Tag: BYU Cougars
Playoff-minded BYU preparing for punch from Kansas
BYU received a boost to No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings, up three spots and in the center of the expanded playoff bracket.
Fresh after narrowly dodging defeat, BYU (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) tries to stay unbeaten and in control of its postseason plans when it faces Kansas on Saturday night in Big 12 play at Provo, Utah.
The Cougars are third among the four projected conference champions, moving ahead of Miami of the Atlantic Coast Conference thanks to the Hurricanes’ loss last week at Georgia Tech.
But it barely got here.
BYU was on its way to dropping out of the Top 10 before rallying for a 22-21 victory over host Utah last Saturday night.
The undefeated season seemed to be lost when Jake Retzlaff was sacked at his own 1-yard line on fourth down with 1:29 remaining as the Utes began celebrating their upset victory.
But a defensive holding penalty was called on the Utes and that gave the Cougars renewed life. Retzlaff drove BYU in position for Will Ferrin’s game-winning 44-yard field goal with three seconds left.
While Utah coach Kyle Whittingham and athletic director Mark Harlan were irate — Harlan was fined $40,000 by the Big 12 for criticizing officials, Cougars coach Kalani Sitake was simple in his remarks.
“That’s the game of football,” Sitake said. “You can’t hold people, you know?”
Retzlaff wasn’t dwelling on the controversial play. To him, it is what BYU did with its second chance that decided the game.
“That’s football,” Retzlaff said. “There are many calls in a game that you get, and some you don’t get. At the end of the day, we went down the field with no timeouts, which isn’t an easy feat.”
The end result is that BYU is 9-0 for the second time under Sitake (2020) and fifth time in school history. One of those times was in 1984 when the Cougars won the national championship.
Defensively, BYU is tied for second nationally with James Madison with 16 interceptions. Cornerback Jakob Robinson had his third of the season and 11th of his career against Utah.
Kansas (3-6, 2-4) has won two of its past three games after posting a 45-36 victory over then-No. 17 Iowa State in Kansas City last weekend.
Star running back Devin Neal rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns and became the school’s all-time leader in career rushing yards (3,951), rushing touchdowns (43) and 100-yard outings (18). He broke records held by June Henley (3,841 yards, 41 TDs from 1993-96) and Tony Sands (17 100-yard outings from 1988-91).
Neal grew up as a die-hard Kansas fan who witnessed many uncompetitive seasons. He is a native of Lawrence, the city where the university is located.
“I never, honestly, never would have thought I would get in this position,” Neal said. “So many things kind of just led to this moment. At the time, I just had no idea what it was leading to. That’s what’s most special about it. Doing it with the guys who grew with me in this program as well.
“It’s easy for anyone to quit and leave and go to a different program when things are hard. But they stuck through it. Not everyone can say that they brought literally the worst organizational program out from the mud. That’s something we’re going to live on forever.”
Neal has rushed for 874 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. Quarterback Jalon Daniels has passed for 1,816 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Kansas has two top-notch cornerbacks in Cobee Bryant (13 career interceptions) and Mello Dotson (11). Dotson had a 25-yard pick-six interception against Iowa State to extend his school record to four interception returns for touchdowns.
Daniel threw three touchdown passes when Kansas recorded a 38-27 home win over BYU last season.
–Field Level Media
No. 9 BYU rallies past Utah on clutch field goal
Will Ferrin kicked three field goals, the final one from 44 yards out with three seconds left, as No. 9 BYU rallied to beat Utah 22-21 on Saturday night in Salt Lake City.
Jake Retzlaff threw for 219 yards to lead the Cougars. LJ Martin added 68 rushing yards. BYU (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) did not score an offensive touchdown until 12:35 remained in the fourth quarter.
Brandon Rose threw for 112 yards and two touchdowns and added 55 yards on the ground in his first career start for the Utes.
Micah Bernard rushed for 78 yards in the loss. Dorian Singer added 76 receiving yards on five catches. Utah (4-5, 1-5) has lost five straight games for the first time since 2013.
