Why playing teams like BYU helps Utah Tech's struggling football program
By Jayden Barney,
September 5, 2026
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Utah Tech coach Lance Anderson opened up about the struggles of competing in college football with the influence of NIL after a loss to BYU.Utah Tech is currently 0-2 this season, losing 54-0 to Montana State last week on home turf and 63-7 on the road Saturday night against the Cougars.In the post-game press conference, Anderson was asked about the struggles that he has faced since taking over the football program at Utah Tech.“It has been a very big challenge, and probably greater than I had expected. It’s just very hard in today’s day and age of NIL and the transfer portal,” said Anderson.He explained the problems that coaching staffs from schools with less funding face, from being in charge of recruiting to academic support to even feeding the athletes.“When you don’t have those resources, and you basically have to do everything as a coaching staff… it is very challenging and very frustrating,” said Anderson.Anderson has been the head coach for Utah Tech for the past three seasons. In his tenure, he has a 3-23 record, despite having an almost 30-year coaching record with schools like Idaho State, Utah State, Stanford, and Boise State.“It is tough when you have teams in your conference that are spending millions of dollars on NIL to retain those players, and we’re spending zero," said Anderson.Despite the challenges, Anderson expressed that playing schools like BYU is a great opportunity for programs like his. “That’s why you play those games because we are in need of financial support, and you hope that things like this will help," said Anderson.
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