One of the most successful seasons in BYU football history will conclude on Dec. 28 when the No. 17-ranked Cougars (10-2) take on Colorado coach Deion Sanders' Buffaloes (9-3) and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter in the 33rd annual Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.
The Cougars have won 10 or more games in three of the past five seasons, and can improve upon head coach Kalani Sitake's 4-2 bowl record with a win over favored CU in what is being called by many the season's premier postseason game outside the College Football Playoff games.
For BYU , it has been a memorable season, full of incredible highs — wins over nationally ranked SMU and Kansas State , last-second victories over Utah and Oklahoma State — and of course heartbreaking losses, setbacks against Kansas and Arizona State that kept the Cougars out of the CFP.
Here are 10 moments, games or decisions that defined BYU's 2024 football season:
The starting job goes to Jake:Between the close of fall camp and the opener against Southern Illinois, BYU coaches picked junior Jake Retzlaff as their starting quarterback after a tight battle with graduate transfer Gerry Bohanon and tried to keep it a secret until kickoff. Retzlaff validated that decision by throwing for 348 yards and three touchdowns against the Salukis and the BYU offense put up 527 yards in a 41-13 romp that snapped a five-game losing skid dating back to 2023.
BYU quarterbacka huddle with coach Aaron Roderick during first fall football practice in Provo on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. After a heated battle between Retzlaff and South Florida transfer Gerry Bohanon for QB1 duties, the incumbent Retzlaff was named the starter. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Sweet music from Miles:Facing a fourth-and-1 near midfield with just over four minutes remaining and the game with SMU tied at 15-15, BYU coach Kalani Sitake gambled and won. Jake Retzlaff 's option pitch to third-string running back Miles Davis went for 37 yards, and Will Ferrin's field goal a few minutes later lifted the Cougars to the 18-15 win , a win that would resonate throughout the season and into the postseason, as SMU went through its ACC schedule undefeated. Cornerback Marque Collins' toe-tapping interception was also huge.
BYU safety Raider Damuni (3) celebrates with fans after a victory over SMU in an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Dallas. | Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News via Associated Press)
Touchdown Tommy to the rescue:BYU trailed Kansas State 6-3 on Sept. 21 and the No. 13 Wildcats were controlling the game until linebacker Jack Kelly forced a fumble. Freshman safety Tommy Prassas scooped up the football, stayed on his feet, and ran 30 yards for a touchdown with 1:17 remaining in the half and visiting KSU never recovered. The scoop-and-score opened the floodgates and the 29-point margin of victory in the 38-9 blowout was the largest over a top-15 team in BYU history.
BYU safety Tommy Prassas returns a fumble for a touchdown toward the end of the first half during game against Kansas State in LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo Sept. 21, 2024. | Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo
Parker's precocious punt return:In the second half of the K-State game, BYU's Parker Kingston made one of the craziest plays of the entire college football season , returning a punt 90 yards for a touchdown after misplaying the kick, recovering it, running backwards, and then reversing course and sprinting untouched to pay dirt. That return, coupled with Keelan Marion's 100-yard kickoff return against Wyoming the previous week (and 96-yarder against Utah later in the season), marked the first time since 2011 that BYU had a punt and a kickoff return for a TD in the same season. As ESPN cameras focused on Kingston on the bench after the play, he lost his lunch.
BYU wide receiver Parker Kingston (11) celebrates his touchdown on a punt return in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Wakley's game-winner in Waco:BYU jumped out to a 21-0 lead at Baylor on Sept. 28, but needed a heroic defensive play by walk-on safety Crew Wakley to get its first-ever win in Waco. With BYU clinging to a 34-28 lead with a minute remaining and Baylor driving, Wakley intercepted a pass to preserve the crucial Big 12 win, a win that became even more impressive when the Bears reeled off a six-game winning streak to finish the regular season at 8-4. In the first half, Retzlaff threw a 44-yard bomb to Darius Lassiter for a touchdown that was another gigantic play in a season full of them.