After trailing by 11 points at halftime, BYU drew within 21-19 on Retzlaff’s 1-yard scoring run to cap a nine-play, 95-yard drive early in the fourth quarter. Cameron Calhoun picked off a two-point conversion pass from Retzlaff to keep the Cougars from tying the score.
Later in the quarter, BYU got the ball back at its own 9 with 1:56 left. Utah sacked Retzlaff near the goal line on fourth down but got called for a defensive holding penalty. Retzlaff completed a 30-yard pass to Chase Roberts on second-and-10. A 12-yard catch by Darius Lassiter and a 14-yard run by Hinckley Ropati helped set up Ferrin’s game-winning field goal.
BYU struck first, going up 3-0 on a 23-yard field goal from Ferrin. Jakob Robinson’s interception at the BYU 38 set up the scoring drive. Utah answered early in the second quarter, taking a 7-3 lead on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Rose to Brant Kuithe.
The Cougars regained the lead at 10-7 when Keelan Marion returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. It was Marion’s second kickoff returned for a touchdown this season. He also scored on a 100-yard return at Wyoming.
Utah answered with two touchdown runs to go up 21-10 before halftime. Kuithe trotted in from a yard out to put the Utes back in front. Bernard stretched for the pylon at the end of a 7-yard run and made it a two-score lead on Utah’s ensuing drive.
–Field Level Media
College Football Picks, BYU, South Carolina, Ole Miss
After being ‘cut wide open,’ Baylor takes on No. 22 BYU
Baylor must go from a “heart-wrenching loss,” according to coach Dave Aranda, at Colorado last week to facing unbeaten and No. 22-ranked BYU in Waco, Texas, on Saturday.
The Bears (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) lost 38-31 in overtime to Colorado after Shedeur Sanders connected with LaJohntay Wester on a 43-yard Hail Mary pass on the last play of regulation.
“When you’re cut wide open, you sit down, you bleed a little bit, and it’s important to rise up and fight again,” Aranda said Monday. “(Monday at practice) was that day for us. I think so far, so good.”
BYU (4-0, 1-0) is coming off a 38-9 win at Provo, Utah, against then-No. 13 Kansas State last week. The victory was the largest for the Cougars over a top-15 team since a 26-6 win over No. 14 Arizona State in the 1998 season.
BYU’s Kalani Sitake is at least 4-0 for the third time since he became the Cougars’ head coach in 2016. The Cougars started 4-0 under Sitake in 2020 and 2021.
“I think we showed that we can play,” Sitake said of the big win over Kansas State. “The question was, ‘What kind of team is this?’ I think there are a lot of unknowns. Maybe people know a little bit more now.
“We aren’t going to surprise anyone anymore, so we need to get ready for this next game against Baylor, keep working and being humble. That’s going to be our key.”
Sitake said reserve Sione I. Moa, a former preferred walk-on, also must stay humble after the running back gained 76 yards on 15 carries against Kansas State.
Starting running back LJ Martin, who did not play last week because of an ankle injury, will not suit up against Baylor. Second-string running back Hinckley Ropati is doubtful because of a knee injury he suffered at SMU on Sept. 6.
“He’s a great player, and we’re excited about what he’s doing,” Sitake said of Moa. “He’s got some improvement to make. That’s what we’re going to focus on.”
Sitake then told the media on Monday, “Stop blowing his head up. We’ve got to keep him humble and keep him hungry.”
Aranda said of his team coming off the loss to Colorado: “I feel the overall sense of urgency to get it right. We’ve got a great opponent in BYU, looking ahead, to really challenge us and bring out the best in us.”
One positive for Baylor from the Colorado game is Sanders was sacked eight times, the Bears’ most since tallying 10 in the Sugar Bowl victory over Ole Miss in the 2021 season.
Baylor senior linebacker Matt Jones ended with 10 total tackles Saturday, with a career-high nine solo — his third consecutive double-digit tackle game.
