Tag: BYU Football

Shedeur Sanders got trolled with the Deion Sanders celebration dance by a BYU player after an interception

Ouch.

Colorado did not have a great night in Saturday’s Alamo Bowl against BYU, falling 36-14 in what’s expected to be quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ last college game.

During the fourth quarter, Sanders threw a brutal interception to BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker.

In response, Glasker decided to troll the Colorado quarterback by doing the celebration dance made popular by Sanders’ dad and coach, Deion Sanders.

Ouch. This just added insult to injury after the difficult night Shedeur Sanders had in San Antonio. While the Colorado quarterback probably has brighter days ahead of him in the NFL, moments like this have to sting.

Glasker’s trolling was quite clever, but it came at the worst possible moment for Shedeur Sanders.

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What’s at stake in the Alamo Bowl between No. 23 Colorado and No. 17 BYU?

What’s really at stake in the 2024 Alamo Bowl?

The Alamo Bowl is on Saturday, December 28, in lovely San Antonio, Texas.

It’s a clash of some of the Big 12’s best between the No. 23 Colorado Buffaloes and No. 17 BYU Cougars. The Buffs arrive at Saturday’s matchup with a 9-3 record after winning five of their last six games, including a 52-0 rout of Oklahoma State. BYU enters the weekend’s game with a 10-2 record, including an impressive nine-game winning streak earlier this season.

So, what’s really at stake in Saturday’s head-to-head?

For the Buffs, it’s a chance to reach 10 wins for the first time since 2016 and to win a bowl game for the first time since 2004.

It’s also the last time fans will see quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman trophy winner and two-way standout Travis Hunter in a Colorado uniform. Sanders and Hunter were a huge reason the Buffs more than doubled the team’s win total under Deion Sanders in just his second season and why Colorado led the Big 12 in passing with over 327 yards per matchup.

For BYU, beating Colorado would give the program its 11th season with 13 wins or more. It would also likely hand BYU its 20th season as a ranked team in the end-of-season AP Poll and the third time under head coach Kalani Sitake.

There are also two more names to watch: quarterback Jake Retzlaff and receiver Chase Roberts. The pair helped BYU score 30 or more points against six Big 12 opponents this year, typically averaging 30.7 points in conference matchups.

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How the Big 12 could narrowly miss out on the 2024-25 College Football Playoff

This chaos scenario for the Big 12 in the CFP is a long shot but not impossible.

The College Football Playoff format is totally different this year after expanding from four to 12 teams, and the new format features rules like the five highest-ranked conference champions automatically getting playoff berths, followed by the next seven highest-ranked teams.

While the highest-ranked Group of Five conference champion is guaranteed a playoff spot as well, G5 teams aren’t limited to just one playoff team if there are multiple highly ranked squads. Additionally, Power Four conference champs all aren’t automatically handed a berth either.

As a result, depending on how the Week 14 and conference title games shake out, a Power Four conference champion could be left out of the 12-team playoff field. And that could set the Big 12 up to actually get left out of the CFP.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RANKINGS: Oregon still reigns supreme

No. 16 Arizona State is the Big 12’s highest-ranked team in Week 14

In the College Football Playoff committee’s fourth rankings, the Big 12 has five teams among the top 25. Sounds great at first, until you realize the Sun Devils are the highest-ranked team at No. 16 with a 9-2 record.

The Mountain West’s Boise State at No. 11 with a win Friday over Oregon State moved the Broncos to 11-1 going into their conference title game, which they’re favored to win, per BetMGM. Should they win the Mountain West, there’s a strong chance they’ll be the fourth highest-ranked conference champ.

So who would be the fifth highest-ranked conference title winner?

Currently next in the Big 12 is No. 18 Iowa State (9-2), No. 19 BYU (9-2), No. 24 Kansas State (8-3) and No. 25 Colorado, which is now 9-3 after a dominant win Friday.

