What happened Saturday in Canvas Stadium has become all too familiar for BYU. Win or lose, every road game for their football and men’s basketball programs now seems to have derogatory hollering against their sponsoring church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. However, the expletive-filled chants aren’t the only problem here.

The primary problem was the word “Mormon.” While the LDS church is predominantly known as the Mormon Church, they don’t agree that it is the best substitute for their faith’s name. So, as the student section of Colorado State University started their derogatory chants, the school was quick to issue an apology long before BYU head coach Kalani Sitake could explain what he took from the reception.

“Colorado State apologizes to BYU, its student-athletes and fans, and to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the chant directed at them during Saturday’s game,” the CSU statement issued late in the fourth quarter of the Rams’ 41-23 loss read. “Mocking anyone’s faith has no place at CSU.

“It runs counter to our community’s values and to who we are. BYU’s players, coaches and fans deserved better. We are addressing this with our students.”

The controversy unfolded largely before kickoff, with chants coming from the student section. BYU is a flagship university that is widely known for its Mormon church, and the abuses that were hurled at them were centered around the same fact. However, Sitake does not wish to focus too much on those chants.

Kalani Sitake and the Cougars respond to the latest derogatory chants against BYU

It is not new for BYU to hear their opponent schools make their games personal. In fact, many schools they have faced over the years had to issue similar apologies and pay hefty fines. But Sitake would rather look away from a section of the wrong crowd.

“Everyone’s human and I’m not going to dwell on that. I know amazing people that are Colorado State fans and alumni and I’m just going to focus on the beautiful people that are positives,” Sitake said in his post-game presser. “You can’t judge the entire fan base on a few, so that’s what we’re going to focus on. The environment here was awesome, the fans were excited about their team.

“I think the chants, mostly a minority of people and fans. There’s some amazing fans here in Fort Collins, so not too worried about that. The guys are motivated to play football, no matter what. We’re not going to judge an entire fan base on a few — a few of the ones that made their chants.”

Meanwhile, his player believed that the chants don’t deter them.

“We’re self-motivated,” said running back LJ Martin, who rushed for 176 yards and three touchdowns. “Of course, you just hear them talking. It makes it a lot funner when you do go out there and perform the way you do. It makes it a lot funner just to see them go from real loud just to real quiet.”

In fact, a spokesperson for The LDS Church resonated with Sitake’s words earlier this year.

“While not representative of the broader community, we expect better from those who do engage in these derogatory chants at various sporting events. Such chants are offensive, discriminatory and unacceptable,” they told The Athletic in February.

But the plain fact that this cycle continues is another concern. And BYU is no stranger.

Derogatory chants have now, unfortunately, become a mainstay at BYU games

A year ago, Colorado was forced to pay a $50,000 fine after religious slurs targeting Mormons echoed through Folsom Field during BYU’s win over the Buffaloes. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark condemned the chants then. The more recent episode came in February.

Oklahoma State fans directed the same chant at the Cougars during a men’s basketball game, prompting the Big 12 to hand the school a $50,000 fine. Since BYU joined the conference in 2023, similar incidents have surfaced at Arizona, Cincinnati, Colorado, and Oklahoma State — that’s four of the 15 fellow Big 12 programs. Even beyond the conference, schools like Colorado State and USC have been part of the concerning controversy.

A 2021 game at the Coliseum saw a large section of the USC student section break into religious slurs against the Cougars. A similar incident happened in September 2022 in a game between Oregon and BYU. Every incident is followed by public apologies, such as the one issued by Colorado State. However, they have done little to stop the behavior. Maybe the conference should consider bigger fines for future incidents.

Despite the controversy, the Cougars are moving forward, but a glaring issue within the team could now demand their attention.

Kalani Sitake looks ahead after the controversy

While the victory was nearly flawless, one glaring issue remained: BYU’s discipline. The Cougars were flagged eight times for 74 yards, with a few penalties proving particularly costly. One erased a touchdown from the scoreboard, while another extended a Colorado State drive and gave the Rams extra life.

“I did like the fight in all of them. I mean, the literal effort that they’re putting on the field,” Sitake said. “I think if [the backups] just play more assignment sound, [we] would be in a better position. Just a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes that shouldn’t happen from our guys.

“This is a good moment for us to learn from and to win comfortably and still be able to have those things happen. So yeah, it got a little sloppy, but we’ll be fine. This is stuff that we can easily fix.”

The Cougars have won all three of their clashes and now sit atop the Big 12 standings. Despite the abuse hurled at them, BYU has continued to maintain its dominance in the conference, showing that outside forces cannot and will not discourage their efforts.