A lot of the focus leading up to No. 17 BYU facing No. 23 Colorado has rightfully been on the Buffaloes' outstanding quarterback, Shedeur Sanders , and fleet of NFL-bound receivers such as Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter , Will Sheppard, LaJohntay Wester. Drelon Miller and Jimmy Horn, Jr.
All five of those pass-catchers have 31 receptions or more, led by Hunter with 92 for 1,152 yards — all while playing cornerback when CU is on defense.
Turns out that BYU has a good quarterback, Jake Retzlaff , and a group of solid receivers as well, led by redshirt junior Chase Roberts, senior Darius Lassiter and All-American kicker returner Keelan Marion.
Problem is, Lassiter (43 catches, 679 yards) will have to sit out the first half of the 33rd annual Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28 in San Antonio (5:30 p.m. MST, ABC) because he was ejected for fighting — he threw a punch, basically, while coming to the aid of a teammate — in the fourth quarter of BYU's 30-18 win over Houston on Senior Night in Provo.
BYU coach Kalani Sitake confirmed Wednesday that Lassiter has been practicing and will play three days after Christmas, but not until after halftime.
"He will have to sit out the first half for the unsportsmanlike (penalty) in the last game, and getting kicked out. So that's just part of the consequences. You can't get involved in that type of stuff. It is not a fight, it is a game. It is unfortunate, but he will have 30 minutes to make up for the rest of it," Sitake said. "He is practicing, we are working on him getting better. He has next-level potential, so we will just keep working with him. But we are limited in that way."
The other big question regarding BYU's receivers is the future of Roberts (51 catches, 843 yards), who still has a season of eligibility remaining but chose to be honored on Senior Night in case it was his last home game in a BYU uniform.
Roberts said he is "still deciding" whether the Alamo Bowl will be his last college game.
"I will announce it this week, in the next couple of days, on social media," he said, after joking that he was going to quit football altogether and focus on the podcast he does with outgoing BYU offensive lineman Connor Pay. "So I am going to wait for that."
Roberts said there are a "few things" he is still weighing, but is "pretty set" on the decision.
"There are a lot of different factors that I have to take into consideration. The pros and cons. I have been able to lay those out, and just this weekend was able to kinda look at both and pray about it," he said. "So, I will announce in the next couple of days."
He acknowledged that there are NIL enticements that could keep him in Provo for another year. He also said that he never thought about opting out of the bowl game , partly because of the quality of the competition.
"No, especially (because of) this opportunity to go against some of the best athletes — Travis Hunter and all those guys," Roberts said. "I am excited to go up against him and show what I can do with some of the best athletes in the nation. So, I am for sure playing."
Hunter leads Colorado with four interceptions and 11 pass breakups.
Facing off against a Hesiman Trophy winner "is what you dream of as a little kid," Roberts said. "Congrats to him. … Going up against the best, and being able to showcase your skills and showing that you can play, and make plays against those guys and NFL guys (is a dream). Just excited for the opportunity and ready to go take it to Colorado."
BYU will also be without Kody Epps, who entered the transfer portal at the beginning of December. Tight end Keanu Hill (12 catches, 108 yards) is out of eligibility after the bowl game, which is in his home state and not far from where he grew up.
Asked what he expects Roberts to do, Sitake said he doesn't know and urged reporters to check with the American Fork product who is two years older than the typical senior because he served a two-year mission to Canada for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"I would take all the guys back if they have another year of eligibility," Sitake said.
Still, the coach acknowledged that the transfer portal opening earlier this month has been another aspect of the game to navigate around, just like NIL and everything else.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 10 players who were on the 2024 roster had declared they were in the portal: Epps, tight end Jackson Bowers, safeties Crew Wakley and Micah Harper, running back Miles Davis, long snapper Dalton Riggs, defensive linemen Dallin Havea and Dallin Johnson, receiver Tyler West and defensive end Aisea "Ice" Moa.
"For me, it is just the (college) game now," Sitake said. "The guys are allowed to go into the portal. You have to try to retain your roster. That is difficult to do, but I want guys who want to play here, too. I don't think I have to do much enticing for them. The recruiting part should speak for itself.
"But we want guys who want to be part of this family, want to represent this university, and the uniqueness that it brings to the football field and the platform that they have," he continued. "So it doesn't fit everyone, but it fits the right guys and we can put together a good team when we do it that way."
Also Wednesday, Sitake was named a semifinalist for the George Munger Award, which recognized the college football coach of the year. Sitake was honored last week as the FBS Region 4 Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association.
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake watches as a play unfolds during a game against the Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
