SAN ANTONIO, Texas — For one of the rare times this season, No. 17 BYU won't have the most explosive offense on the field Saturday when the Cougars face No. 23 Colorado in the 33rd annual Alamo Bowl.
But that doesn't mean the Cougars (10-2) think their attack is not as potent as CU's, even though the Buffaloes (9-3) have the likes of quarterback Shedeur Sanders and receivers Travis Hunter , LaJohntay Wester , Will Sheppard and Jimmy Horn Jr.
Kickoff at the Alamodome is at 5:30 p.m. MST Saturday and the matchup of Big 12 members will be televised by ABC.
"I think it is the people's Big 12 Championship, personally," said BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff , somewhat tongue in cheek, but obviously referring to the fact that BYU , Colorado, Arizona State and Iowa State tied for the Big 12 regular-season title with 7-2 records but the Sun Devils and Cyclones got to play in the official title game due to some complicated tiebreaker procedures.
Whatever the case, it has widely been billed as a showdown between CU's high-flying offense and BYU's stingy defense, and because of the presence of Heisman winner Hunter and dynamic Colorado coach Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders on the sidelines, it is expected to draw huge television ratings, and a lot of fans to the 64,000-seat indoor venue.
BYU's offense has been relegated to the back seat, which has only served to motivate the Cougars even more on that side of the ball.
"I would just say our practices have been really dialed and focused, and I think everyone knows we are playing against an opponent who has a lot of national attention," said BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick, pointing out that BYU actually scores more points per possession than Colorado does. "I think our guys feel like they had a pretty good season, and not a lot of people noticed it. And so I think the chip on our shoulder is real."
BYU scored 30 or more points against six Big 12 opponents in 2024, after reaching that plateau only twice last year. The Cougars are averaging 30.7 points per game in conference games.
"We feel like we match up just fine. We play at a slower pace than they do. But in points-per-possession we are right there and have a little edge on them, actually," Roderick said. "So if we just play our normal game, and take care of the ball, we should be right there with a chance to win."
Roderick said taking care of the ball will be huge, as turnovers against Kansas led to that devastating 17-13 loss that kept the Cougars out of the Big 12 championship game and takeaways were the reason for many of BYU's wins this season.
"They are such a good offensive team that you don't want to give them anything cheap," Roderick said. "I think another key is we need explosive plays. We need to be aggressive. We can't waste possessions, waste snaps. We need to be aggressive and come out right from the start and attack."
As far as the Cougars' perception that they are being overlooked , it is really a thing, Roderick and several of the players said Thursday.
"We had the same record as a lot of these teams in the playoffs. We played a tougher schedule than a lot of these teams in the playoffs. And as we watched those games, I know a lot of our players felt like we would have made a better showing than some of the teams that played," Roderick said. "And so this is one more chance to show who we are, and maybe try to put an exclamation point on this season and propel us into next year."
To win, BYU must get a big game from receiver Chase Roberts and a big second half from receiver Darius Lassiter , who has to sit out the first half due to receiving an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the second half of regular-season finale against Houston.
"Ever since the start of the season we (saw ourselves) as underdogs when it came to winter workouts, spring ball, fall camp," Roberts said. "That's the mentality that we had going into each game, and that's the mentality we have going against Colorado.
"We are just excited to go do what we do and show that we can play football, that we can match up with anyone, and that we can score a lot of points, and we can stop them on defense," Roberts continued. "Just excited to play a talented team like Colorado and go show what we can do. Every game has been a statement game, so we're going to go make another statement this Saturday."
Retzlaff's numbers pale in comparison to Shedeur Sanders' output — both QBs having started all 12 games for their respective teams — but the BYU junior who is known as the "B-Y-Jew" says it is a team game and he's confident in the players around him.
"I think we have the best pass defense in the country. So I am excited to watch them play, and we are going to score as many points as we need to to win the game," Retzlaff said. "The bottom line is we as an offense need to score more points than them. I know that is going to be Jay Hill's mindset on the other side. Whatever the game calls for, we will be ready."
Lassiter had three games with 100-plus receiving yards in 2024 — against Baylor, Arizona State and Oklahoma State. His touchdown reception in the final seconds helped BYU edge Oklahoma State, a team the Buffaloes buried to the tune of 52-0 on Nov. 29.
By way of comparison, Hunter, the Heisman and Biletnikoff winner, had seven 100-plus receiving yard games.
"Whether we are up 20 or down, I gotta go in there and (make an impact)," Lassiter said. "I know what the coaches expect me to do. As soon as I get the opportunity to go out there, I just gotta go out there and execute."
Lassiter, 24, could have a big decision to make when the game is over. He's one of five players on the BYU roster who played junior college football and could return for another year due to a federal judge ruling in favor of Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia , who sought to get his junior college year erased.
"Yeah, we talked about it a little bit. But the main focus is for me to be ready for the bowl game, and we will talk about that after the bowl game and if that is something I would like to do," Lassiter said.
