The worst-kept secret in Provo was let out of the bag Wednesday afternoon when BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick announced after practice that junior Jake Retzlaff will get the start at quarterback on Saturday when the Cougars host Iowa State at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Roderick said eight-game starter Kedon Slovis is still ailing and that Retzlaff will make his second-straight start, after having played the whole way in BYU's 37-7 loss at West Virginia last week.
"Right now we are planning on Jake starting," Roderick said. "Kedon is improving. He made a few throws today. He is healing, but he is not all the way there yet. We are unsure if he will be available Saturday."
Slovis has been nursing shoulder and elbow soreness on his right side for several weeks.
"It just hit a point where he couldn't do, he couldn't throw. I mean, he was in a lot of pain last week. He couldn't grip the ball," Roderick said. "He was having trouble throwing."
Kickoff for the Big 12 matchup is at 8:15 p.m. MST and the game will be televised by ESPN.
Retzlaff, who played at two junior colleges in California the past two years, completed 24 of 42 passes for 210 yards and no touchdowns, with no interceptions, against West Virginia last week.
"I thought he played pretty well," Roderick said. "Obviously we didn't score many points. Obviously it is super disappointing that we only scored seven points. But he did a lot of good things in that game and I thought he did a good job. I would say solid performance, but we gotta do a better job as an offense."
For the seventh time in nine games, BYU did not have more than 300 yards of offense.
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The question now becomes: What happens when Slovis, a fifth-year graduate transfer from Pitt and USC, becomes healthy enough to play again?
Roderick echoed what head coach Kalani Sitake said on Monday — that it will be an open competition and the best player in practice will get the start.
"Well every position is like that. … If somebody comes in and plays better than you were playing while you were out, then that is how it works at every position," Roderick said. "That's part of our program."
He also acknowledged that Retzlaff being the future of the program and Slovis moving on after this season certainly factors into the decision.
"We were hoping to see what (Retzlaff) could do in these four games anyway. There was never a plan to start him in those games, but we wanted to get him in," Roderick said. "So it is unfortunate for Kedon, but it has turned out to be a good opportunity to see what we have in Jake."
Iowa State (4-2, 5-4) at BYU (2-4, 5-4)
Saturday, 8:15 p.m. MST
LaVell Edwards Stadium
Provo, Utah
TV: ESPN
Radio: KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM
