Will the Cougars validate their top-25 ranking for the remainder of the season?
by Brandon Gurney for KSL.com · KSL.comEstimated read time: 5-6 minutes
PROVO — As the BYU football team prepares to take on Baylor this weekend, it does so with necessarily elevated expectations in the wake of Saturday's resounding 38-9 win over then-ranked No. 13 Kansas State.
The Cougars currently hold the No. 22 ranking in both the Associated Press and Coaches poll following what many pundits considered one of the top performances of the fourth week of the college football season.
So what's a reasonable expectation for a BYU team that has already reached the win total many so-called experts were assigning in the preseason? Furthermore, what did the Cougars' blowout win over the Wildcats validate, and what aspects of the win deserve relative caution moving forward into Big 12 play?
Aspects to hang your hat on
Team culture: As I watched Saturday night's game unfold, my thoughts turned to last year's 45-13 blowout home loss to Iowa State. That game represented a bottom for BYU's initial Big 12 season that I felt at the time would prove difficult and maybe even impossible to overcome in the short term.
But how BYU finished out the season with consecutive competitive losses to both Oklahoma and conference champion Oklahoma State gave strong indication that things were turning around relatively quickly.
Indeed, that turnaround has been accelerated during this past offseason, as evidenced by BYU's respective performances against both the Cyclones of last season and the Wildcats this season — both of which, I believe, are similar teams with regards to talent and culture.
What BYU has revealed over the past 10 months is that its culture is strong, which is the foundation of any team's success regardless of talent level.
Home field advantage: Provided BYU's unique home environment with regards to elevation in addition to a typically loud and even raucous fan base, opposing teams should be fraught with an immediate disadvantage with every game played at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Any home field advantage proved almost impossible to recognize last season; although that appears to be changing in earnest this year.
BYU fans were tremendous throughout the Kansas State win, and there's every reason to believe that will continue throughout the season.
Belief in the defense: BYU gave up exactly zero touchdowns in wins over both SMU and Kansas State. Given the Wildcats' 31 points scored in a win over Arizona the week prior and the SMU's 66 points put on TCU last Saturday, BYU's accomplishment in this regard should not go understated.
Through four games played, the Cougars have shown remarkable depth at every position group on the defense, providing a solid run defense, adept open field pursuit, and an effective pass rush.
But the single biggest quality may very well be the ability to stymie drives within the red zone where the Cougars time and again have proven resolute in forcing field goal attempts and even turnovers.
Under defensive coordinator Jay Hill, it's the defense that is driving BYU's success in the early season. That likely will remain a consistent theme for the remainder of the 2024 season.
Jake Retzlaff can rein it in: There hasn't been much talk about BYU starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff's play following Saturday's win working in stark contrast to the previous three weeks, and that's a good thing.
Retzlaff finished Saturday's game 15-of-21 passing for 149 yards and two touchdowns, executing only what was necessary at a high level throughout.
But the most important stat was his zero turnovers committed as he largely made plays when needed, while reining it in otherwise and subsequently allowing BYU's defense and special teams to lead the way.
This is the blueprint for Big 12 success given the team's apparent makeup relative to the apparent strengths and weaknesses of Retzlaff up to this point.
Adequate team depth: One of the biggest dividers between contenders and pretenders at the FBS level is overall team depth. So far this season, the Cougars have shown quality depth, allowing for a lot of rotation on the defensive end and the ability to withstand injuries on both sides of the football.
The most clear example of BYU's improved depth is at the running back position, where Sione Moa's 76 yards rushing and a touchdown on 15 carries was a revelation to many.
Moa came out of fall practices considered the team's sixth option at tailback behind LJ Martin, Hinckley Ropati, Miles Davis, Enoch Nawahine and Pokai Haunga, but he nevertheless showed capable in every regard against one of the Big 12's top defensive units.
BYU's depth is certain to encounter bigger tests as the season wears on, but the early returns provide justified optimism that this team can endure typical attrition rates.
Proceed with Caution
Winning the line of scrimmage: BYU failed to gain over 100 yards rushing against Kansas State, while the Wildcats produced 228 yards.
Sure, that differential can be written off to some degree due to the course of play, where turnovers committed by Kansas State led to short fields and touchdowns, not to mention Parker Kingston's miraculous punt return.
But up until BYU's remarkable seven minute stretch, where it produced 31 points, Kansas State had produced 117 yards on the ground to just 1 yard for the home team. Of course, the Cougars finished strong late, aided considerably by Moa's emergence, among other factors.
But the Cougars' inability to match the Wildcats along the line of scrimmage throughout the first quarter and for much of the second is certainly cause for concern.
Shutting down the pass: Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson is a great talent, but his inexperience when presented in a tough environment, along with a rapidly expanded score deficit, helped wreak a lot of havoc.
Certainly, BYU's defense deserves a lot of credit in limiting Johnson to just 130 yards passing and two interceptions, but that same pass defense will encounter much tougher tests throughout the remainder of the season.
I remain very bullish on BYU's pass defense, led by a relatively deep and talented cornerback corps, but necessary breaks need to be applied when assessing its ability in defending against more talented and experienced passing arsenals.
Winning resoundly in any environment: This one is very obvious, and should be well recognized by most Cougars fans, but the win over Kansas State provided an incredibly unique course of play that will rarely be witnessed again, if ever.
Beginning with Saturday's early start on the road against Baylor, BYU will encounter circumstances that won't line up to be nearly as favorable to what it enjoyed during Saturday's win.