Cougs on Cougs: Kickers are people too, so get to know BYU Football’s Rhett Almond

Another week, another last-minute drive to try and secure the win! As Taysom Hill said postgame, “It’s what we do, I guess!” Fortunately for the Cougs (and our blood pressure), when the clock hit 0:00 the scoreboard showed BYU 55 – Toledo 53, thanks to a record-setting night from Jamaal Williams and a clutch field goal from sophomore kicker Rhett Almond. That’s right—our two wins of the season have come on last-second field goals from two different kickers. First Jake “The Make” Oldroyd and now Rhett “You Bet” Almond (credit to Greg Wrubell for those nicknames). And with another tough matchup on the road against Michigan State looming, this episode is packed and there’s no time to waste. Let’s get to it!

First up, Jess and Mary Coach from the Couch with Wendy Brown, a BYU alum and superfan. In a game where the offense put up 55 but the defense gave up 53, there was plenty to discuss as far as what we’d like to see improve before Saturday. What happened to the defense of the first few weeks that held teams to twenty points or less? What was up with the lack of offensive production in that second quarter? Can the third-down conversion rate improve? Of course there was plenty to praise too, and we don’t hold back. Jswagdaddy! Hill-to-Trinnaman! Tight end yardage! Touchdowns off turnovers!

All-in-all, it was an unforgettable night at Lavell Edwards Stadium, capped off by the emergence of another special teams hero in Rhett Almond. Despite his celebrated night, how much do you know about him? We snagged an interview with Kara Almond Longshore, an expert on all things Rhett (she also happens to be his older sister). Kara takes us behind the scenes from the moment Rhett was pulled in the Arizona game to the moment he kicked the ball through the uprights to seal the win against Toledo. We also get the inside scoop on Rhett’s personality and find out who really inspired him to pursue football in the first place. And if you missed it, watch Rhett steal the show in the background of Jonny Linehan’s music video about punting.

This week, the Cougars are Along the Trail to Fame and Glory heading to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans on the gridiron for the first time ever. For those of you heading out for the game, we got some tips on what to do and where to eat from Sterling Randle, a BYU (and Michigan State) fan who grew up in East Lansing (Don’t worry, he’s rooting for the Cougars on Saturday). His interview makes us really wish we could make a last-minute trip to the banks of the Red Cedar —it’s not too late, right?

Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

In a new segment we like to call “It’s Only Weird if it Doesn’t Work”, we bring Wendy back to discuss BYU fan superstitions and get Wendy’s philosophy on how it all works and what impact it has on games. We’ll likely make this a recurring segment, so if you have a ritual you do before every game, or something you wear, or whatever it is, let us know!

As always, we round up this week’s news from the BYU social mediasphere in our Talk of the Town segment, including some special news from Jimmer Fredette and his wife Whitney, which BYU Basketball player is also an avid member of the ROC, and the long-awaited return of the Tanner Mangum Modeling Company!

About the Show

Cougars on Cougars is a weekly YouTube show in which Jess and Mary, two "dyed in the wool, true blue, through and through" BYU fans discuss the happenings of BYU football and basketball on—and off—the field and court.

Find us on social media:

Cougars on Cougars: @cougsoncougs

Jess Tyler: @everydayjess

Mary Blanchard: @marydblanchard

Facebook: Facebook.com/cougsoncougs

Email: CougsonCougs@gmail.com