BYU big man ready to lead refocused Cougars in must-win game at Arizona State

If BYU’s showdown at Arizona State is decided in the trenches, Caleb Etienne will be a happy man. The 6-foot-8, 320-pound left tackle contends that he and his boys on the offensive line will be ready.
“This is (like) a playoff game,” Etienne told BYUtv’s “GameDay” pregame show. “We didn’t get this far for no reason. We will be ready this week after what happened (against Kansas).”
The Cougars outperformed Kansas in every offensive category except for the one that matters most — points. Behind Etienne and company, BYU won on the ground (162-73) and through the air (192-169). But in four trips inside the Kansas 20, the Cougars managed just two field goals and lost the game 17-13.
“It was a tough one for us,” said Etienne, who transferred to BYU from Oklahoma State after the 2022 season. “You can’t dwell on it. We have to keep our heads up and come with fire at Arizona State.”
Saturday’s game in Tempe (1:30 p.m. MST, ESPN) is a matchup everyone saw on the schedule, but very few figured it would matter. No. 14 BYU (9-1, 6-1) was picked 13th in the Big 12. No. 21 Arizona State (8-2, 5-2) was picked 16th. To the credit of both programs, the winner on Saturday will have the inside track to the Big 12 championship game on Dec. 7.
“We have to take every rep one at a time,” Etienne said. “We can’t rush things. We just need to do our 1/11th on the field. We just have to attack it. We have to attack those plays when it’s time to run them.”
Etienne expects plenty of resistance. Arizona State is No. 3 in the Big 12 in rushing defense and No. 7 in the conference in red-zone defense. For an offense that has settled for seven field goals in its last 10 scoring drives, the physicality BYU brings to the front line of the fight will be critical.
“We have to start fast and finish strong,” Etienne said. “We have to go out there and show them that we are who we have been this whole season.”
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.