In conference play, Arizona State, BYU, Iowa State and Colorado entered Week 14 with 6-2 records. If they all win this weekend, there will be a four-way tie at the top of the Big 12 standings at 7-2, and with the conference’s tiebreaker rules, that would put Arizona State and Iowa State in the Big 12 title game.

If the 6-2 Big 12 teams don’t all advance to 7-2 this weekend, things could get complicated for the Big 12 in the playoff race.

The chaos scenario that could keep the Big 12 out of the College Football Playoff

Of the four 6-2 teams in the Big 12 — Arizona State, BYU, Iowa State and Colorado — going into this week’s games, only the Wildcats and Cyclones play each other in Week 14. Colorado beat Oklahoma State on Friday, and the Sun Devils face Arizona on the road Saturday.

The Big 12 will have at least a two-loss conference champion but it could be a three-loss champ. If Arizona State loses to Arizona, Iowa State loses to Kansas State *and* BYU loses to Houston, there could be a narrow path for a Group of Five conference champion, namely the American Athletic Conference winner, to be the fifth highest-ranked conference champ in the College Football Playoff rankings.

No. 17 Tulane losing to Memphis in Week 14 helps the Big 12…

…but only so much.

The Green Wave entered Week 14 with a 9-2 record but they’re now 9-3 after losing their regular-season closer to unranked Memphis, which is now 10-2. Army (9-1) and Tulane are still set to play for the American Athletic Conference title, meaning the conference will have a one-loss champ or a three-loss champ.

Would that be enough to jump the Big 12’s two- or three-loss conference champ in the College Football Playoff rankings? We’ll just have to wait and see.

If it’s three-loss Tulane, the AAC probably doesn’t pass the Big 12’s champion. But if one-loss Army blows out Tulane, the Black Knights would presumably re-join the College Football Playoff rankings and *could* end up ranked higher than the Big 12 champ.

And if the Mountain West and AAC champs are ranked higher than the Big 12 champ, the Big 12 likely would be on the outside looking in at the CFP this season.

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Controversial BYU-Utah ending draws strong USC reaction

Utah fans are mad at the refs for bad calls in Saturday’s BYU game. USC fans noted how little sympathy Utah fans had for the Trojans two years ago in Salt Lake City.

On Saturday night, a controversial ending in the rivalry football game between BYU and Utah sparked a strong reaction from USC fans, for one very obvious set of reasons.

Trailing 21-19 in the game’s final two minutes, BYU faced a 4th and 10 at its own nine-yard line. With the Cougars out of timeouts, a failure to convert would end the game.

Utah sacked BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff, causing the Cougars to turn the ball over on downs. However, the Utes were called for a highly questionable holding penalty, extending the drive. BYU then drove down the field and kicked a game-winning field goal to emerge with a 22-21 triumph.

After the game, Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan ripped into the officials, claiming that the Utes had the game “stolen” from them. Many Utah fans followed suit.

However, USC fans were quick to remind Harlan and Utah fans that the Utes benefitted from a similarly controversial call against USC two years ago.

With the Trojans leading 14-0 late in the first quarter, the USC defense intercepted a pass thrown by Utah quarterback Cam Rising. However, defensive lineman Stanley Ta’ufo’ou was called for a highly questionable roughing the passer penalty, giving Utah the ball back. The Utes would score a touchdown on the next play.

The penalty completely changed the course of the game. Instead of getting the ball back up by 14 points, USC’s lead was cut to one score. The Trojans would go on to lose 43-42 on a Rising 2-point conversion run in the final minute. There was another dubious roughing-the-passer penalty called on the Trojans in the fourth quarter which kept a Utah drive alive. What Utah fans felt on Saturday night, USC fans felt in October of 2022.

At the time, Utah fans were not particularly willing to listen to the USC crowd complaining about the officiating. With the tables now turned and the Utes being on the wrong side of a call, USC fans were not about to sit around and listen to their sob stories.

