Tag: BYU Cougars

Nov 18, 2023; Provo, Utah, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Jayden Gibson (1) reacts to a play against the Brigham Young Cougars in the first quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

No. 14 Oklahoma survives loss of QB Dillon Gabriel, defeats BYU

Posted on | by Field Level Media

After Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel was injured Saturday, freshman Jackson Arnold proved to be a steady hand, guiding the No. 14 Sooners to a 31-24 victory over host BYU at Provo, Utah.

Taking over after Gabriel went down with a head injury late in the first half, Arnold was 5 of 9 for 33 yards passing and rushed for 24 yards on eight carries as Oklahoma (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) won its second consecutive game after back-to-back defeats. Gavin Sawchuk scored the go-ahead score for the Sooners midway through the fourth quarter.

Gabriel was 13-of-21 passing for 191 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, while guiding the Sooners to a 17-14 lead. The game was tied 17-17 at the half.

Jake Retzlaff was 15-of-26 passing for BYU with 173 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Aidan Robbins had 182 yards rushing for the Cougars (5-6, 2-6), who lost their fourth consecutive game and have dropped five of their last six in conference play.

The Sooners broke the tie game with 5:55 remaining in the third quarter when Billy Bowman intercepted a short Retzlaff pass and returned it 100 yards.

Retzlaff rebounded on the Cougars’ next possession and tied the score 24-all, leading an eight-play, 75-yard drive that ended when he scored a touchdown on a 10-yard run with 1:19 left in the third.

Arnold led his only scoring drive in the fourth quarter, taking the Sooners 25 yards in three plays after Jacob Lacey recovered a Retzlaff fumble with 8:43 remaining. Oklahoma’s Danny Stutsman forced the fumble on a sack.

The Sooners went ahead when Sawchuk scored on a 16-yard run with 7:57 remaining for a 31-24 lead. Sawchuk finished with 107 yards on 14 carries.

–Field Level Media

Oct 14, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) carries the ball for a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first half at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Iowa State, BYU chasing critical sixth victory

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Bowl eligibility will be the prize for the winning team Saturday night as BYU hosts Iowa State in Big 12 Conference action in Provo, Utah.

The Cougars (5-4, 2-4) and the visiting Cyclones (5-4, 4-2) face tough remaining schedules, and this game could determine which program joins the postseason party.

After Iowa State, BYU will wrap up its initial Big 12 season at home against Oklahoma (Nov. 18) and at Oklahoma State (Nov. 25).

The Cyclones will host Texas on Nov. 18 before traveling to Kansas State the following week.

Both teams enter Saturday’s game on a down note. BYU fell 37-7 at West Virginia last Saturday, while Kansas ended Iowa State’s three-game winning streak with a 28-21 victory in Ames, Iowa.

The Cyclones made things interesting, pulling within three after trailing 21-3 in the first half.

“We never put our head down,” Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht said. “We kept fighting. That’s what I love about this team.”

Becht threw for 216 yards, rushed for a touchdown and engineered two long drives that helped the Cyclones make it 21-18 with eight minutes remaining. Kansas responded with a back-breaking 80-yard touchdown.

BYU had success the last time it hosted a Big 12 foe, beating Texas Tech 27-14 three weeks ago. That seems like an eternity ago, however, after consecutive blowout road losses to Texas and West Virginia.

“This conference isn’t going to make it easy for you. They are not just going to hand you wins — especially on the road. That just doesn’t happen,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “So we need to find a way to protect home, like we have done all year, and then we can do that and figure out how to play better on the road when that time comes.”

BYU has a bit of a quarterback controversy. Jake Retzlaff threw for 210 yards against the Mountaineers after replacing Kedon Slovis, who was sidelined with shoulder and elbow injuries.

Sitake said the starting spot is up for grabs even if Slovis is cleared to play.

“Everybody that is coming off injury, they just don’t jump into a starting role (again),” Sitake said. “You have to earn the right to get that back. So competition still continues. … You don’t just become a starter by appointment only and then you are anointed the starter and then that is it for the rest of your life. That’s not how it works.”

This will be the first meeting between BYU and Iowa State in nearly 50 years. The Cyclones own a 4-0 series advantage, including a 34-7 win in 1974.

–Field Level Media

Oct 14, 2023; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Kedon Slovis (10) hands the ball off to running back LJ Martin (27) during the game at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Texas Tech, BYU try to put bad losses behind them

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Texas Tech heads west feeling desperation and uncertainty ahead of Saturday’s Big 12 road game against BYU in Provo, Utah.

