It was all Cougars in San Antonio Saturday night in the Valero Alamo Bowl. While Colorado brought the media attention, BYU brought a whole lot of effort on both sides of the ball in what became known as "The People's Big 12 Championship". BYU clearly had fun both in titling the game and in playing in it, as the Cougars opened up a 20-0 lead in the first half and didn’t look back en route to a 36-14 finish.
BYU’s offensive attack started the night cold with a three and out, but LJ Martin broke the 0-0 tie on their next possession with a 7 yard run, 28 yard gain through the air, and a 1 yard touchdown run, being assisted by a unique Gerry Bohanon run to set up the score.
Following the touchdown, BYU flexed its special teams muscles to finish the first half. Will Ferrin hit a 51 yard field goal, then delivered a perfect onside kick that the Cougars recovered. While the offense temporarily sputtered with two interceptions, one by Retzlaff and the other by Bohanon, Parker Kingston brought them the life they needed returning a punt 64 yards for a touchdown, his second electric punt return of the season. A 54 yarder by Will Ferrin as time expired in the half gave the Cougars a statement making 20-0 halftime lead.
The story all night though was Jay Hill’s defense. BYU’s defensive line harassed Shedeur Sanders throughout the game, finishing with 4 sacks and a number of QB hits. Colorado became completely one dimensional, as BYU eliminated their run game from the outset.
The secondary held their own as well, with picks from Isaiah Glasker and Evan Johnson sealing the deal in the Cougar’s victory. Glasker also finished with 8 tackles and one TFL to win Defensive MVP honors.
After the game, defensive end Tyler Batty said, "I don’t necessarily envy Shedeur in that situation, not knowing where the blitz is coming from. Lot of credit to (defensive coordinator) Jay Hill and really proud of our defense.”
Deion Sanders added, "They did a phenomenal job running the football. Special teams kicked our butts and we couldn’t do nothing offensively much at all.”
For the Buffs, their lone bright spot came from Travis Hunter, unsurprisingly. The Heisman winner finished with 104 receiving yards, including when he sliced through the BYU defense for a 43 yard score. They were able to tack on one more score in garbage time, but it was far too little and far too late, as BYU added on a couple of second-half touchdowns and a kick to put the game well out of reach.
LJ Martin was terrific all game for the Cougs, averaging 5.5 yards per carry on his way to 93 yards and two scores, receiving Offensive MVP for his efforts. Sione Moa also pitched in on the ground finishing with 25 yards and a touchdown of his own.
Jake Retzlaff, on the other hand, was more of a mixed bag with two interceptions, but they were somewhat inconsequential as BYU dominated the night regardless. If his decision making can improve into next season, BYU will be returning a solid offensive core despite some key losses.
The win encapuslated just about everything that BYU football was about this year. Fantastic, turnover forcing defense, elite special teams, and an offense that can do what it needs to do, and sometimes more.
It also capped off a memorable season for Kalani Sitake’s squad. Whether you think the Cougars are playoff material or not, they certainly proved they deserved more consideration than they received. A statement win against media darlings was as good of a finish as BYU could ask for after just barely missing the Big 12 title game.
2024 certainly will go down as a program defining year for the Cougars. Sure, there were disappointments, such as an amazing and lucky punt by the Kansas quarterback or a chaotic scene in Tempe. But this win proves that a rough few weeks in November are the outlier as opposed to the rule for this team. Some perspective is always appreciated. This is just year 2 in the Big 12 folks. BYU is here to stay.