Cincinnati’s 26-14 loss against Kalani Sitake’s BYU portrayed a very shameful incident for the Bearcats. A major controversy erupted when some Cincinnati fans engaged in offensive chants targeting BYU’s religious identity. The chants included derogatory slurs against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, specifically using the phrase “(expletive) the Mormons.” The shameful incident forced Bearcats’ AD, John Cunningham, to issue a public apology on X.

“On behalf of the University of Cincinnati and Bearcats Athletics, I want to sincerely apologize to the BYU community and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Cunningham said via statement, adding that the “use of offensive or religiously derogatory language … was unacceptable and does not reflect our values.”

The chant was loud enough to be captured on video and quickly spread on social media. It ignited immense backlash and concern over sportsmanship. Despite the Cincinnati public address announcer urging fans to stop such derogatory chants, the offensive behavior persisted. This has been a recurring issue in BYU’s away games. Notably, the Big 12 conference has lately taken a tougher stance, fining Colorado $50,000 after a similar chant in a September game, highlighting intolerance for such actions. This isn’t even the first season something like this has happened.

Back in November 2021, during a BYU–USC football game, some USC students chanted offensive remarks about BYU’s connection to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. USC ultimately had to issue a public apology, saying the chant was “distasteful” and didn’t reflect what the school stands for. It’s really unfair for the Cougars to go through things like these, just because they are deeply religious. At BYU, every student and athlete is required to follow a strict Honor Code, regardless of their personal beliefs.

It’s all about living by the Church’s standards. Kalani Sitake promotes what he calls the “Love and Learn” culture. According to this, players remain humble, grow from their mistakes, and look out for one another. He also utilizes the AMP leadership model, which empowers players with more ownership and responsibility. Sitake has even made some tough calls, including suspending his longtime former QB, Jake Retzlaff, after a sexual misconduct case that violated the Honor Code.

Kalani Sitake wouldn’t even leave his own for disrespect

Another interesting subplot emerged in the aftermath of BYU’s win over the Bearcats. This time, it involved Kalani Sitake and his star running back, LJ Martin. Martin had a monster game, rushing for a career-high 222 yards and two touchdowns. It also included a late 33-yard touchdown run that sealed the win. But that exact touchdown was marked as unsportsmanlike, which came with less than a minute left on the clock.

BYU was leading 20-14 with under five minutes to play. The game was basically locked down. Martin and the offense were moving the ball slowly. The smart, sportsmanlike thing was to take a knee before reaching the end zone to avoid running up the score and appearing disrespectful. That’s a common unwritten rule in college football when a game’s outcome is all but certain. But Martin didn’t do that. He dashed into the end zone and pushed the lead to 26-14.

Fans and analysts immediately noticed. While the touchdown looked good on the stat sheet and impressed the CFP committee members who care about “style points,” it rubbed some people the wrong way in terms of being respectful. Kalani Sitake didn’t shy away from addressing this. “I don’t blame LJ for the touchdown,” Sitake added. “The goal was to get a first down, but it was open, and you gotta take it.” This gesture brought more light to Sitake’s coaching philosophy.