzlaff or Gerry Bohanon — will line up behind center shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday night when BYU hosts Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
It is also apparent that they hope to keep it a secret until either No. 12 (Retzlaff) or No. 3 (Bohanon) jogs out on the new LES playing surface — still natural grass — to lead the Cougars in their opener.
As is its custom, BYU released its first depth chart of the season just before Sitake’s news conference kicking off game week, and Bohanon, a final-year senior, and Retzlaff, a fourth-year junior, are listed as co-starters at quarterback.
“Exactly,” head coach Kalani Sitake said during his weekly press briefing Monday when he was asked if it won’t be revealed until the game starts. “That’s why it is listed as an ‘or’ (designation on the depth chart). So you can keep asking the questions (to no avail). We have a plan, guys. We know what we are doing. We have been through this before. We are going to be just fine.”
Sitake and offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said the reason for the secrecy is simple: maintain a competitive advantage by keeping the Salukis guessing until kickoff.
“Well, the main thing is we want to make our opponent have to prepare for both guys. They are a very good defense. They have defeated a Division I team two years in a row. They are a very good program,” Roderick said on the “Coordinators’ Corner” program. “So it didn’t make any sense to let them know. They gotta…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/byu-try-keep-starting-qb-002916813.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2024-08-27 00:29:16
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