PROVO, Utah – BYU football kicked off week three of the 2024 season with a virtual press conference from head coach Kalani Sitake.

The ninth-year head coach spoke for 18 minutes with the media as his team gets set for another non-conference road trip. This weekend, it’s an old WAC and Mountain West rival, the Wyoming Cowboys.

Here are five key things we learned from Sitake’s press conference.

LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati are “doubtful” against Wyoming

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati, BYU’s top running backs, are “doubtful” for Saturday against the Pokes.

“That’s the way it’s looking. The good news is that no one is out for the year. But it might take some time to get some of those guys back,” Sitake said. “Hopefully, we can see what happens in the next 24 hours. If they are going to be available this week or not.”

Pokaiaua Haunga is in the mix at running back

KSL Sports asked Kalani Sitake if freshman Pokaiaua Haunga would factor into the conversation at running back with Martin and Ropati as both “doubtful.”

Haunga is a true freshman returned missionary and was a high school standout at Timpview High.

Despite not being listed on the depth chart, Haunga is going to be an option in the backfield for BYU’s running back unit this week.

“With Pokai, the question is whether or not to redshirt people. I think right now, I’m not worried about that,” Sitake said. “He’s going to be full-go and he’s going to play. And we’ll just move on with that.”

“Hopeful” to get BYU CB Mory Bamba back this week against Wyoming

On a positive injury note, optimism is growing that BYU will have Mory Bamba back this week from an injury. Bamba has been out with a boot on his foot.

#BYU said he’s “hopeful” that CB Mory Bamba will return this week. Bamba has missed the first two games due to injury.#BYUFootball

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) September 9, 2024

During fall camp, Bamba took first-team reps while Marque Collins worked his way back from an ACL injury he suffered last season.

BYU football gearing up for a hostile environment at Wyoming

This Saturday will be BYU’s first visit to War Memorial Stadium since 2009. It’s a place that does not love the Cougars.

Despite starting the season 0-2, Wyoming is expecting a sell-out this weekend against BYU. After Utah and Utah State, Wyoming is the most-played opponent in BYU’s history. Sitake isn’t worried about the history but is looking forward to the opportunity.

“These kids don’t know anything about the rivalry. I guess some of these guys have played in this game against Wyoming [two years ago], but they don’t understand the old conference and all of that stuff. A majority of these guys came here because they wanted to play in the Big 12 and this is another to play this game.

“We know that it’s going to be a hostile environment. It wasn’t a kind one last week either, but that’s college football.”

Plans for Ryner Swanson

Sitake was asked if he’s planning to redshirt Ryner Swanson this season. After this season, the former four-star prospect plans to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

#BYU freshman TE Ryner Swanson (@ryner_swanson) announced that he received his mission call.

He will leave next year to serve a mission in Kenya Nairobi Africa for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.#BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/EduLj03MpW

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) September 4, 2024

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During the win over SMU, Swanson had one catch for 10 yards.

“He’s a major weapon,” Sitake said.

The ninth-year head coach added that he’s not thinking about a redshirt for Swanson early in the season.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.

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BYU starting free safety Tanner Wall is a college football junkie.

After the Cougars beat SMU 18-15 on Friday, for instance, Wall spent most of Saturday watching other teams throughout the country play their games.

“This is a special game, really, when you get down to it, for our players, for our program, and for the state. They are not on any future schedule. I don’t know if they ever come back to War Memorial Stadium.”

—  Wyoming coach Jay Sawvel on this week’s BYU-Wyoming game

The redshirt junior from Arlington, Virginia, might have grown up on the East Coast, but he is also well-versed in BYU football lore. That’s because he’s been a lifelong fan of the Cougars, and also because his father, Ryan, attended BYU when Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer was in Provo.

Naturally, Ryan Wall has told his son all about a BYU-Wyoming rivalry that once burned hot. Like, really, really hot.

“He has always explained to me kind of the bad blood, and really some of the energy surrounding that rivalry between us and Wyoming,” Tanner Wall said Monday as the Cougars started preparations to meet Wyoming on Saturday (7 p.m. MDT, CBS Sports Network) at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.

“I wouldn’t say I am an expert on the history there, but I do know and understand that going up there, it is kind of a hostile environment,” Tanner Wall said. “It is going to be a huge game for them, and for us. And their fans in War Memorial Stadium, it is going to be an important game for them.”

It will be BYU’s first trip to Laramie since the 2009 season, when both schools were members of the Mountain West Conference. Max Hall completed 20 of 22 passes for 312 yards and four touchdowns in just over two quarters of action in a 52-0 BYU romp. BYU went independent in 2011, and Wyoming athletic director Tom Burman famously said his school had no interest in ever playing the Cougars again — in anything.

The unrest from the Brown and Gold for a program it couldn’t seem to catch since fortunes turned after the 1969 “Black 14″ incident in Laramie had reached a boiling point.

It had cooled considerably by the time 2016 rolled around and the Cougars and Cowboys found themselves squaring off in the final Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego. BYU’s Kai Nacua — Puka Nacua’s oldest brother — intercepted future NFL star Josh Allen in the final minutes to preserve a 24-21 BYU win.