This Saturday’s game is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Central time, 10 a.m. Mountain time (where BYU is located). Last season, BYU was 0-5 in games that started in the morning or early afternoon before 1:30 p.m. local time.
Sitake said he would not change BYU’s practice time to match the start of Saturday’s game.
“We’ve already got our classes in the morning; we’re an afternoon practice team,” he said. “We’ll adjust a couple of other things, meeting times, things like that. But we’ve been in this situation before.”
–Field Level Media
No. 13 Kansas State opens Big 12 slate at fellow unbeaten BYU
No. 13 Kansas State and host BYU both look to remain unbeaten when the unfamiliar 3-0 squads clash on Saturday night in their Big 12 Conference opener in Provo, Utah.
These two schools have never met as conference opponents, splitting their eight previous meetings. The last time they squared off was in the 1997 Cotton Bowl, which BYU won with a game-saving interception. The last time K-State played in Provo was a 39-0 loss in 1977.
Kansas State coach Chris Klieman is anxious to see how his team handles the new surroundings and a new rivalry.
“It’s going to be a tough environment,” he said. “A lot of respect for (BYU coach) Kalani (Sitake) and BYU. It’s going to be a heck of an atmosphere and a great test for us.
“Two weeks ago, we were talking about humidity and heat (before K-State’s game at Tulane) and now we’re talking about being cool and elevated (altitude). What a crazy league we’re in.”
BYU trounced Wyoming 34-14 on the road last weekend.
K-State showed newcomer Arizona what life in the Big 12 might be like, scoring the final 31 points in a 31-7 win over the then-No. 20 Wildcats.
While Arizona is now in the Big 12, it was a nonconference game since it was scheduled before Arizona joined the conference.
The Wildcats and Cougars rank near the middle of the Big 12 in scoring offense at seventh and ninth, respectively. They’re in the top half defensively, ranking fourth and fifth, respectively. But how they’ve gotten there is different.
The BYU offense is doing it through the air, averaging 289.3 passing yards per game, fifth in the conference. K-State, meanwhile, is second in the league with 244.3 rushing yards per game. BYU is ranked fourth in rushing defense, allowing just 105.7 yards per game.
Sitake knows the competition is going to get tougher, now that the conference season is starting. He believes that his team is ready for the challenge.
“It didn’t go perfectly, but there were some really good things to work on, some really good things to get better at,” he said following BYU’s victory over Wyoming. “I feel like we got better from last week to this week, and I am looking forward to making an improvement from this week to next.”
BYU’s Jake Retzlaff completed 22 of 36 passes for 291 yards with three touchdowns and one pick. He was also BYU’s leading rusher against the Cowboys with six carries for 62 yards.
K-State’s Avery Johnson rushed for 110 yards and was 14-of-23 passing for 156 yards with two touchdowns against Arizona. Johnson passed the credit around.
“It starts with Coach Riles (offensive coordinator Conor Riley),” Johnson said. “He came out firing. And credit Coach Klieman. We could have opened with a three-and-out but he said, ‘Go for it’ in our own end and we ended up with a 15-play drive.
“But it all starts with Coach Riles.”
–Field Level Media
SMU aims to ride momentum of convincing win into clash vs. BYU
SMU figures to have one of the most explosive offenses in the Atlantic Coast Conference this year. It became even more explosive last week when the defense gave it short fields and extra possessions via turnovers.
That led to a 59-7 rout of FCS opponent Houston Christian and a 2-0 start for the Mustangs in their new league. They’ll aim for a third straight win Friday night in Dallas against what should be a tougher foe in BYU.
SMU’s defense not only was stingy — it gave up only 157 total yards last week — but also got into the end zone via 348-pound nose tackle Anthony Booker. He recovered a fumble and went 16 yards for a touchdown to give the Mustangs a 28-0 lead in the first quarter.
“The turnover shortens fields, even scoring,” Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee said. “Man, that changes a game very, very quickly and it takes a lot of the pressure off everybody.”
