BYU’s first season in the Big 12 saw the program land just short of making a bowl appearance and did so in heartbreaking fashion with close losses in each of their final two games.
After a 100-yard pick-six from Billy Bowman turned the tide and allowed Oklahoma to escape Provo with a win, the Cougars traveled to Stillwater to close out their season against Oklahoma State. The Cougars carried a 24-6 lead over the Pokes into halftime but squandered it with a 40-34 loss in double overtime to fall to 5-7 on the year.
Now, in BYU’s second season in the league and Kalani Sitake’s ninth year with the program, the pressure is on the Cougs to return to a bowl game after missing one for just the second time in his tenure.
Here’s an overview of the Cougars schedule and what you should expect from this team in 2024.
BYU Offense: Scary Gerry at QB?
After taking over for an injured Kedon Slovis last fall, BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff entered the spring as the incumbent starter, but will have to hold off former Baylor quarterback Gerry Bohanon to remain the starter. Retzlaff was underwhelming last season, completing 50.4% of his attempts for 648 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. Meanwhile, Bohanon did not play in 2023 and missed half the 2022 season before that with injury. It appears the QB position could be a problem again.
A quarterback’s best friend is a good running game, but, the Cougs didn’t have that to offer a season ago either, ranking 118th nationally with just over 104 yards per game on the ground. The offensive line returns 88 career starts despite losing Kingsley Suamataia and should be better as a unit. LJ Martin came on strong in the back half of the season a year ago and appears to be the favorite to lead the backfield after Aidan Robbins left for the NFL.
Chase Roberts returns as the Cougars’ leading receiver a season ago and returns six of their top seven pass catchers overall, plus will have Keanu Hill on the field more often after he makes the switch to tight end.
If Bohanon can win the job and be as effective as he was with Baylor on their way to a Big 12 Championship, BYU could be a hard-nosed methodical offense that controls the pace of games and eats a ton of clock. However, if he’s not able to stay healthy or struggles enough that it’s Retzlaff under center, the offense could be stagnant again.
Related: Kalani Sitake Compares Learning the Big 12 to Parenthood
BYU Defense: Tyler Batty and A Host of Returning DBs
Tyler Batty is the name to know on defense as the senior defensive end is on the Nagurski Trophy Watch List and is undoubtedly the most disruptive pass rusher that the Cougars have at their disposal.
The Cougars lose their other starters along the defensive line, as well as their next-best defenders from a season ago, with Max Tooley, AJ Vongphachanh, and Eddie Heckard all leaving Provo. The good news is that Ben Bywater is back after missing most of the season a year ago, while transfers Jack Kelly and Harrison Taggart should shore up a linebacker room that the coaching staff feels is one of the strengths of the team.
In the back-end of the defense, BYU has five experienced players who have spent time as starters with Jakob Robinson, Micah Harper, and Raider Damuni all back.
While the unit appears to be in decent shape overall, the Cougars are going to have one heck of a challenge this season keeping other teams out of the endzone. The schedule is chock-full of explosive offenses, including SMU, Kansas State, Arizona, Oklahoma State, UCF, Utah, and Kansas.
BYU Special Teams:
BYU loses arguably the best punter in America with Ryan Rekhow now at the next level, while Will Ferrin returns after going 11-of-14 on field goal attempts last season. Pitt transfer punter Sam Vander Haar will have to try and replace Rekhow’s ability to flip the field, which will be easier said than done.
Prediction: Cougs Improve by One Game, Get to a Bowl Game
The way last season ended for BYU has now put their head coach (who is honestly one of the most likable guys I’ve ever met) on a bit of a hot seat, and I’m not sure a veteran group like this one will let him down two seasons in a row. BYU will certainly have to pull off some upsets to see the postseason, but I think they’ll do just enough to make that happen. Sitake and the boys finish their season off with three straight wins to get to 6-6 and make a bowl game.
Related: Predicting Every Game of the 2024 Big 12 Football Season
