The IMPOSSIBLE RISE of BYU Football (Shocker Team of 2024)

[@ScottFisherCFB]

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[@pmoss94]

I expected 4 wins, but hoped for 6. Right before the first game my dad said, "I think they are going to surprise us this year", and I laughed at him. BYU never surprises us for the better. But here we are. I don't think I apologized till after the 4th game.

[@ryguyfryguy2]

I was going to skip football for basketball 🤣

[@thohangst]

Pfff. After 8-0, I'm only contemplating asking the question, "Is BYU good?" Nothing to apologize for.

[@augustusgrim1446]

Slovis was injured in the 8th game of the season and was out for the remaining 4 games. If he had stayed healthy, BYU would have likely won at least another 2 games. Instead we went to an inexperienced backup Jake Retzlaff and the season completely tanked. That failure drove Retzlaff to work like a demon all off season in studying football and practicing. That is part of the narrative as to why we are better. The entire team worked harder than you can even possibly imagine because they were all upset that they had finished 5-7 the year before.

[@jessej421]

I kind of disagree with your take. I was never high on Slovis. Retzlaff led us to almost wins against two of the top B12 teams in OU and OSU. I don't think we would have even been competitive in those games with Slovis.

[@augustusgrim1446]

@@jessej421 Slovis was better than you give him credit for. He was definitely better than Retzlaff last year.

[@jessej421]

​@@augustusgrim1446 That may be true on paper, and yeah, of course Retzlaff was basically a D1 rookie while Slovis was a 5th year veteran, who got all the QB1 reps through spring/summer/fall camps, so of course Retzlaff made a lot of bad rookie mistakes. From an eyeball standpoint, I remember thinking Retzlaff looked like he had a higher ceiling than Slovis, he was quick and decisive and had legs (Slovis finished with negative rushing yards in 8 games, vs Retzlaff with over 100 in 4 games). But I went back and looked at the stats and records and I'm doubling down on my stance. Slovis played through the way easier part of our schedule. First game was Sam Houston, who was a first year D1 school, and we barely beat them. 2nd game was FCS SUU, and the only game that Slovis has more than 2 total TDs (passing/rushing combined). 3rd game was Arkansas, who finished dead last in the SEC. 4th game we lost to KU, who finished 8th in B12, largely due to Slovis' 2 INTs (one which was a critical pick six that swung the momentum after we had built a lead). The we beat Cincinnati, who finished dead last in the B12. Then we got blown out by TCU, who also finished 5-7. After that we beat TTU, probably our only decent win last year as they finished 7th in B12, barely in the top half. In Slovis' final game, we lost to Texas, who won the B12, and I'll always acknowledge the game was closer than the final score, due to Texas scoring 2 TDs late 4th quarter. Then Retzlaff took over and we played West Virginia, who finished 6th in B12, higher than anyone Slovis played besides Texas; and OSU, OU and ISU finished 2nd, 3rd and 4th, respectively. That's a much tougher record than what Slovis faced, and we were one play away from beating both OU and OSU. I don't think Slovis was bad, and our team last year had way more problems than just QB (OL being the biggest, probably), I just strongly disagree that he was way better than Retzlaff and would have led us to victories over OU and OSU. I think we were only in position to win those games because of Retzlaff.

[@cconradsmith]

The BYU defense is the rock of that team. Their season broke open in the K-state game. It was close until they put a qb-spy on Johnson late in the 2nd quarter and it cracked them. Since then, the defense only lapsed in the OK state game, but Retzlaff really stepped up in that one. The defense has allowed the offense the time to develop.

[@seanbrower4701]

Did you miss the Baylor game cause defense kind of broke in that one until the very end

[@cconradsmith]

@seanbrower4701 I'll give you that. But overall, I believe the defense is the answer to, "why has BYU won all these games (that no one expected them to)?"

[@wierdgie]

u know our offense is statisticallly higher ranked than our defense right

[@cconradsmith]

@@wierdgie that's why football is so great, statistics are incapable of summarizing what happens on the field.

[@austinflake3938]

Solid analysis.

[@jimwebb9328]

Utah fan here. I feel like I got sold a ticket on the Dr Pepper Hype Train this year. Oh well. I am enjoying the Cougars success.

[@juangringo3906]

Utes are leading them right now. Look at BYUs schedule its kind of a easy one and they've had close games with teams ranked lower than the Utes and last in their own division. If Kansas plays them like they played today they're likely to drop a couple of games, maybe today even. We'll see though but luckily for them they could still drop 2 games, maybe 3, and still play in the conference championship game the way this division is turning out.

[@marklehnardt8113]

Kedon Slovis played in 7 games, helping BYU to a 5-2 record before suffering a season-ending injury. Jake Retzlaff lost all 5 games in which he played. Kedon Slovis did an admirable job for BYU, and likely would have taken BYU to a bowl game had he not been injured.