While Saturday obviously won’t erase the outcome from two years ago, it is nice to see that what comes around, goes around.

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Choose your Big 12 fake field goal: BYU’s double snap or Texas Tech’s shoulder flip

Big 12 fake field goals!

The Big 12 went wild with the field goal fakes on Saturday.

During Brigham Young University’s road game against UCF, the team pulled off a very rare double snap on a field goal attempt that sent kicker Will Ferrin running for a successful first down.

You don’t often see two snaps on the same play, but BYU somehow pulled it off to maximum effect to keep the drive alive.

The other saw Texas Tech placekicker Reese Burkhardt snag a flip over the holder’s shoulder after the long snap and run it in for a touchdown against hosting TCU.

Both of these very savvy fake field goals helped out the teams bold enough to run them. After all, fortune favors those who don’t kick.

UPDATE: We have ANOTHER Big 12 fake field goal, this time from West Virginia.

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Is Texans UDFA LB Max Tooley a lock to make final 53-man roster?

Max Tooley, who graded out by Pro Football Focus as the Houston Texans’ highest-rated player on Thursday night, might have a case of making the final 53-man roster.

The Houston Texans have 90 players fighting for 53 spots on the active roster. Each position differs in the amount of talent needed to be successful.

At linebacker, the Texans often carry five or depending on how they factor in on special teams. Azeez Al-Shaair, Christian Harris and Henry To’oTo’o seem like locks to make the roster. Special teams tackling guru Neville Hewitt probably has an inside track given his previous experience.

As for the last spot or two, BYU standout Max Tooley has gained ground over the past two weeks during the early stages of training camp. During Thursday’s 21-17 loss in the Hall of Fame game, the undrafted free agent recorded two tackles and one pressure against Bears quarterback Brett Rypien.

Usually, one undrafted free agent makes the roster since they shine in the preseason. According to Bleacher Report, Tooley has the best chance among those in Houston entering August.

“Being a bottom-of-the-depth-chart linebacker in the league usually entails playing just about everywhere on special teams,” BR’s Alex Ballentine writes. “At 6’2″ and 225 pounds with a reasonable 4.58-second 40-yard dash, Tooley should be able to contribute in that department. Tooley also had solid ball production for a linebacker at BYU with seven career interceptions and eight pass breakups. He’s already earned a shoutout from veteran safety Jimmie Ward for the skills he’s shown in camp. It doesn’t hurt that his primary competition for a roster spot might come from fellow rookie Jamal Hill, who was only a sixth-round pick.”

Should Tooley only improve throughout the rest of training camp, he could build a solid case to be included on the final 53-man squad. He’ll have competition with Jacob Phillips and Hill, plus fellow UDFA Tarique Barnes.

Ryans praised Phillips on Friday for his attentiveness in practice after coming off back-to-back season-ending injuries. The former third-round pick by Cleveland was expected to be a star before a pectoral injury sidelined him for all of the 2023 season.

“Jacob has continued to improve, continued to show and compete,” Ryans said. “It’s a competition, right, so we have a lot of guys in that linebacker room. Jacob has continued to show the improvement, continued to show playing our style of play, playing fast, playing physical, playing relentless so just want to continue to see those improvements from him.”

Rutgers lands BYU long snapper Austin Riggs

Austin Riggs commits to Rutgers out of the transfer portal.

Rutgers made it two transfer portal additions in as many days with the commitment of Austin Riggs on Sunday. The long-snapper, previously at BYU, is another addition out of the transfer portal for Rutgers.

He has extensive experience, with 40 games played over four seasons in Provo. He made 12 appearances this past season as a junior. He comes to Rutgers with one year of eligibility remaining.

Long snapper is a position where Riggs brings instant experience and depth to Rutgers football. He is a steady and reliable snapper who has played in big games and tough environments.

He was named a Phil Steele All-American (fourth team) following the 2023 season.

