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CU Buffs football opponent preview: BYU looks to build on 2024 success

When BYU’s first season in the Big 12 didn’t go well, the expectations going into year two were low.

BYU wound up as one of the biggest surprise teams in the Big 12 and the country last year. The Cougars won’t sneak up on anybody this year, though.

This summer, BuffZone will preview each of Colorado’s opponents for the 2025 season and in this installment we look at BYU, which will visit Folsom Field on Sept. 27 in a rematch of last season’s Alamo Bowl.

Projected 13th in the Big 12 going into last year, BYU started 9-0, vaulting to No. 6 in the country. Although two late losses cost them a spot in the conference title game, the Cougars finished 11-2, capping the campaign with a blowout of the Buffs in the Alamo Bowl.

“Maybe everybody should just predict us to be way down at the bottom again (this year),” head coach Kalani Sitake joked during an interview with BYU TV this spring.

That won’t happen, but Sitake said his team is ready to handle higher expectations. Early predictions don’t have BYU among the top contenders in the Big 12 but certainly much higher than last year.

“I’m not worried about it. The guys came with a different mindset in January,” Sitake said.

BYU is no stranger to success or lofty expectations. From 2005-22, the Cougars played in 17 bowls and posted seven 10-win seasons.

After joining the Big 12 in 2023, BYU went just 5-7 (2-7 in the Big 12) and lost its last five games, but that proved to be a blip, as it was back on track last year.

The 11-win season in 2024 didn’t satisfy the Cougars, though. Not when the Big 12 title game and possible spot in the College Football Playoff was within grasp until two close losses (by a combined nine points) in November.

“I think (the players) saw what was close and attainable, and they see the differences we’ve got to do to make up the difference,” Sitake said. “They kind of see what we’ve got to get after.

“We did some really hard work last year to get to this point, but that’s not why we did it, just so that we could have one year. We’ve got to build something and create momentum. The way I see the guys taking to the offseason, it’s been nice. It’s gonna be fun.”

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) looks to throw against Colorado during the first half of the Alamo Bowl NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

A key to the season for BYU is the availability of senior quarterback Jake Retzlaff, who had a big year in 2024 but is now facing some legal issues.

Last month a civil lawsuit was filed against him, accusing Retzlaff of sexual assault. Although Retzlaff hasn’t been criminally charged, the legal issues could impact his future with the Cougars. BYU hasn’t commented, so it’s unclear on whether or not Retzlaff will play.

If Retzlaff plays, BYU would have its experienced leader, but it would also love to see him cut down on mistakes. He completed just 57.9% of his passes and was picked off 12 times (including twice by CU). He was near the bottom of the Big 12 in both of those categories.

If Retzlaff doesn’t play, McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet will battle. Both are second-year Cougars who have experience at other schools, Hillstead at Utah State and Bourguet at Western Michigan.

Leading rusher LJ Martin (718 yards) and leading receiver Chase Roberts (52 catches for 854 yards) are back, along with receiver/returner Parker Kingston, who burned the Buffs for a punt return TD in the Alamo Bowl.

Defensively, the Cougars were top 20 nationally in points allowed (18th, 19.6 per game) and yards allowed (13th, 308.8 per game) last year. Only three starters are back, but that includes both outside linebackers in Isaiah Glasker and Jack Kelly. Safety Tanner Wall is also back.

The defense may not be as strong as it was in 2024, but the Cougars have plenty of playmakers on that side of the ball.

Overall, BYU should be one of the tougher teams to beat in the Big 12 and could potentially contend once again for the Big 12 title.

BYU Cougars

Head coach: Kalani Sitake, 10th season (72-43)

2024 season: 11-2, 7-2 Big 12; Beat Colorado, 36-14, in Alamo Bowl

Series with CU: Buffs lead 8-4-1

Matchup with the Buffs: Saturday, Sept. 27, 8:15 p.m. MT (ESPN), at Folsom Field in Boulder

BYU running back LJ Martin, left, runs past Colorado linebacker Brendan Gant during the first half of the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28 in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

5 Guys to Watch

OLB Isaiah Glasker: Led the Cougars in tackles (70) and tackles for loss (14.5) last year, while adding 3.5 sacks, three interceptions and four pass breakups. His 14.5 TFLs led the Big 12, and he received all-conference honorable mention.

OLB Jack Kelly: Former Weber State transfer had 51 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and five sacks last year, along with 14 QB hurries. In 24 games at Weber State from 2022-23, he posted a total of 20 TFLs and 16.5 sacks.

RB LJ Martin: One of the better backs in the Big 12, Martin ran for 718 yards and seven touchdowns last year, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. He’s got 1,236 yards in his two seasons at BYU, despite carrying the ball just 246 times (12.3 attempts per game).

QB Jake Retzlaff: After winning the starting job last year, he took off, throwing for 2,947 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while finishing second on the team in rushing with 417 yards and six touchdowns.

WR Chase Roberts: Posted 52 catches for 854 yards and four touchdowns last year, leading the Cougars in all three categories. During his career, he has 116 catches for 1,784 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Good to know

• CU and BYU will meet for the second time in less than a year, with BYU rolling to a 36-14 win in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28. Prior to that, however, the teams hadn’t met in 36 years. The former Mountain States Conference rivals met 10 times from 1923-47 but just three times since. This will be BYU’s first trip to Boulder since Sept. 26, 1981.

• Only one full-time starter is back on the offensive line (left guard Weylin Lapuaho), but guard Sonny Makasini and center Bruce Mitchell made six starts and tackle Austin Leausa started seven games.

• CU was the only team in the Big 12 with three players recording at least 10 tackles for loss in 2024, but BYU was the only other team with two players reaching that mark. Isaiah Glasker and Jack Kelly combined for 24.5 TFLs, the most of any pair of Big 12 teammates.

• Kicker Will Ferrin was first-team all-Big 12 and the co-special teams player of the year in 2024 after hitting 24 of 27 field goals and all 41 extra points. A transfer from Boise State, he is 35-of-41 (85.4%) on field goals and 73-of-74 (98.6%) on extra points in two seasons at BYU.

• Former Colorado lineman Isaiah Jatta is projected to start at left tackle for the Cougars. A junior college All-American in 2022 at Snow (Utah) College, Jatta played the 2023 season at CU. He made one start on offense but played just 47 snaps that year. Last year at BYU, he was a reserve before making two starts late in the year and then missing the last two games with injury.

Portal movement

BYU lost 28 players to the transfer portal, per 247Sports. A lot of the losses were backups, but there were three significant departures. All-American kick returner/receiver Keelan Marion is now at Miami, linebacker Harrison Taggart is now at California and safety Crew Wakley is at Purdue. CU tried to get Marion and Taggart before they went elsewhere. The Cougars added 13 transfers, including a pair from rival Utah that could be immediate starters: tight end Carsen Ryan and defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa. Columbine High School alum Andrew Gentry transferred from Michigan and could be a Day 1 starter at right tackle. Receiver Tiger Bachmeier (Stanford), offensive lineman Kyle Sfarcioc (Southern Utah), defensive lineman Justin Kirkland (Oklahoma State) and defensive end Tausili Akana (Texas) could also make an impact right away. BYU’s transfer class also includes safety Tayvion Beasley (San Diego State), who played for Buffs head coach Deion Sanders at Jackson State and spent the spring of 2023 at CU before leaving for SDSU.

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