Once again, it wasn't pretty for BYU as they battled to earn their 10th win in freezing cold conditions, but Jake Retzlaff and company eventually came out on top in a 30-18 final over the Houston Cougars.
Yes, in a battle of Cougars and Cougars, who could have predicted a Cougar victory?
Most BYU fans were glued to their phones for the overlapping Iowa State-Kansas State battle in Ames with the hope that Avery Johnson and his Wildcats could come out ahead in that game's final, effectively paving a path for BYU to battle for the Big 12 Conference Championship.
Unfortunately, as Iowa State clinched their spot in the title game against Arizona State, BYU was left to fight for a 10-win regular season. It's a great accomplishment in a power conference, but reaching that peak feels slightly hollow knowing that consecutive losses to Kansas and Arizona State have likely barred the Cougars from a truly special season.
It's hard to say that BYU will replicate this season's success next year, so enjoying every win and the impending bowl game against another strong opponent should become the priority.
In this game, BYU encapsulated many emotions that fans had experienced over the season, and it's only right to see the Cougars come out ahead in a season finale that was a bit more thrilling than it should have been.
BYU vs Houston Game Recap
After receiving the opening kickoff, BYU marched down the field rather effortlessly. Passes were connecting and runs were effectively progressing the ball until a botched end-around reverse play saw two Cougars collide, popping the ball into the air and gently into the arms of a Houston lineman, who returned that kick into the red zone for the visitors to begin their first offensive series.
Houston, in response, ran a reverse play of their own, but saw no daylight as they looked downfield to pass. A poorly-thrown ball found itself in the gut of Tyler Batty, who snagged his second interception of the year.
Houston would eventually earn the first score of the game, capping off a 10 play, 80 yard drive with a QB keeper into the end zone. A BYU unsportsmanlike conduct penalty (the first of many for both sides in this game) pushed the kickoff forward 15 yards, giving Houston the confidence to attempt a surprise onside kick.
The ESPN broadcast was still on commercial break as the teams lined up for a kickoff that would go horribly wrong for Houston, as Tyler Afrey read it all the way as he scooped and bolted to the endzone, immediately knotting the score at 7.
While you were on commercial break @talfrey21 took this to the house.
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) December 1, 2024
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/pMKTW7aKlu
After Houston put a field goal through on the following possession, BYU would respond with two more touchdowns before the half, leading 21-10 at the break.
In the second half, the miscues began to pile up. Dropped passes, turnovers, and red zone failures plagued both sides from kickoff on, as a Jack Kelley interception led to a Jake Retzlaff fumble at the goal line when he couldn't wrangle the snap. Then a Houston punt was smoked by Parker Kingston, until the visitors punted once again and settled everything down once again.
On BYU's following red zone trip, they had to settle for a Will Ferrin field goal, keeping the door open for Houston's offense to keep the game in reach, which they did on the following drive. The two-point conversion whittled the deficit to 6. 24-18. When BYU's offense failed to convert on the ensuing drive, this game seemed destined to result in another nail-biter.
That was until one final turnover sealed the Cougars' fate, as a fourth down fumble allowed BYU to recover in the red zone, and eventually convert on their second Retzlaff keeper. 30-18 would be the final score.
No, it wasn't pretty. Whatever the Playoff Committee values beyond conference affiliation likely didn't make BYU stand out in a final effort to earn national respect this season, even with losses to teams like Clemson and Miami in the final week. Don't expect the Cougars to make a massive jump--an at-large berth to the playoff is virtually impossible at this point.
Should that be the case? Probably not. BYU enjoyed a terrific season this year and owns one of the best wins in college football with their road victory over SMU, the ACC regular season champion. The Cougars failed to maintain their trajectory in the late season, however, as losses in winnable games against Kansas and ASU were too much to overlook.
BYU had a terrific season, and their bowl matchup should be an exciting ranked matchup.