SMU created three turnovers and scored touchdowns off every one. Not that the offense needed the extra help since it rolled up 595 total yards, getting a pair of touchdown passes from Preston Slone and 108 yards on the ground from Brashard Smith.
While the Mustangs cruised, BYU opened its season Saturday night by rolling Southern Illinois 41-13 as Jake Retzlaff threw for a career-high 348 yards and three touchdowns. The Cougars allowed only 231 yards and looked more physical than they did at any point last year during a 5-7 season.
There wasn’t much ninth-year coach Kalani Sitake could really complain about with his team.
“It was a good first step for a defense to get where we want to be overall,” he said. “I’m really proud of the way we played this game. I think the leadership and experience showed up.”
BYU finished with 527 total yards and 27 first downs, controlling the ball for more than 39 minutes.
“We know who we are. We’re confident in ourselves,” Retzlaff said.
The Cougars have won all four previous matchups of the teams, including a 24-23 squeaker in the 2022 New Mexico Bowl.
–Field Level Media
BYU preparing for a fight from Southern Illinois
BYU is 18-0 all-time against FCS foes entering Saturday night’s opener against Southern Illinois in Provo, Utah. Should be an easy mark for the Cougars, right?
Well, as Lee Corso might say, not so fast, my friend.
While BYU is favored, there’s the little matter of the visiting Salukis’ recent track record in FBS games. They’re 3-2 in their last five tries against the big boys with a narrow loss at Kansas State three years ago.
Little wonder that Cougars coach Kalani Sitake is, at least in his words, taking this game as seriously as any Big 12 encounter.
“They’re not going to come in here very shy,” he said. “We want to make sure we give them our best shot when they arrive in Provo.”
One way to do so, apparently, is to keep the winner of a quarterback duel secret until BYU gets the ball for the first time. It’s either going to be Jake Retzlaff, who started the last four games in 2023, or Baylor/South Florida transfer Gerry Bohanon.
There are also questions surrounding the running back position. LJ Martin (shoulder), who led the team in rushing with 518 yards last year, isn’t certain to play in this one.
Southern Illinois is also deciding between two quarterbacks. Either last year’s backup, Hunter Simmons, or Murray State transfer DJ Williams will be tasked with replacing the school’s all-time passing leader, Nic Baker.
“We’re ready to go play,” said Salukis coach Nick Hill. “We’re excited to see some of the new guys who will be playing. We’re ready to get this journey started.”
This will be the first meeting of the two schools. Southern Illinois was originally scheduled to open the season at Kansas. However, shortly after the Salukis topped Northwestern in 2022, Kansas asked out of the contract and helped SIU hook up with the Cougars.
Southern Illinois is netting $560,000 for the game, counting the $135,000 Kansas is paying not to play.
–Field Level Media
No. 20 Oklahoma State beats BYU in 2OT, makes Big 12 title game
No. 20 Oklahoma State rallied from an 18-point deficit to clinch a spot in the Big 12 championship game with a thrilling 40-34 double-overtime win over BYU on Saturday in rainy Stillwater, Okla.
Ollie Gordon II rushed for 166 yards and five touchdowns, including scores in the final minute of regulation and in each OT session, to help secure the Cowboys (9-3, 7-2 Big 12) a championship showdown with No. 7 Texas next Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
Cowboys safety Trey Rucker stripped the ball out of Cougars tight end Isaac Rex’s hands and recovered the fumble to clinch the win after Gordon put the Cowboys up by six on their possession in the second overtime.
BYU (5-7, 2-7) led much of the way – including a 24-6 halftime lead — and then forced overtime with a gritty, last-minute drive for a game-tying field goal as time expired. The Cougars’ first season in the Big 12 ended on a turnover and with five consecutive losses in conference action.
Oklahoma State’s Alan Bowman threw for 321 yards on 31-for-47 passing, including 132 yards and nine receptions to Leon Johnson III. Brennan Presley added 90 yards receiving for OSU, which piled up 503 yards of offense.
