BYU to Bring the Blackout Uniforms Out of Retirement Against SDSU
When BYU donned the black uniforms against Utah State in 2016, it was believed to be the final blackout game. Following that game in 2016, some of the blackout gear was sold to donors and the rest of the uniforms were placed in storage. BYU discontinued the blackout uniforms in exchange for the royal away uniforms that BYU has worn multiple times over the last few seasons.
Following a win over North Alabama, BYU's staff surprised both the players and the fans when they announced the plan to bring the blackout uniforms out of retirement for the final home game of the season against San Diego State. They told the players in the locker room, and they told the fans with this cryptic tweet:
As BYU was climbing in the polls after an undefeated start and games were being added on the fly, the BYU equipment department had an idea to reward the players for the special season they were putting together: to pull the blackouts out of storage. After all, most of the players on the 2020 roster were not on the team in 2016 when BYU retired the blackout uniforms.
After Kalani approved the idea, the equipment team and the marketing team put the plan in motion. They set up a surprise photo shoot for team captains Troy Warner, Isaiah Kaufusi, and Zach Wilson. During the photo shoot, the team captains proposed an idea to include Matt Bushman in the uniform reveal to the rest of the players. The staff agreed and Matt Bushman suited up for the first time this season to reveal the surprise:
BYU is no longer defending a perfect record against San Diego State, but a special season is still on the table - the Cougars could win 10 games for the first time since 2011. They could also become the first BYU team with only one loss since 1996. The players have fought through a lot of adversity to even play 10 games at this point, and they have provided a much-needed distraction for many BYU fans during a a very trying year. The blackout uniforms will be a merited reward for everything the players have done for BYU fans and college football fans in 2020.