Two-thirds of the way through the regular season, the BYU football team is 8-0 for the fifth time in program history, ranked No. 9 in the country and rolling into the rivalry game with Utah next week as one of only eight unbeaten squads in the country.
Head coach Kalani Sitake’s reaction Monday to the start that has surprised everyone except the Cougars themselves: “We still haven’t done much.”
It might seem that way if the Cougars don’t win at Rice-Eccles Stadium, where they haven’t won since 2006, on Nov. 9. There will be plenty of time to analyze and preview that showdown (8:15 p.m. MST, ESPN) next week, and what could happen to BYU’s chances to make the Big 12 conference championship game, and College Football Playoff, if it stumbles in Salt Lake City.
Meanwhile, the break from a game this week seems like a good time to look back on how the Cougars, who are 5-0 in the Big 12 and atop that Power Four league’s standings, got to where they are at the end of October, and look ahead to what they have to do to keep winning.
First, though, Sitake says the Cougars can’t afford to get ahead of themselves — which has been a constant theme since that upset win over SMU in Dallas in early September signaled they might just be legit, pretty much.
“I have a good staff and coaches that will make sure that these guys are focused on what it is. We are focused on every week. We don’t even know what happens after this week. We work on this week, and we know our opponent is Utah after the bye. So we can get a jumpstart on it. But we need to improve and get better as a team. We gotta stay humble, stay hungry. All that stuff matters. And then we just gotta stop worrying about it,” Sitake said.
He reminded reporters that “nobody talked about us” in August, when BYU’s projected win total was 4.7, and said they don’t care what people say about them now.
“Nothing against them. That’s great. It is awesome for the fans. But our players gotta stay focused, stay humble and try to find ways to get better.”
Sitake said he would “like to see us play our best football of the year in this game” against Utah, where he coached from 2005 to 2014.
“I know Utah, I know how they are built and I know their coaching staff and (that) those players are very talented. I know what they want to get done, and this is a big game for them,” Sitake said.
Obviously, it is a big game for the Cougars, too. There is a lot to gain — and a lot to lose.
The tables have certainly turned; two months ago, Utah (4-4, 1-4) was projected as a double-digit favorite. Now, don’t be surprised if the surprising Cougars are favored a week from Saturday.
Which begs the question: How did they get here?
And what do they need to do on the field to keep their perfect season intact through November?
Here are some reasons for BYU’s success, and some things to work on next month.
QB Jake Retzlaff has been terrific
Named on Tuesday to the midseason watch list for the Maxwell Award — which goes to the most outstanding player in college football, but isn’t as prestigious as the Heisman Trophy — Retzlaff has emerged as the biggest reason why the Cougars are undefeated. With a third of the regular season remaining, he’s clearly the team’s most valuable player.
The junior from Corona, California, has received plenty of notoriety for being of the Jewish faith at a school owned and sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His play on the field has been just as astonishing. Retzlaff has thrown for 1,872 yards and 18 touchdowns, and is BYU’s second-leading rusher with 63 carries for 303 yards and three TDs.
“I knew he was a good athlete. I knew he could run. But he exceeds our expectations every week. That opening drive touchdown run (in the 37-24 win over UCF) was right up there with some of the best Zach (Wilson) and Jaren (Hall) ever did,” BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said Monday on his “Coordinators’ Corner” program. Retzlaff, who was also named to the Davey O’Brien Award QB Class of 2024 on Tuesday as one of the country’s top 35 QBs, is 10th in the country in passing touchdowns.
He is also 19th in yards per completion, 21st in points responsible for, and has thrown for two or more TDs in seven of eight games this season. Three times Retzlaff has thrown for multiple touchdowns and ran for a TD in the same game.
“We are close, man,” Retzlaff said after the UCF game. “We are getting better and better each week. It is fun to watch our progress throughout the season and just know that we are getting better. We are going to peak when the time is right.”
Jay Hill’s defense is thriving and opportunistic
Against what the Sagarin Ratings say is the 29th most difficult schedule in the country to date, BYU is No. 40 in total defense, allowing 331.5 yards per game, and No. 27 in scoring defense, allowing 19.62 points per game.
Defensive coordinator Jay Hill’s group has clearly improved in his second year at the helm, with only a few additions — linebacker Jack Kelly and cornerback Marque Collins out of Weber State and freshmen Tommy Prassas and Faletau Satuala shoring up the safety spots as key backups.
Everybody else was pretty much here last year.
“I have been impressed with the pass efficiency defense. We are one of the tops in the whole country, and last week we were leading it,” Hill said before the UCF game. “… There are a lot of things we are doing good. There are some things we can clean up, obviously. The end goal each week is to get better.”
BYU is now fifth in team pass efficiency defense (96.3 opposing QB rating) and tied for third in the country in interceptions, with 14. Remarkably, in a testament to the depth on defense, 11 different Cougars have made interceptions, which is tied for the second-most in a single season with at least five remaining games.
The 1987 BYU team had 13 players make interceptions. BYU has recorded an interception in nine straight games, dating back to last year’s finale against OSU.
“We knew we had to get better depth. And when I say better depth, a lot of people think it is getting players in there. It is a combination of things — getting players, but also developing the players that you have,” Sitake said. “Getting them stronger and faster and understanding the playbook a lot more. … The development is something that takes time and the depth is what benefits from that. So we are still going to keep working on that. We still have some ways to go, and we still need more development. This is a great week to get that done.”