[@Lisa-wf1lf]

Slovis did do a good job, but you're comparing Slovis's final year of eligibility with Retzlaff, who wasn't in his final year. Unfair comparison. Slovis was 5-2. Retzlaff is 8-0.

[@SCrimothy]

Slovis was a dumpster fire and that's putting it lightly. He was one dimensional and was subpar at throwing the ball.

[@nicklee6431]

Appreciate the breakdown. I'm a lifelong BYU fan. even as a diehard fan, I felt like just getting to a bowl at 6-6 would be a large accomplishment. If Kalani Sitake doesn't win Big 12 coach of the year, or maybe even National Coach of the Year, there's something wrong

[@sotl97]

Anyone who watch the last two games of the 2023 season should have been well aware of what BYU was going to be this year.

[@SvdSinner]

BYU and Iowa State are proving that humble, disciplined teams without 5 star players can outplay teams paying big $$$$ for transfer portal talent. Team culture and great coaching can beat most teams based on ego and "talent"

[@johnfaris5376]

Kehlani Satake is a fabulous head coach. He loves his players whether they are winning or losing and it has built a very tight knit group. I’m very nervous about the Utah game, the Utes will be bringing hysteria on the field for the holy war against an undefeated Rival. I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop as BYU has an unparalleled ability to lose games they should win, but for now we are all hoping for the best, and one game at a time.

[@psychlops924]

Kalani Sitake*

[@rconger24]

Stay humble. Be a TEAM!

[@paulwhite6648]

As a BYU fan, there was one player interview that I heard that explained the change better than any other. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find that interview or remember which player it was (sad, I know). This year began its confidence building very early with the trainers and the weight room. The players were told to trust in the system, right from the start of pre-season conditioning. The result is that not a single team high on the power rankings has been able to push BYU's line around on either offence or defense. BYU got good in the trenches. And when you're good in the trenches, all kinds of good stuff starts happening for the high profile talent positions that, quite frankly, suck without that kind of absolutely stellar support no matter what kind of talent you put at those positions. BYU is a complete team right now because they laid the foundation for that. And while it doesn't mean that a lot of other teams they've met or have yet to play aren't complete teams also, it was a team effort with confidence by the players in the system because of what they gave to it in the preseason that has set them up to be in a position for games to break in their favor. I wouldn't rule out an undefeated season. Things will need to continue to break in their favor for that to happen, but the point here is that they've put themselves in a position from day one to make that possible. And it seems they haven't lost that mind set. That bodes well. If they lose that mind set, the discussion and breaks will simply go away.

[@psychlops924]

Kalani Sitake should win coach of the year and it’s not even close

[@tommyh5]

BYU went 5 and 7 last year and Indiana went 3 and 9, Indiana is undefeated smashing people byu is barley getting by, definitely not getting coach of the year, that goes to Indiana head coach!!

[@jaredk2520]

@@tommyh5strength of schedule BYU wins

[@tommyh5]

@@jaredk2520 by the power index from the games that have been played Indiana has a harder schedule and a harder remaining schedule, byu had a harder preseason schedule but that’s before the games have been played

[@robertrobb3159]

BYU is very hard on opposition defensive coordinators such as UCF and Texas. Taysom Hill was very hard on Texas and Jake Retzlaff did the same to UCF.

[@notsure7899]

You were right to spotlight good coaching. Last two years, Kalani Sitake has been putting together a really good coaching staff, especially DC Jay Hill. Last year was shockingly bad - but seemed fixable to me, evidenced by close losses in last 2 games. Plus, good, young players got a lot of playing time. Going in to 2024, Sitake bet on continuity and development over the portal - and it paid off big. I was quietly optimistic about this season. Some good players returned from injury, some leaders decided to come back. But even with all that, I didn't dream of 8-0. The special ingredient seems to be team culture - humble, hungry, united, always improving.

[@BenjaminTibbitts]

Retention is the key. They were able to keep a lot of starters on both side of the ball. This helped them click together and become a better team that beats more talented teams because of this.

[@nathanvandyke9951]

I figured this team would finish somewhere between 6-6 and 8-4. I was high on Retzlaff from day 1, and it's really starring to pay off.

[@Mando_Aloha]

Yes! You’re the first person I have seen that used the proper church name instead of a nickname. Thank you!😊

[@elijahhodges4405]

This BYU team, is a real team. That is the difference. You don't want one or two stars to carry the team. A team who plays well as a team even without stars will win always.

[@0xyartes]

One of the biggest reasons all BYU fans are familiar with but National misses on is our DC is Jay Hill. He's a legit great defensive coach, you could see him change the defense last year in small ways and as he gets guys into his hands for many years he's only going to get better.

