BYU Football finished their first season in the Big 12 with a 5-7 overall record and a 2-6 record in Big 12 play. The season they ultimately ended up disappointing the Cougars, who started off the season 4-1, including wins over Arkansas (who at the time was projected to go 8-4), and Cincinnati. However, the Cougars would finish seasons 1-6 the rest of the way.
In this preview, we will go over what happened, why it happened, and how the future is looking for the Cougars.
BYU Football’s Hot Start
There was a lot of hype before the season started for the BYU Football team. The Cougars had waited 12 years for an invite since going Independent from the Mountain West. Behind USC/Pitt transfer Kedon Slovis, the Cougars were able to go undefeated in their non-conference play, highlighted by a 38-31 win over Arkansas in Fayetteville.
The Cougars then traveled to Kansas and lost in a heartbreaker that felt like a lost opportunity with costly turnovers that felt uncharacteristic. After a win against Cincinnati in the Big 12 home opener, fans were confident that a bowl game in the first season as a member of P5 was imminent. This was despite the fact that BYU had been outgained significantly in three of their first five games.
Unfortunately, being able to win despite being outgained ended there.
Texas Just Too Big
After the 4-1 start, the Cougars entered a three-game stretch against Texas teams, ultimately setting the tone for the rest of the season. BYU Football traveled down to Fort Worth and found a TCU team that, despite their record, was too fast and athletic for the Cougars to compete.
BYU Football rebounded the following week against Texas Tech, taking advantage of a third-string quarterback and forcing costly turnovers. The Cougars went on to win 27-14 in what ultimately would be the season’s final win.
The following week, the Cougars traveled to Austin to take on the Texas Longhorns in a game that, in a weird way, felt much closer than the final 35-6 score. The Cougar defense played fantastic during the game, forcing two turnovers and multiple 4th down stops, but the offense simply couldn’t get going.
End-of-Season Struggles and Changes
The rest of the season, there were many changes and close calls, but ultimately no wins. The Cougars struggled to score points in the next two games against Iowa State and West Virginia in two games that felt like must-win to get the Cougars to a sixth win and a bowl game.
Both games were embarrassing, losing by a total score of 82-20. Against West Virginia, the Cougars turned to Jake Retzlaff to run the offense. His play was rusty, but he also showed a spark, giving him the nod for the rest of the season while Kedon Slovis recovered from an injury that was nagging but still allowed him to be available.
In the final two games, BYU played Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The Cougars had a real chance to win in both games but found ways to lose. Against the Sooners, BYU was at the one-yard line with an opportunity to take the lead late in the third quarter when Reztlaff made a bad read and threw a 99 pick-six. Against Oklahoma State, the Cougars were up 24-6 at halftime after a half of gutsy calls and trick plays. The second half, however, was quite the opposite, and BYU seemed to stop running any kind of offense. The game ultimately went to double overtime, where the Cougars lost on a fumble.
Why the Struggles/Success?
BYU Football was essentially the same team all season, they were tricked into thinking they were better than they actually were. Arkansas ended up going 4-8 overall, with their wins against primarily low-level G5 and FCS schools. At the time, that win seemed fantastic, but it ended up being a decent one.
Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia were all projected to finish towards the bottom of the conference, yet all three had a path to the Big 12 Championship late in the season. When you look at that vs the expectation preseason, it’s easy to understand why many fans were upset, when in reality, BYU beat up on really bad teams and lost to good teams.
Ultimately, what de-railed the season was depth and offensive line play. Injuries didn’t necessarily decimate the offense or defense. Still, as the season went on, the bumps and bruises added made it very difficult for the team to play at a high level, particularly on the defense, which was running a new scheme under Jay Hill.
The offensive line played decent in pass protection, but until Retzlaff took over (adding a running QB threat), the run blocking was horrendous. BYU Football was on track for most of the season to have the worst rushing season in decades.
Potential For BYU Football Next Year
BYU Football will return a lot of production next year, including most skill position players on offense. The Cougars also went hard in high school recruiting to get defensive players. With another year under Coach Hill’s defensive scheme, expect the defense to take another step forward and deeper, as more players who fit his system will be part of the program.
The biggest question will be the quarterback. Jake Retzlaff showed promise and potential with flashes of great playmaking ability, but he also didn’t solidify himself as a clear frontrunner going into next season. The issue is, the transfer portal quarterbacks are being taken up pretty quickly, and to this point, BYU Football hasn’t gotten a commitment. There are other options, such as Ryder Burton or true freshman Noah Lugo, but again, there is no clear option yet.
Expect BYU Football to improve on their record from this past season. There will be no Texas or Oklahoma next season to deal with. Also, BYU managed to play seven of the top eight teams in the conference this past season while avoiding two of the bottom three. The Big 12 is unpredictable, but in all likelihood, the Cougars will be dealt an easier hand next season.
2 Comments
Adam Gibby,
Your reporting of what happened seems to be empirical & not reading the tea leaves of 2024.
IMO, UUtes will play BYU as tough as TX Longhorns or OK Sooners did in ’23 & we’re @ RES.
TCU knows BYU & KS State will not overlook us.
SMU & WYU will be healthy early when we visit them.
I love next year’s Foes.
IMO, the schedule will be about as challenging as ’23 but with different obstacles/hurdles on BYU’s & our Foes Squads.
Whadaya think of my Amateur analysis with so many unknowns about ’24?
There are certainly many unknowns.
Utah is always a toss-up, despite the recent record. The fact that 8 of the last 11 have been one scores says it really has been closer than the Utes’ record.
TCU is always going to be tough, fast and athletic. Kansas State has a lot of questions right now. I don’t see SMU or WYO being as tough as going on the road to an SEC school, regardless of their record. Combined, they may be as much as a challenge.
Ultimately, I just don’t think BYU is going to get seven of the top Big 12 eight teams next year (four on the road). Sure, it could happen, especially in this league, but I think the Houston, ASU, and Baylor games will give BYU three good chances for league wins whereas last season Cinci was the only bottom-third team the Cougars played.
Appreciate you reading and commenting.