This article was first published in the Cougar Insiders newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each week.
Both BYU and Colorado drew the short straw in the Big 12 tiebreaker sweepstakes of 7-2 Big 12 teams and many experts have them facing off in the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 28.
If this is the case, will Jake Retzlaff be able to rally BYU’s offense and get back to midseason form? Will Shedeur Sanders, a Heisman candidate who could finish in the top three in the voting, choose to forego the bowl game and the risk of injury to prepare for the NFL? His teammate, two-way player Travis Hunter, who could win the Heisman, could also sit out this game.
BYU and Colorado did not play this season in the Big 12, and while some don’t like this matchup of league teams, it remains an intriguing game if it comes to fruition. One of the biggest draws is Deion Sanders, who has captured the imagination of the college football world and has had his Buffaloes drawing huge TV numbers every week for the past two years. That doesn’t hurt anybody.
It would be a great showdown between Colorado’s offense and Jay Hill’s defense.
Cougar Insider predictions
Question of the week: How would you grade the job Jake Retzlaff did this season and where do you see his improvement in the days, weeks and months to come?
Jay Drew: Whenever I am asked who has been the catalyst in BYU’s turnaround season in 2024, my answer has been quick and simple: Quarterback Jake Retzlaff.
Sure, defensive coordinator Jay Hill has improved BYU’s defense, and Kalani Sitake has been able to call upon the culture he has established to get the team to overachieve. But on the field, the biggest difference from 2023 to 2024 has been quarterback play. If I were to hand out a letter grade to Retzlaff, it would be an A-minus. He’s been that good.
Yes, he struggled in the Kansas loss — which is why I would give him an A-minus instead of an A. The interception in the Kansas game in the end zone was as damaging as the squib punt that bounced off Evan Johnson’s helmet. And Retzlaff was unable to get the Cougars in the end zone on their final drive.
Where do I see him needing to improve the most? He’s got to figure out a way to adjust his throwing motion, because that sidearm stuff is inaccurate at times and his passes too often get batted down at the line of scrimmage. That’s got to be fixed.
Retzlaff’s running ability was probably underappreciated by BYU fans. He appeared to be banged up a bit in the Utah and Kansas games, and we didn’t see him run as much. As the Houston game showed, BYU needs Retzlaff’s run game to open up other aspects of the offense.
Dick Harmon: Before this season began, I was asked on the “Y’s Guys” podcast with Dave McCann and Blaine Fowler what I thought of Jake Retzlaff. I told them he was a flawed dynamo. What I meant is he had some technical flaws, he needed to make better reads, but he was a fighter, a competitor, a leader and a playmaker. That turned out to be true in BYU’s 10-win season.
It takes a playmaker to deliver what Retzlaff did this season. He made key passes, took off and ran for vital first downs and touchdowns. When LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati were injured, he continued to be a great run/pass threat and delivered. He also made mistakes, like the fated fade route pick before halftime of the Kansas game and he overthrew a possible winning TD pass to JoJo Phillips at ASU.
Overall, Retzlaff is a QB who contributed greatly to 10 wins because he played in every game. He may have played with undisclosed injuries in the Utah, Kansas and ASU games because we did not see him run aggressively until the Houston game, where he scored two touchdowns.
I’ve seen a lot of quarterbacks in my 48 years covering BYU. It is too early to see where he ranks, but at one time this year he had BYU ranked in the top 10 in the AP poll and that’s no small feat. No question BYU’s defense was the catalyst to this season, giving Retzlaff and the offense many short fields, turnovers, forced punts and failed fourth downs by opponents. But Retzlaff proved himself over and over again.
I think Retzlaff made great progress from his first starts for BYU in 2023 to this season in 2024. For his progress, I give him a high grade, an A-minus. If a QB doesn’t have a great playmaking season for BYU, the Cougars can be an average .500 team very quickly. No BYU quarterback in history played a schedule like this one with 10 P4 opponents. Retzlaff took command this season.
According to PFF grades (not quarterback rating), Retzlaff ranked as the No. 4 QB in the Big 12 behind Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, ASU’s Sam Leavitt and TCU’s Josh Hoover. One must recognize his dynamic ability to lead and deliver plays. BYU averaged nearly 30 points a game this season. That is big. I think he will get better in the months to come and will make a big leap next season for the Cougars.
Cougar tales
When the Cougars defeated Houston 30-18 in the season finale in LaVell Edwards Stadium, it gave many seniors on BYU’s team their third 10-win season. Here is our coverage of BYU’s historic 19th season of 10 wins:
- What Houston’s coach said after BYU game (Jackson Payne)
- Analysis: How BYU got elusive 10th win (Jay Drew)
- BYU still delivered unexpected story (Dick Harmon)
- Tie-breakers eliminate BYU from title game (Brandon Judd)
- Highlights and photos from 30-18 win (Jackson Payne)
Jackson Payne details where BYU’s women are headed for the NCAA Volleyball Tournament this week.
From the archives
From X-verse
Extra points
- Cougars season far exceed expectations (Provo Herald)
- How Puka Nacua made NFL history (Deseret News)
- Taysom Hill suffers season-ending knee injury (Deseret News)
Fanalysts
Comments from Deseret News readers:
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; with the new CFP it’s time to get rid of the conference championship game (CCG) and the irrelevant bowl games and replace it with a 20-24 team CFP X 2. Meaning, create a first bracket with the Top 20-24 teams (like the NCAA in basketball) and a second bracket with the next 20-24 teams (like the NIT in basketball).
Here’s why, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Tennessee get a huge advantage going to the CFP by not having to play in a CCG compared to Texas vs. Georgia or SMU vs. Clemson or Oregon vs. Penn Statate, who will have a grueling grudge match that impacts seating, and potential injuries. If Clemson, ASU or ISU lose the CCG, these are deserving teams who probably won’t make the CFP. Further, the very competitive (parity laden) Big XII deserves to have at least four teams in the CFP instead of relying on silly tiebreaker rules to determine who goes to the CCG. And teams like Boise State benefit under current rules by only playing two good teams all year (losing to one).
— CougfaninTX
Great summary of the team/season. I feel the same … kind of proudly disappointed. But mostly proud of how competitive we were, even in our loses. The Kansas loss will haunt the guys on the team for a long time, but it was never realistic to think we’d go undefeated. Love this conference and think we’re getting robbed right now with (likely) only one team in the playoffs. Also wish we could play every team in our quad (U, ASU, UofA and CU). A game against Colorado would have been great fun!
— Knotholegang
Up next
- Dec. 5 | 1:30 p.m. | Women’s volleyball | Loyola Chicago | NCAA Tournament First Round | @ West Lafayette, Indiana
- Dec. 5 | 7 p.m. | Women’s basketball | UTEP | @ El Paso, Texas
- Dec. 7 | 8:15 a.m. | Men’s and women’s track | Boston Colyear-Danville Season Opener | @ Boston