An opportunistic defense led the way in BYU’s most impressive win to date, the 38-9 spanking of now-No. 17 Kansas State. The Cougars are tied for fourth in the country in turnovers gained (18) and are tied for 17th in turnover margin, having lost 11.
“This BYU team is deeper than any BYU team I’ve ever been around,” said edge rushers coach and special teams coordinator Kelly Poppinga, a former BYU player and position coach. “I think our guys are playing really well with that chip on our shoulder. … We are playing complementary football. It is all about meshing together well right now.”
Defensive tackle Blake Mangelson said the pressure will grow as the Cougars keep winning, but they are prepared for it.
“I feel like this team has been closer than ever, since I’ve been around,” Mangelson said. “Back at camp, we did a lot of team bonding. And a lot of it was pushed by these captains. … I think it is important to push those nerves aside and prep as if we are 0-0, and look forward to going 1-0 each week and not worrying about that 8-0 record.”
BYU’s running game, AWOL in 2023, is up and running
When the season started, ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) gave BYU odds of 4,356 to 1 of being 8-0 at the end of October. But here the Cougars are, and another big reason why is that they’ve established a bonafide rushing attack — something that was missing last year when they went 5-7.
The Cougars are No. 23 in scoring offense and No. 50 in total offense, averaging 410.0 yards per game. Last year, they never broke the 400-yard plateau.
Offensive balance, as was displayed in the win at UCF, has been a big key.
“The big picture is we won that (UCF) game as a team. Our defense kept them out of the end zone, our offense controlled the clock and controlled the game, and our special teams were outstanding,” Roderick said on his “Coordinators’ Corner” program. “We will take a win any way we can get it, but I thought Saturday was a good example of how we want to play football as a team.”
Retzlaff’s ability to run with the ball, coupled with the re-emergence of sophomore LJ Martin, has made a big difference. The Cougars outrushed UCF, which was No. 2 in the country in rushing yards per game.
“I can’t say enough about this O line, man. Rushing for that many yards. … We ran for a lot of yards,” Retzlaff said. “I am proud of that O line, man. They stood tall. And that is a really good defensive line that UCF has. Week after week, those guys have played really well. That is a really athletic team, so those guys played well and held up when they needed to.”
The improved depth has extended to the offensive line, which has moved seamlessly after the serious injury sustained by starting center Connor Pay against Baylor.
BYU’s receivers, particularly Darius Lassiter and Chase Roberts, have been outstanding as well. Keelan Marion, Parker Kingston and JoJo Phillips have been nice complementary pieces.
“We got some of the best receivers in the country, and nobody knew that going into the season, and they are starting to realize it week after week,” Retzlaff said.
Another key to the offense’s success: red zone scoring. The Cougars are 15th in that category, scoring at a 93.5% clip inside the 20. That’s 29 of 31 — 20 touchdowns and nine field goals.
Special teams have been extra special
From Marion’s 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Wyoming, to Kingston’s back-breaking punt return for a touchdown against Kansas State, BYU has thrived on special teams throughout the season.
Throw in a fake punt that went for a first down against Baylor and a fake field goal that drew national attention, and a first down, against UCF, and Poppinga should be a candidate for some postseason assistant-coaching awards.
“He is a great coach, and he can coach everything,” Sitake said of Poppinga. “He would be a great candidate to be a head coach somewhere. Of course, I would rather have him stay with me for the rest of his career, or my career. He’s got so much talent in evaluating and connecting with young men on the team. … He has been amazing for us and obviously he knows how to get special teams functioning at a high level, which is what we want.”
Kicker Will Ferrin, the Big 12 co-special teams player of the week, has been solid. The Davis High product is 14 of 17 on field goals and 33 of 33 on PATs.
“I have never seen a kicker exuding so much confidence going out to kick,” Poppinga said.
Ferrin is 11th in scoring in the country, with 75 points. He’s 13th in field goals per game and 18th in points per game.
Can the Cougars sustain this?
Two-thirds of the way through the season, this BYU team could make the case that it is best in school history. Of course, there is a long way to go.
The 1979, 1984, 2001 and 2020 teams that reached 8-0 did it against easier schedules. BYU in 2024 has six wins against power conference teams and wins against who teams — K-State and SMU — who are also ranked, and both are 7-1. Only Army (11) and Oregon (9) have more consecutive wins than the Cougars (8).
“I have said it every week: I love the way the team is performing. I love the effort, the energy, the physical part of the game. I think we are embracing it,” Sitake said. “Obviously, we are not error-free. There are some mistakes that we are making that just don’t make sense, and so I talked to the coaches today about it. And that is in all three phases.”
Those mistakes range from missed defensive assignments, dropped passes, a couple of fumbles when players weren’t protecting the ball, and even coaching errors and mismanaging the play clock. BYU seems to lead the country in taking timeouts to ward off delay-of-game penalties.
Speaking of penalties, BYU is 12th in the nation in fewest penalties per game — 36 in eight games — but there were some costly ones in the second half against UCF that will need to be cleaned up.
“We need to be cleaner. We need to communicate better. There are a lot of issues we need to fix as a coaching staff in terms of communicating, getting the right call, and then making sure our guys are in a position to play fast,” Sitake acknowledged. “When we do that and we don’t mess ourselves up, we are a good defense and we can settle and play and create some havoc. … But when we shoot ourselves in the foot it doesn’t help us.”
ESPN’s most recent FPI gives BYU an 8.7% chance of winning all of its final four games. Granted, it will be a huge surprise if they can do that — to everyone but themselves.