BYU safety Crew Wakley celebrates his game-winning interception against Baylor on Sept. 28, 2024 in Waco, Texas. | BYU Photo
BYU gets the "Big Noon" treatment:BYU pushed its record to 6-0, its sixth 6-0 start in school history, with a relatively easy 41-19 homecoming win over Arizona, but the more significant moment that weekend came earlier in the day when Fox Sports broadcasted its "Big Noon Kickoff" show from the west parking lot at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The network's appearance, which included former Utah coach Urban Meyer , was a sign of respect for what Sitake has built in Provo.
BYU fans attend Fox Sports' "Big Noon Kickoff" broadcast prior to BYU's game against Arizona at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
Lassiter and Etienne make us, and the Cowboys, cry:Six days after getting to 6-0, BYU's perfect season appeared to be in serious jeopardy. Oklahoma State took a 35-31 lead with 1:12 remaining at LES. But Jake Retzlaff threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Darius Lassiter to complete a miraculous last-minute drive . Lassiter made several Cowboys miss en route to the end zone as the stadium erupted in celebration. It was a memorable and poignant moment for towering BYU offensive lineman Caleb Etienne, who had transferred from OSU in the summer of 2022 when he was told by the OSU staff that he would be losing his starting job in Stillwater. Etienne walked off the field that night with tears of joy streaming down his face, and the emotion spread throughout the team.
BYU wide receiver Darius Lassiter leaps into the end zone giving the Cougars a late touchdown and a victory against Oklahoma State at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
From Utah's fourth-down folly to Ferrin's field goal:A half-dozen memorable moments occurred in the Cougars' 22-21 win over rival Utah on Nov. 9, BYU's first win at Rice-Eccles Stadium since 2006. After a fourth-down holding call against Utah gave the Cougars a first down at their own 19, they drove into field-goal range and got a 44-yarder from All-Big 12 kicker Will Ferrin, who wears No. 44, to secure the controversial victory. The game will not only be remembered for Ferrin's heroics, but for Utah athletic director Mark Harlan's postgame rant and claim that the game was "stolen" from the Utes .
BYU defensive end Viliami Po'uha (45) and other Cougars celebrate after a field goal from place kicker Will Ferrin (44) gave BYU the lead at 22-21 during a game between the University of Utah Utes and the Brigham Young University Cougars held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City early on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Problems with the pooch punt:A week after posting their second-straight win over the Utes, the Cougars crashed back to ground quickly , thanks partly to one of the most freakish plays in recent memory. Kansas scored the 17-13 upset victory after a pooch punt bounced off the helmet of BYU's Evan Johnson , was nearly recovered by BYU's Jakob Robinson , and then was pounced on by the Jayhawks inside BYU's 5-yard line. After Kansas took the 17-13 lead, BYU drove to the KU 11-yard line late in the game, but Jake Retzlaff's fourth-down pass to Chase Roberts was a few yards short of the line to gain, and Kansas got the upset win.
Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake, questions a call as BYU and Kansas play at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday Nov. 16, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Onside kick puts Cougars on the outside:BYU's special teams were mostly spectacular all season, but against No. 21 Arizona State on Nov. 23, another weird play — a squibbed onside kick that deflected off BYU's Talan Alfrey — turned out to be the difference . The Sun Devils quickly added a touchdown — Cam Skattebo 's third of the game — after the BYU miscue to take a 21-0 lead. BYU rallied mightily in the second half to cut the deficit to 28-23 and even got the opportunity to try a Hail Mary after ASU students stormed the field prematurely with one second remaining on the clock. But Chase Roberts was tackled at the 2-yard line after catching a heave from Retzlaff, and ASU students rushed the field a second time. In an unusual twist, and tale of redemption, Alfrey would corral an onside kick the following week against Houston and return it for a touchdown that enabled the blue-wearing Cougars to take a 30-18 win over the visitors on Senior Night.
Arizona State fans run on the field following a 28-23 win over BYU in a game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. | Ross D. Franklin
