BYU football: Undefeated Cougars continue to surprise, and prove their doubters wrong

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) is lifted in the air by offensive lineman Austin Leausa (55) after a touchdown against Baylor during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Waco, Texas. | Richard W. Rodriguez

WACO, Texas — After losing a 38-24 nonconference football game to then-Big 12 heavyweight Baylor three years ago, BYU coach Kalani Sitake sat in an interview room under the East bleachers at McLane Stadium and said the Cougars had a long, long way to go — especially in the trenches — to compete in the league they had been invited to join a few months prior.

Baylor rushed for 303 yards that day, gashing BYU time and again in a physical mismatch.

Saturday, after the Cougars held off favored Baylor 34-28 on a hot, sun-drenched afternoon, Sitake sat in the same room and spoke like a proud father, saying BYU is finding some traction in the Power Four conference after taking its lumps in 2023.

This wasn’t the same caliber of Baylor team than it was in 2021, when it went on to claim the Big 12 championship, but it was a tremendous challenge nevertheless, evidenced by how the Bears played Colorado evenly a week ago on the road in Boulder, only to fall in overtime to a Buffs team that dismantled red-hot UCF on Saturday.

“I like where we are at,” Sitake said, while explaining how depth made the difference on a day when nearly a half-dozen Cougars left the game with injuries. “I am proud of the guys that stepped up. The guys that got banged up were still on the sidelines cheering and leading. They still had a lot of energy and juice. This is a close team. Guys weren’t able to play were in it, creating energy and belief on the sidelines. It was a lot of fun.”

Sitake quickly added that the 5-0 Cougars, who moved up five spots to No. 17 in the Associated Press Top 25 released Sunday, have…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/byu-football-undefeated-cougars-continue-012323638.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-09-30 01:23:23

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