BYU has its own sense of urgency after a humbling loss last week gave cause for concern.

The Red Raiders (3-4, 2-2 Big 12) and Cougars (4-2, 1-2) are coming off tough-to-digest losses, and the motivation to get back on track is strong for both.

In a 38-21 loss to Kansas State that snapped a modest two-game winning streak, Texas Tech had to contend with a mid-game shuffle at quarterback.

Due to a shoulder injury, Behren Morton was unable to return in the second half of what — at the time — was a competitive game against the Wildcats. The latest QB injury (pre-season starter Tyler Shough suffered a broken leg against West Virginia) thrust freshman Jake Strong into his college debut.

Strong showed flashes, including a 54-yard burst on an option keeper that supplied a large chunk of a 99-yard touchdown drive that put the Red Raiders in front 21-17. But he also threw three interceptions to help the Wildcats surge to the victory.

If Morton is unable to go — and Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said Monday that will be a game-time decision — Strong will have the keys to an offense that has struggled to be consistent.

“The kid is young and was put in a tough situation coming in instead of starting the game,” McGuire said. “I thought he did some really good things. We have to find ways to allow him to get comfortable.”

That hasn’t been an issue for BYU with one of the more veteran quarterbacks in the league.

Kedon Slovis has been steady for the Cougars with 1,392 yards and 10 passing TDs, helping them play solid football until last week.

In a 44-11 blowout loss at TCU, they never really gained much traction and surrendered 584 yards — 447 through the air. The BYU offense managed a season-low 243 total yards.

“Sometimes you have to pivot and figure out other ways to do things,” coach Kalani Sitake said. “You just can’t keep doing the same things and expect the results to change. We definitely have to pivot and do some things.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 16, 2023; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; BYU Cougars quarterback Kedon Slovis (10) signals first down during the fourth quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. BYU won 38-31. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

BYU visits future conference foe Kansas

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BYU may have officially joined the Big 12 Conference effective July 1, but now it’s time to see how effective the Cougars will be on the field, starting with their date Saturday against Kansas in Lawrence, Kan.

Both teams are 3-0, and you’ll understand if neither coach cares that oddsmakers have made Kansas roughly a nine-point favorite in the conference opener for each team.

As a four-touchdown favorite last week, the Jayhawks went to Reno and nearly lost to Nevada outright. They broke a 24-24 tie on Devin Neal’s third rushing touchdown of the game with 6:20 left in the fourth quarter to win 31-24.

Kansas put up 441 total yards to Nevada’s 258 but barely led in time of possession and fumbled – the game’s only turnover.

Jayhawks coach Lance Leipold was not apologizing for the win, however.

“Some aren’t going to be as pretty as others, but wins have been pretty darn tough to come by at the University of Kansas for quite a while, and we need to make sure that we embrace them and then take it and go coach and coach harder and play harder and get it corrected and go,” Leipold said.

Kansas went 12 straight seasons without winning more than three games until it finished last season at 6-7. The Jayhawks appeared in the Liberty Bowl to cap Leipold’s second campaign at the helm.

Neal ran for 89 yards, and Daniel Hishaw Jr. added 48 yards rushing and a touchdown against Nevada. Both averaged over five yards per carry. Quarterback Jalon Daniels completed 21 of 27 pass attempts for 298 yards.

Meanwhile, BYU, a nine-point underdog, ventured into SEC country last week to face Arkansas. The Cougars trailed by 14 points barely 3 1/2 minutes into the game, then tied the game at 14 before falling behind by 10 with just under 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

But Will Ferrin’s 43-yard field goal and two touchdown passes from Kedon Slovis gave BYU a 38-31 win.

Not that Cougars coach Kalani Sitake enjoys falling behind as his team did.

“The fight in our young men to come back from two scores down early in the game,” Sitake said, “and then do it again in the second half. I’d like to get started a lot better for us this week, but I know it’s nice to see a team that can fight back when they need to.”

Slovis went 13 of 25 passing for 167 yards, and LJ Martin ground out 77 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.

–Field Level Media

Sep 9, 2023; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks running back Rashod Dubinion (7) rushes in the third quarter against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansas won 28-6. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas aims to establish ground game vs. BYU

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Arkansas has scored 84 points in two games, but coach Sam Pittman insists the Razorbacks still have some work to do entering Saturday night’s home game against BYU in Fayetteville, Ark.

Specifically, they need to run the ball better.

Arkansas (2-0) is coming off a 28-6 win over visiting Kent State. But the Razorbacks produced only 57 rushing yards by halftime before finishing with 172.

When the closer-than-expected game finally appeared in hand, the fourth-year Razorbacks coach said it was time to focus on the ground game and getting better blocking up front the rest of the way.

“We tried several different things. We found some things that we can do and some things that we can’t do,” Pittman said. “How we can take the ball with the last six minutes and displace the line of scrimmage like we did, and not do it at the beginning? We’ve got to figure all that kind of stuff out.”

In recording a 56-13 win in their season opener against Western Carolina, the Razorbacks still managed only 105 yards on 36 carries for a 2.9-yard average.

Instead, third-year starting quarterback KJ Jefferson has thrown five touchdown passes with a 73.8 percent completion mark. He also has 59 yards rushing and a touchdown.

It won’t be BYU’s first in-person look at Jefferson. The Cougars (2-0) hosted Arkansas last October, and he torched them for 367 yards and five touchdowns in the Razorbacks’ 52-35 win.

“Tough team. Tough talent, just like we saw last year,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “It doesn’t hurt that they have a veteran quarterback returning that’s big and strong, can run and can throw.”

Sitake downplayed a revenge factor, saying it “can only take you so far. The key for us to keep things more simple than that. The fans probably weren’t happy about that game, obviously. For our players, this is a whole separate deal, and I think that’s the way we’ve got to keep it.”

Cougars quarterback Kedon Slovis, a transfer from Pitt, has thrown for 493 yards and four scores. All four touchdowns came last week in BYU’s 41-16 rout of visiting Southern Utah in Provo.

–Field Level Media

Jul 13, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of the BYU Cougars helmet and logo during the Big 12 football media day at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Kedon Slovis carries BYU past Sam Houston State

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Kedon Slovis rushed for two touchdowns and BYU’s defense allowed just 185 total yards as the Cougars earned a 14-0 victory over Sam Houston State in Provo, Utah, on Saturday night in the season opener for both teams.

Slovis, who transferred from Pitt on Christmas Eve of last year, completed 20 of 33 passes for 145 yards, going over the 10,000-yard mark for his collegiate career. Freshman running back LJ Martin supplied 91 yards on 16 rushes, all after halftime.

The Cougars led just 7-0 as the fourth quarter started before Slovis capped an 11-play, 55-yard drive with a 1-yard sneak 11 seconds into the period. It came shortly after Jakob Robinson made a diving interception of a Keegan Shoemaker pass. The play survived a replay review.

Playing their first game as an FBS member, the Bearkats limited BYU to 257 total yards but couldn’t pull off the upset because their offense struggled all night. They managed just 11 first downs and punted 10 times.

Shoemaker completed 18 of 33 passes for 147 yards with three interceptions. Sam Houston State managed only 38 yards on 24 rushes with no attempt longer than 8 yards.

BYU started the game in an expected manner. It scored on its first possession, cashing in on a short field as Slovis finished a 50-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run just 4:21 into the opening quarter.

What happened from there probably wasn’t on most bingo cards. The Cougars managed only 59 yards on their next eight possessions, thanks to a combination of good Sam Houston defense and some untimely penalties.

However, BYU never trailed because the Bearkats simply couldn’t sustain drives. Sam Houston State had one great chance in the third quarter after sniffing out a fake punt and starting at the Cougars 20. A pass interference call put the ball at the 5, but Robinson came up with an interception in the end zone.

The Bearkats went just 2-for-14 on third-down conversions.

–Field Level Media

Sep 29, 2022; Provo, Utah, USA; Brigham Young Cougars running back Christopher Brooks (2) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Utah State Aggies at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Fading Stanford takes on bowl-bound BYU

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BYU will try to upgrade its expected bowl bid while host Stanford looks to avoid adding to a season-ending losing streak when the teams end the regular season with a nonconference game Saturday night.

BYU (6-5) became bowl-eligible with a 52-26 shellacking of Utah Tech last Saturday, riding Jaren Hall’s 456-yard, five-touchdown passing day to a second consecutive win.

Meanwhile, Stanford (3-8) came up short in its Pacific-12 Conference finale last weekend, giving squandering an 11-point lead by giving up three fourth-quarter touchdowns at rival California 27-20. After entering the fourth quarter leading 17-6, the Cardinal was reduced to sending in Joshua Karty to kick a Big Game-record, 61-yard field goal on the final play of the game … while trailing by 10 points.

The Cougars and Cardinal are meeting for the third time, with Stanford sweeping a two-game series in 2003-04.

While Stanford — after opening the David Shaw era with eight straight bowl bids — will be sitting home for the fourth consecutive holiday season, BYU clinched its fifth consecutive bowl appearance and 16th in the last 17 years.