[@jamessarantis7796]

BYU in general just feels different this year in terms of overall strength. In other years, there were times during the game where you just felt that they didn't have it that day. So far they've should confidence this year in every game

[@tommack352]

The only team standing in the way of BYU is Iowa State. They will have to get over the 45-13 shellacking they received at the hands of the Cyclones. It will be interesting to see if BYU has come up with enough size to compete with Iowa State and its balanced attack.

[@seanbrower4701]

There is a really good chance BYU doesn't even see Iowa State. If BYU wins out and goes to the big 12 championship than it's all gonna come down to that last game. Iowa State vs Kansas state on who we will play. And quite honestly I don't think Iowa State wins that game. I'm betting on a rematch against Kansas state which scares the crap out of me

[@DaranTibbetts10721]

​@@seanbrower4701 Me too, but good thing you and I, as well as the rest of the Cougar fan base feel very confident in the way the TEAM looks at each game.... Super Bowl #.... Stay locked in COUGARS.

[@willyoungberg823]

@@seanbrower4701looking like us VS Colorado now, beyond excited for that game

[@ardentlions6636]

Me too, Big 12 needs a big brand to flourish I don’t care if they dominate the Big 12 when they go up, the big 12 also rises.

[@jt4jt4]

I'm another that will take exception with your evaluation of Kedon Slovis. In addition to him having gotten injured--without which we surely would have gone to a bowl game--our offensive line play was atrocious; the OL coach was released at the end of the year. Also, our top running back was injured much of the time that Kedon was playing, and we were relying on a true freshman to handle the load. No quarterback ever looks good under those kinds of circumstances. He deserved a lot better than that for his only year at BYU, and, frankly, his willingness to come to BYU after stops at USC and Pitt were the door-opener to get other non-LDS quarterbacks with experience in other programs to consider BYU, as has been the case this year with Gerry Bohanon who many expected to win the starting job.

[@farharbor3178]

The BYU vs Indiana National Championship is going to be wild.

[@henryponnefz1419]

Good for them!

[@tbarron1631]

BYU thrives off of disrespect. The worst that can happen is being favored at Utah or ASU.

[@dmays9577]

I want to join the fight Harris program.

[@austinflake3938]

BYU is able to play big every season partially because of Mormon missions. Most of their seniors are 2 years older than their opposition’s eldest players.

[@Rick-wx4md]

It doesn't shock me. This BYU 2025 team has guys playing that are NFL veteran aged. It makes perfect sense actually.

[@joshreeve3010]

It took me so long to realize that this team is actually a good team. I only believed after their Arizona win putting them at 6-0

[@miketemple7686]

Folks don’t understand that where ever we go, we play in front of a home crowd. EVERY member of the church shows up to support us when we show up. Never play an away game. That’s Y.

[@LegendaryTru]

Of course BYU is rising right now the world is done for and them guys at least have God!!!😂 most of they priorities str8 cuz that’s a church school….whoever looks for God in these times are blessed 💯👊🏽

[@jaredmarkham7300]

I come from a family of Byu sports fans. This year is definitely a magical year but. They need to finish it and the only way they get in at all. Is, but if they went out and win The big 12 championship.

[@liamchristensen373]

It’s funny how it’s the impossible rise but in 2020 they started 9-0. It’s very clear coach Sitake can lead a team. And it’s very clear that their not good recruitment doesn’t matter they still find weapons

[@ErWoody99]

Byu fan here I thought if they were bowl eligible it would be a good season, so they have exceeded expectations to say the least, but I am still worried about the final 4 games, any conference game is tough but utah of course, no matter the record that game is always close, kansas state is a mess but can still be good, asu is 5-2 and undefeated in Tempe, and Houston while not the greatest team, plays hard and willie fritz is a great coach, but I hope they can win out and at least make a playoff berth cause with the way the ap poll has been treating us, I don't trust them if we drop a game

[@elmoqbobo]

i think that BYU's success is directly linkied to quaterback Retzlaf

[@Rick_Riff]

That a team as bad as Oklahoma State can bring them down to the wire at home is a concern. Big Utah football fan so I'm hoping for the best.

[@settingsun3470]

Kinda reminds me of the 2022 TCU team for some reason

[@kevins4254]

Because Joel Klatt said the same thing.

[@EliTheNerd531]

GO COUGS!

[@Flipflopskipskop]

How is this impossible? BYU is literally the reason for the BCS and playoffs.

[@DaranTibbetts10721]

That's the way I look at it too. The BCS for sure, the playoffs, I'm not so sure. But it's certainly possible.