Over the weekend, Riggs took an official visit to Rutgers. He committed while on the trip alongside Malcolm Ray, an interior defensive lineman from Florida State.

Riggs posted his commitment to Rutgers on Sunday morning as his official visit wore down:

 

The addition of Riggs makes it five players Rutgers has added in the transfer portal this cycle:

Dymere Miller (wide receiver, Monmouth)

Athan Kaliakmanis (quarterback, Minnesota)

Dino Kaliakmanis (wide receiver, Minnesota)

Malcolm Ray (defensive tackle, Florida State)

Austin Riggs (long snapper, BYU)

Linebacker Ephraim Asiata commits to BYU over USC

This is a feel-good story, even though USC did not win this recruitment.

Three-star linebacker Ephraim Asiata has signed with BYU after a late push by the USC Trojans.

The Herriman (Utah) standout picked BYU over offers from USC, Utah, Tennessee, San Diego State, and others.

Asiata, the son of former Utah and NFL standout Matt Asiata, had 53 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and 10 quarterback hurries in 10 games played this past season for Herriman.

It’s a remarkable turn of events for a young man who was given by doctors a 1% chance of living after being shot near Hunter High School on January 13, 2022.

Asiata is the 19th commitment in BYU’s 2024 recruiting class.

The arrival of the early signing period and its collection of recruiting dramas often leads to strong emotions among fan bases, including anger and disapproval at a given choice made by a recruit. Certainly in this case, given all that Asiata has endured, one would think this particular recruit won’t encounter any significant negative reaction from any of the fan bases whose schools did not successfully recruit him. We wish Asiata the best at BYU and are grateful he is healthy enough to pursue his football dream.

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Major takeaways from Texas’ 35-6 victory over BYU

Texas deserves credit for what it did well against BYU.

The Texas Longhorns are 7-1 and tied for first place in the Big 12 standings following a huge win over the BYU Cougars (5-3). And while we will continue to knit pick the team, there are plenty of positives to glean from the game.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian deserves credit for the overall on-field product this week. The Longhorns faced a 5-2 team and won by 29 points with their backup quarterback. Sarkisian and quarterbacks coach AJ Milwee did a tremendous job getting backup quarterback Maalik Murphy prepared to play and creating opportunities for him to succeed.

While a 29-point conference win should always be viewed as a success, Texas’ play indicated there’s room for great improvement. The team has a handful of areas to improve.

Let’s look at a few major takeaways from the game.

Despite sloppy start, Texas prevails over BYU, 35-6

Texas improved to 7-1 on the year against BYU.

The Texas Longhorns (7-1) stayed in the win column on Saturday. The Longhorns earned a comfortable win over the BYU Cougars (5-3) despite an up and down performance from the offense.

The offense was anything but opportunistic on the game. Second-year quarterback Maalik Murphy had big plays, but stopped progress with two big turnovers. One came on a fumble in the red zone.

The team’s red zone woes continued this week. Including Murphy’s inopportune fumble, Texas had multiple failed red zone trips. Nevertheless, the team found a way to win the ugly game and get to 7-1.

Murphy showed some positive traits despite early growing pains. The redshirt sophomore connected twice to imposing Texas receiver Adonai Mitchell for touchdowns. He delivered the ball well under duress and proved capable of leading the team until Quinn Ewers is able to return at the position.

Maalik Murphy finished the game 16-for-25 with 170 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Adonai Mitchell led Texas receivers with three receptions for 59 yards while Jonathon Brooks rushed for 98 yards on 16 carries.

The story of the day was a Texas defense who mauled its opponent for much of the game. Texas forced three turnovers and held BYU to 292 total yards of offense. It was a much needed bounce back performance after a substandard showing last week against Houston.

The Longhorns will next take on the Kansas State Wildcats (6-2) in Austin following the Wildcats’ 41-0 win over Houston.