One bowl projection has the Cougars facing Kansas in the Armed Forces Bowl, a matchup that could be a preview of a Big 12 Conference game next fall after BYU, currently an independent, begins its new conference affiliation.

The Cougars are led offensively by Hall (3,078 yards and 29 passing touchdowns), and Cal transfer Christopher Brooks (565 yards and five scores).

Brooks, who rushed for 131 yards for Cal in the 2021 Big Game against Stanford, is looking forward to getting one more shot at his one-time rival.

“Very, very (high),” he noted of his excitement level to be facing Stanford. “It’s back to the Bay.”

It’s unlikely that the Cardinal, who has lost four in a row, will be able to match that enthusiasm, but Stanford coach David Shaw sees a positive in that his seniors will get one more opportunity to go out winners.

“Wanted this one really bad for them,” he said after the loss at Cal. “So many guys really gave their best effort. So many guys that were late-week (injury) decisions. Could have easily just said: ‘You know, I’m not feeling great, so coach, I can’t play.’ And they all tried. They all tried.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 15, 2022; Provo, Utah, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Jakob Robinson (1) is brought down Brigham Young University Cougars defensive lineman Tyler Batty (92) in the first quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gabriel Mayberry-USA TODAY Sports

KJ Jefferson (5 TDs) leads Arkansas past BYU in shootout

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KJ Jefferson threw a career-high five touchdown passes as Arkansas pulled away from BYU in the second half to post a 52-35 shootout win on Saturday afternoon in Provo, Utah, in the first-ever meeting between the programs.

Jefferson passed for 367 yards and hit 10 different receivers to help Arkansas (4-3) snap a three-game losing streak.

The game went back forth in the first half before the Razorbacks scored 17 consecutive points to go up 31-21 at the break. BYU (4-3) would never get closer than three points the rest of the way.

Raheim Sanders ran for 175 yards and two touchdowns, one of them a 64-yarder, to lead Arkansas’ stout rushing attack, which amassed 277 yards.

Jaren Hall led the Cougars with 356 yards passing and three touchdowns, with Puka Nacua hauling in eight passes for 141 yards and a TD and running for two other scores. Kody Epps had 125 yards and another TD receiving for BYU, which has dropped two straight games.

The Cougars began the scoring with Hall’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Rex with 5:39 to play in the first quarter. Arkansas answered three minutes later and tied the game when Sanders reeled off a 15-yard scoring run.

BYU used back-to-back pass interference penalties on the Razorbacks to set the stage for a 21-yard TD pass from Hall to Epps with 1:11 left in the first quarter.

Arkansas grabbed the lead on a 6-yard scoring pass from Jefferson to Trey Knox early in the second quarter. But the lead was short-lived as Nacua’s 5-yard TD run pushed BYU to a 21-14 advantage with 9:48 to play in the second.

The rest of the half belonged to the Razorbacks.

Cam Little booted a 34-yard FG with 6:46 to play before halftime to cut the BYU lead to 21-17. Jefferson hit Matt Landers with a 4-yard TD pass with at the 3:39 mark and then found Rashod Dubinion from 15 yards out to grant Arkansas a 31-21 advantage at the break.

BYU got back to within three points on Nacua’s 3-yard scoring sweep on the Cougars’ first drive of the third quarter. Arkansas immediately responded with a 39-yard Jefferson TD pass to Landers.

Nacua hauled in a 33-yard touchdown pass from Hall with 5:11 to play in the third. The Razorbacks pulled away with 5-yard TD toss from Jefferson to Landers and Sanders’ long touchdown run.

–Field Level Media

Sep 24, 2022; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Drew Pyne (10) looks to pass in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Improved Notre Dame meets No. 16 BYU at Las Vegas

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Notre Dame is riding a two-game winning streak into Saturday’s clash with No. 16 BYU at Las Vegas for one simple reason: The Fighting Irish have been focused on playing more complete games.

The commitment has helped Notre Dame rebound from a 0-2 start where it lost leads against Ohio State and Marshall in back-to-back weeks and sent the Irish tumbling out of the AP Top 25 poll after starting the season as a top-10 squad.

The Irish (2-2) put together their most complete game offensively two weeks ago in a 45-32 win over North Carolina. They racked up 576 yards and averaged 6.8 yards per play against the Tar Heels after being held under 400 total yards in each of their first three contests. Defensively, Notre Dame held North Carolina to just 66 rushing yards.

“I wanted to make sure our focus is on every play of the game and not just finishing in the fourth,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said.