So when BYU and Wyoming announced a home-and-home scheduling agreement on Aug. 28, 2018, the deal was met with a high degree of surprise. BYU beat Wyoming 38-24 two years ago in Provo, the Cougars’ ninth-straight win in the series that dates back to 1922.

Now, it is BYU’s turn to return to Laramie, and the natives are restless, having not defeated BYU since a 13-10 decision in 2003 at War Memorial.

“This is a special game, really, when you get down to it, for our players, for our program, and for the state,” Wyoming coach Jay Sawvel said in a press briefing on Monday. “They are not on any future schedule. I don’t know if they ever come back to War Memorial Stadium.”

That the game is at night should add to the festive, energized atmosphere; Wyoming upset BYU 24-14 in the first night game ever played at War Memorial in 1988, intercepting Detmer — a freshman at the time — four times in the stunning victory. BYU leads the all-time series 46-30-3, but Wyoming is 17-16-3 against BYU in Laramie.

“This will be a big deal to everyone in the state of Wyoming,” said Sawvel, who replaced longtime Wyoming coach Craig Bohl in the offseason. “Not only are you playing an old rival, you are playing a really quality opponent at home, and that makes it a big deal.”

BYU players who spoke to reporters via Zoom on Monday said they are well aware of the disdain Wyoming has for BYU and are expecting a dogfight from the winless Pokes on Saturday.

“I think all us (BYU) players know that this game goes way back. Besides Utah and Utah State, the history of BYU playing Wyoming, it is the third-most played game in BYU history,” said linebacker Harrison Taggart, a Corner Canyon High product. “And we know that Wyoming is a hostile environment. We know what their fans are about, we know what their team is about. We are ready for them to give us their best shot. Yeah, we are excited to go up there.”

BYU tight end Mata’ava Ta’ase has heard all about the once-bitter rivalry from his father-in-law.

“There is a lot of history between BYU and Wyoming,” said Ta’ase, who has caught two touchdown passes this season after catching just one pass all of last season. “Funny enough, my father-in-law grew up right around there. So I have known a little bit of history behind Wyoming (games). It will be fun and we expect to get the best game from the Cowboys.”

Sawvel said it will be a “charged-up game” and he won’t need to worry about the Cowboys being ready to play, even if they are 0-2 and lost 17-13 Saturday to Idaho of the FCS ranks. The first-year head coach said nobody on the high plains has thrown in the towel.

BYU coaches say their guys will be ready to rock as well, and are taking time this week to make sure the Cougars know what they are getting into at 7,200 feet above sea level.

“Very tough place to play. Their fans are outstanding. They get after it up there. They are good fans for their team,” said BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick, a former BYU receiver.

BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill said he faced Wyoming in Laramie twice as a player when he played for the Utah Utes, and lost both times.

“It is a tough place to play. The fans are crazy. It looked like they had a phenomenal crowd last week. I love the challenge of going into a hostile environment,” Hill said. “… We are going to get Wyoming’s best shot, because they are a little wounded right now. They have not played great in games. But they have got ability and they are going to be searching for everything they can to put it back together.”

Head coach Kalani Sitake has also played and coached in Laramie, when he was a fullback for the Cougars under legendary coach LaVell Edwards, and an assistant coach at Utah.

“I know they have a passionate fan base. It is actually why college football is so good, is the fans make it real, and I know they love their team,” Sitake said. “They have a lot of pride in their team, and they are looking forward to this game, just like we are.”

Prelude, on September 19th, officially launches the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra’s 75th concert season and community members and symphony supporters are invited to join the celebration.

Attendees will enjoy an exciting evening that promises an immersive experience and lively ambiance. Prelude is truly a party to celebrate the upcoming season with fellow community members who share a deep appreciation for the arts.

Tickets are available at https://www.wyomingsymphony.org/prelude.

Taking place at the “M” in Casper on September 19th from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m., here’s what attendees will enjoy:

Live Entertainment

The WSO welcomes back their inaugural Prelude host and remarkable performer, Devin DeSantis, who will take the stage with The Four C Notes. This talented group of four gentlemen, known for their flair with vintage dance songs, is dedicated to authentically recreating the iconic music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

Backwards Distillery Collaboration

In a spirited effort to commemorate the 75th concert season, the WSO has partnered with Backwards Distilling Company to create Rhapsody 75, a black currant lemon liqueur. Backwards mixologists will create craft cocktails featuring the debut liqueur for guests to enjoy throughout the evening. Additionally, bottles of Rhapsody 75 will be available for purchase, for the first time, during the event.

Food & Drink

Prelude will once again open with a cocktail hour on the “M” Patio, where guests will enjoy refreshing drinks and great company, beginning at 6:00 p.m. After the cocktail hour, the party will move inside the stunning “M” event space for a selection of hearty appetizers and delicious treats from Silver Fox Steakhouse, one of Casper’s favorites.

Ambiance & Auctions

As always, Prelude features a lively ambiance in an elegant atmosphere where guests enjoy Symphony camaraderie and community engagement. Dancing, mingling, and special events throughout the evening such as a live auction and spirited paddle raise all boost celebration and support for the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra.

All ticket sales and funds raised support the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra and their mission to enrich Casper’s community through music.