Cougars host Houston in regular season finale – Deseret News

Deseret News provides live coverage of Saturday’s game between BYU and Houston. Check back for updates throughout the game.

Third quarter

8:20 — Hard red zone foul for BYU.

Jake Retzlaff fumbled at the Houston 6-yard line, where Kentrell Webb came up with the recovery. BYU 21, Houston 10.

Retzlaff has now lost three fumbles this season as part of 13 total turnovers compared to a combined 25 passing and rushing.

11:38 — Make the 20 interceptions for this BYU defense.

Jack Kelly grabbed his first pick of the season, giving the Cougar offense the ball back at the Houston 42-yard line. BYU 21, Houston 10.

Kelly is the 12th different BYU defensive player to record an interception this season.

Pause

BYU 21, Houston 10

What a crazy half of football.

A pair of defensive linemen accounted for a 52-yard fumble return and an interception. An onside kick was returned untouched for a touchdown. BYU’s awkward offense somehow came alive in the final minute for an 80-yard touchdown drive.

You have to credit the Cougars. They may be out of the Big 12 championship, but they’re still making an effort to keep things interesting.

Jake Retzlaff went 6-12 passing for 110 yards before halftime and added another 40 and a score on the ground. BYU as a team has amassed 235 yards of offense with an average of 7.6 yards per carry. game.

Tyler Batty grabbed an interception, Isaiah Glasker had a sack and Tanner Wall has already been flying all over the place for nine tackles.

Houston will kick off the second half trailing by 11 points after posting 182 total yards in the first 30 minutes of play.

Second quarter

BYU 21, Houston 10

0:09 — BYU comes back to life just before halftime.

Jake Retzlaff orchestrated a six-play, 80-yard drive over 50 seconds, culminating in his own rushing touchdown to put his Cougars ahead by two scores. BYU 21, Houston 10.

Retzlaff’s touchdown came on a 13-yard scamper, preceded two plays earlier by a 52-yard strike to Chase Roberts.

7:55 — Sione I Moa is back in business.

BYU’s freshman running back found the end zone for the first time in more than two months for a 73-yard field goal to put his team ahead. BYU 14, Houston 10.

The Cougars in blue have now racked up 138 yards on the night, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. carry on the ground.

11:48 – Houston pulls back in front with a 26-yard field goal. Houston 10, BYU 7.

First quarter

BYU 7, Houston 7

1:40 — Redemption is a beautiful thing.

Last week at Arizona State, Talan Alfrey muffed an onside kick, resulting in a Sun Devils recovery. Tonight, Alfrey calmly collected a Houston squib attempt and ran it back 58 yards for a game-tying touchdown. BYU 7, Houston 7.

BYU has now returned three kicks for touchdowns in 2024 — two by Keelan Marion and one by Alfrey.

1:47 – Houston draws first blood in the battle for the Cougars.

Quarterback Zeon Chriss found the end zone on a short keeper to cap a 10-play, 80-yard drive for the visitors in red. Houston 7, BYU 0.

8:57 – The Cougars fight back with a defensive takeaway of their own.

Houston’s own reverse attempt was quickly fumbled and resulted in an interception by BYU defensive end Tyler Batty, who ran 14 yards to his own 37-yard line before being brought down. BYU 0, Houston 0.

BYU has now recorded an interception in every game this season, with 11 different Cougars hauling in 19 total passes.

9:48 — And just like that, BYU coughs up perhaps the most unique turnover of the season.

Houston promptly blew a reverse play attempt, with defensive lineman Carlos Allen grabbing the loose fumble out of the air and returning it 57 yards to the Cougars’ 14-yard line. BYU 0, Houston 0.

BYU had traveled 46 yards into Houston territory prior to the miscue.

How to watch the game

BYU’s road matchup with Houston will be televised on ESPN and can also be streamed on the ESPN app.

Preparation for the game

Here are a few stories to get you ready for BYU’s game against Houston.