Jake Retzlaff completed 14 of 30 passes for 161 yards for BYU, while Aidan Robbins rushed for 74 yards as BYU had 327 yards of offense.
Gordon put OSU up 27-24 on a 15-yard touchdown with under a minute to go after the Cowboys had trailed since the first quarter. BYU kept it to a three-point game by blocking the extra point attempt.
BYU forced overtime thanks to a 48-yard field goal by Will Ferrin as time expired in regulation.
Gordon scored two other times in the second half from 2 yards out as OSU erased BYU’s big lead to earn a spot in the championship game.
Oklahoma State took a 6-0 lead on two Alex Hale field goals.
The Cougars went ahead 7-6 after Retzlaff scored on a 2-yard TD run. Eddie Heckard put BYU up 14-6 with a 13-yard interception return.
BYU went into the locker room with a 24-6 lead thanks to an 11-yard touchdown run by Keelon Marion and a 42-yard Ferrin field goal.
In overtime, BYU went up by a touchdown on a 6-yard Retzlaff keeper.
Oklahoma State answered with Gordon’s fourth touchdown from 3 yards out. Gordon broke free from a tackle to score the go-ahead TD from 2 yards out in the second overtime.
–Field Level Media
High stakes on line as No. 20 Oklahoma State hosts BYU
BYU and No. 20 Oklahoma State both have something to play for Saturday when they meet in Stillwater, Okla.
Despite losing four straight games, the Cougars (5-6, 2-6 Big 12) can become bowl eligible for the sixth year in a row with a win.
The host Cowboys (8-3, 6-2) have even more on the line. They are in contention for a spot in the Big 12 championship.
Texas sits on top of the standings with a 7-1 record in Big 12 play. Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Kansas State are locked in a three-way tie for second place at 6-2.
The Longhorns and Cowboys would clinch spots in the Big 12 championship game with wins over Texas Tech and BYU, respectively. Oklahoma State defeated the Sooners and Wildcats this season and own tiebreakers should the three programs finish knotted up.
The championship game scenario gets much more complicated if Texas and Oklahoma State aren’t both victorious.
“Our goal when we start the season has always been to find a way to win a conference championship,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “I just told the team, ‘My math is not really good. I don’t understand all that.’ I know if we keep winning, it gives us the best chance in the end.”
The Cowboys found themselves trailing by 14 points in the second quarter at Houston before making a comeback to keep themselves in the championship hunt with a 43-30 win.
Alan Bowman passed for 348 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Brennan Presley hauled in a career-best 15 receptions for 189 yards. Ollie Gordon II had three second-half touchdowns and finished with 164 rushing yards to help Oklahoma State rally for the victory.
“This was a really good culture win for us,” Gundy said. “Things didn’t go well for us in the first quarter and a half. When playing on the road, when you have that many things go south, if you don’t have a strong culture, strong chemistry, a lot of times, teams can’t fight back and recover from that. In all three phases, they did.”
BYU was on the verge of having its own good culture win Saturday. The Cougars were in prime position to defeat Oklahoma at home but squandered away the opportunity with costly turnovers.
In the second half, BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff threw an interception that was returned 100 yards for a touchdown. He also fumbled while being sacked on the Cougars’ 25-yard line.
“Turnovers cost us,” said BYU coach Kalani Sitake, whose team had three giveaways in the 31-24 loss. “You cannot be careless with the football, whether it’s fumbles or interceptions, and expect to beat teams.”
The outcome spoiled the best offensive output of the season for BYU, which has uncharacteristically struggled to move the ball and score. Aidan Robbins rushed for a season-high 182 yards and Retzlaff had 173 yards passing and two touchdowns for BYU, which finished with a season-best 390 total yards with 217 yards rushing.
“Offensively, we saw some really good things,” Sitake said, “but the turnovers were such a downer.”
BYU has experienced growing pains in its first season in the Big 12, having lost four in a row and five of six in conference action.
–Field Level Media