Playing a more complete game is also a concern for BYU.

The Cougars (4-1) needed third-quarter surges to overcome sluggish starts in back-to-back wins over Wyoming and Utah State. Against Utah State in particular, BYU ran only 19 plays in the first half compared to 52 for the Aggies.

Once the Cougars started sustaining drives, they were able to pull away. In the third quarter of an eventual 38-26 victory over Utah State, BYU ran 22 plays and averaged 9 yards per play.

Starting strong has become a greater emphasis going into the game at the home of the Las Vegas Raiders.

“That’s the whole focus is us playing at our best and that’s my job as head coach is to make sure we get there,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said.

Saturday’s game is the 11th edition of Notre Dame’s Shamrock Series, which started with a 2009 contest against Washington State. Notre Dame has never lost a Shamrock Series game, which functions as a de facto home game designed to bring Irish football games to alumni and fans in other parts of the country.

“The Shamrock Series is what makes Notre Dame unique,” Freeman said. “It’s one of our distinctions.”

BYU and Notre Dame are meeting for the ninth time. The Irish hold a 6-2 lead in the series. The contest also culminates a six-game contract between the schools, originally signed when the Cougars became an FBS independent in 2011. Two games were played at South Bend, Ind., in 2012 and 2013 – both Notre Dame victories. The Irish bought out three of the final four games after forming a scheduling alliance with the ACC.

The Cougars enter the game as a slight underdog by oddsmakers despite facing an unranked Notre Dame squad.

“I like the underdog mentality all the time, so no matter what the situation is, we know we are going against a great team,” Sitake said. “Notre Dame hasn’t played its best football yet, but you can see the talent and the flashes of great players. But we haven’t played our best football either.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 16, 2022; Laramie, Wyoming, USA; Wyoming Cowboys quarterback Andrew Peasley (6) runs against the Air Force during the fourth quarter at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

Confident Wyoming ready for challenge against No. 19 BYU

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Wyoming coach Craig Bohl described his squad as an “emerging football team” after the Cowboys upset Air Force 17-14 on Sept. 16 in their Mountain West Conference opener.

Beating old rival BYU on Saturday night in Provo, Utah, would not only lend credence to Bohl’s thoughts but also give the 19th-ranked Cougars consecutive losses.

It will be the second time the programs have met since BYU left the Mountain West 11 years ago to go the independent route.

The Cougars (2-1) were ranked No. 12 after an overtime win against then-No. 9 Baylor on Sept. 10, but they had no answer for Oregon last week in a 41-20 rout that wasn’t too close. The Ducks established a 38-7 third-quarter lead in Eugene, Ore., and never looked back.

“I didn’t have this team ready, so that’s on me,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “We’ve got to figure out how to start better and faster. It seemed like we just dug ourselves too much of a hole to climb out.”

The same Oregon team that got manhandled 49-3 to start the year against then-No. 3 Georgia rattled off scores on its first six possessions against BYU, bagging five touchdowns and mixing in a field goal.

The Ducks gained 439 yards, splitting them almost equally between running (212) and passing (227). Meanwhile, BYU rushed for 61 yards, abandoning the running game as the margin grew larger.

Cougars quarterback Jaren Hall threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns, although most of those totals came with the game long decided. Hall was more concerned with the inability to convert a fourth down on the Cougars’ initial possession, leading to Oregon’s first score.

“You hate to give up opportunities on fourth down. It’s a turnover,” Hall said. “It’s just as devastating as throwing an interception or fumbling the ball to us. We rely a lot on converting fourth downs to give our defense a break.”

Wyoming’s game plan figures to be a simple one: Turn Titus Swen loose at the BYU front seven. Swen supplied 102 rushing yards and the game-winning score in the win over Air Force, running through three defenders for a 5-yard touchdown with 6:06 left.

Equally as impressive was the Cowboys’ response after forcing a punt from the Falcons’ vaunted triple-option attack: They chewed up the game’s final five minutes, earning three first downs and improving to 3-1. Wyoming’s lone setback was a season-opening 38-6 loss at Illinois.

“We are a young football team in a lot of spots and a lot of those guys are growing up fast,” Bohl said. “I really think our coaching staff did a great job composing a game plan and the players went out and executed it.”

Swen has 316 rushing yards and four touchdowns through four games, while quarterback Andrew Peasley bounced back from a 5-of-20, 30-yard effort at Illinois to hit 57 of 83 attempts for 562 yards over the past three games.

The Cougars own a 45-30-3 lead in the series, including a 24-21 victory in the 2016 Poinsettia Bowl.

–Field Level Media