[@Flipflopskipskop]

@DaranTibbetts10721 the BCS sucked and so they created the playoffs because it wasn't solving the problem. Also... There is that small issue of more games equals more money. 🤑

[@jasonpaulwhiting]

Salani Katake is Kalani Sitake

[@sotl97]

BYU went with the WRONG QB in 2023. It should have always been Retzlaff. He had two warm up games, but then nearly beat #14 Oklahoma and #20 Oklahoma State. This year he's undefeated despite not having any of his starting running backs for the first half of the season. Sorry, Slovis. You were the problem last year on offense. The defensive staff had to get fired too.

[@yaoming-j6g]

BYU to win the B12🎉

[@shawnjames3212]

I just wish you would have said they were still bad and don’t deserve the hype and it’s a fluke. That way they would have more fire for the Utah game. Work with me here!😂

[@Twister051]

If it's "impossible" then how are we doing it? #GoCougs!

[@GekkoGeemu]

BYU Football has had the 2-edged sword of really struggling and fighting to be more than mediocre over the last decade. I say this as a lifetime BYU fan. It has created fertile ground for NIL to actually benefit the program rather than hurt it. I say this as someone who is not a big fan of NIL in its current form. Contrary to popular belief, BYU has a humble program (they know they aren't "the best") so they have to hustle twice as much as anyone else to get anywhere--and they DO hustle. It's only a matter of time before that kind of culture surpasses other highly talented but relatively undisciplined programs. It's hard not to compare BYU to their in-state rival, Utah, in that respect. On paper, Utah SHOULD be dominant. However, Utah just lost to Houston, whom you just claimed is the "2nd worst team in the Big 12". Dismissing local rumors about fights in the locker room as being rumors, it's still not hard to see that Utah is giving up on itself, which is a culture issue. I honestly hope they figure it out, because what is happening in Salt Lake City right now is tragic.

[@elijahhodges4405]

I think BYU will be 13-0 after they play for the Big 12 championship. After that who knows. One game at a time.

[@willyoungberg823]

ASU scares me though!! That’ll be our last test besides Colorado in the ship

[@elijahhodges4405]

@@willyoungberg823 Let's worry about Kansas for now. One game at a time. I think it will be much like Kansas State, but the Utah game is always rife with injuries.

[@jonfeeshman]

White Ben Shapiro. Dig it. Good video too.

[@sotl97]

Lol. Yet another week where BYU faces a team who's lost 4 in a row and having QB problems, and the pundant is casting doubt on BYUs ability to win. Lol. It will never end. Every game will come with a chance for BYU to lose.

[@loverofromance5307]

Yeah I know it’s a rivalry game but if byu is focused and prepared …. Do they really think the hot mess that is Utah currently has a chance against this well balanced team of BYU? Are we really going to be underdogs again against a not so good team? lol

[@psychlops924]

@@loverofromance5307not even a team that’s “not so good”, a team that’s completely lost. We don’t even know who Utah is starting at quarterback yet. Utah’s defense, which was fantastic at the beginning of the year, has not looked the same since losing to Arizona. BYU should demolish Utah

[@Boris-b8t]

Wasted all this damn time on this video just for them to lose to the Utes next Saturday lol

[@yaoming-j6g]

45-20 Cougs

[@Honeybread-ox5ho]

Repent and trust in Jesus you will be saved

[@Cooljohn760]

Kedon Slovis was holding the team back last year. This year it's a different story, they came out of nowhere proving everyone wrong👍.

[@ChrisGibby-ni2fe]

No, it was 100% the offensive line. Caleb Ettiene has gone from the worst graded tackle in the league to one of the best.

[@bullseye2474]

BYU started out 5-2 with Slovis playing, they lost every game after he got hurt. Slovis got screwed over by a bad O line coach among other things.

[@Cooljohn760]

@@ChrisGibby-ni2feYou're right I forgot about that

[@quinnbaker4689]

Sad to think theyll lose once and be out so more SEC teams can be in

[@isaiahmahaffey903]

Bro the byu glaze is crazy

[@romebigred2]

BYU kept two ranked teams from getting a single touchdown. No other team in the nation has accomplished that this year.

[@LuigiWithGun]

Not a byu fan or anything. But how is that "glaze" they are 8-0. And ranked in the top 25

[@nathanvandyke9951]

Only one team has done the following this season: - Won all of the games so far - Beaten 2 top 25 teams, with on being a road win - Kept both of those top 25 teams out of the end zone entirely - Held Baylor under 30 points in Waco - Averaged a 14 point margin of victory in conference games

[@isaiahmahaffey903]

@@romebigred2 you do realize those top 25 teams are on year wonders….

[@isaiahmahaffey903]

@@nathanvandyke9951 baylor is not good. They only won by 2 points while, all of the ranked teams they beat are basically all 1 year wonders. SEE I KNOW EVERYTHING