BYU football’s social media team did not do its players any favors with its most recent viral TikTok video. Though all in good fun, and hilarious, the Cougars were not presented in a positive light in regard to geographical intelligence.
BYU travels to Arkansas this weekend for the second leg of a home-and-home. Both teams enter the matchup at 2-0, but the Razorbacks are favored by eight points.
Perhaps part of that spread factors-in the Cougars’ geographical struggles. Not in terms of their travel for the game. Rather, in terms of their ability to know where they are playing.
BYU football is geographically challenged.
BYU players were asked to identify Arkansas, the state, on a map of the United States before practice earlier this week. It mostly did not go well.
One player admitted that he did not even remember that Arkansas was a state. He only realized after he sang the elementary school song in his head.
Others got close or guessed correctly. Many of them used the pizza man trick to get it right.
For the most part, though, they failed. The prompt even led a few players to question the state of Mississippi and its existence all together.
Success rate for the prompt was probably about 60%, though that might be generous. There were some serious misses in there.
Here is how it all went down on TikTok:
Fortunately, whether BYU players know where Arkansas is on a map or not, they will know their opponents come Saturday. It will be baptism into the Natural State by fire and it will be a serious culture shock for some of them!
When they return to Provo, perhaps a geography lesson would serve them well.