BYU couldn’t have asked for a better result in the first half of 2024.
The Cougars are 6-0 and ranked No. 13 in the AP Top 25, currently tied for first in the Big 12 standings.
They have emerged as one of the most notable surprises in sports this year and show no signs of slowing down.
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As the second half of the season begins Friday night at home against Oklahoma State, let’s take a look at some of the numbers that have propelled BYU into the conference contender discussion and into the national spotlight.
16.33: Average number of points allowed per game by BYU’s defense.
Jay Hill might be the most popular guy in Provo these days. The Cougars’ second-year defensive coordinator has assembled one of the most ferocious units in the country, ranking 15th in points allowed per game with 16.33 after allowing nearly 30 points per game in 2023. is ranked.
SMU and Kansas State are averaging 40.8 and 31.3 points per game, respectively, this season, but neither could score a single touchdown against BYU’s defense.
Just a week ago, the Cougars tormented the typically elusive Arizona QB Noah Fifita with nine hits, 16 fast bases, and forced him out for the first three interceptions of his career.
9: Number of Cougar defenders with interceptions this year.
BYU’s defense played heroic roles many times in 2024 in a group that was considered lacking in individual star power. As my colleague Jay Drew wrote, the Cougars’ “sum is greater than (their) parts.”
Nowhere is this more evident than in the fact that BYU had 10 interceptions from nine different players through six games.
Some were picked from typical spots, like two points from lockdown corner Jacob Robinson and material from fellow coverage specialists Marc Collins and Evan Johnson. The Cougars also had game-saving and game-changing interceptions from starting safeties Crew Wakley and Tanner Wall against Baylor and Arizona, respectively.
But who would have thought that two defensive linemen, Tyler Batty and Blake Mangelson, would participate in the interception act? Linebackers Harrison Taggart and Isaiah Glassker also contributed to the “no-fly zone”. There is.
Hill’s defense seems to feature a different star every game, with every player on the field a turnover threat.
86.5: Caleb Etienne’s season pass blocking grade by Pro Football Focus.
No player at BYU has made a bigger leap from 2023 to 2024 than Etienne. Etienne has evolved from an inconsistent and somewhat underpowered player to one of the most reliable left tackles in college football today.
New offensive line coach TJ Woods is doing wonders for the 6-foot-8, 320-pound blindside protector, and his name may start appearing in NFL mock drafts soon. .
Etienne headlines a much-improved offensive line for the Cougars, and his performance in the trenches this season has played a key role in BYU scoring over 34 points per game.
The Cougar linemen have allowed just three sacks and committed just five penalties so far, keeping quarterback Jake Retzlaff out of danger and allowing BYU to average a per-carry average on the ground. It paved the way for him to gain more than 4 yards.
Well done, TJ Woods.
10: BYU ranks nationally for least penalties.
BYU’s offense isn’t the only thing continuing to play clean football. As a whole, the Cougars are one of the least penalized teams in the nation, averaging 41.5 yards per game and being flagged just 4.33 times per game.
With penalty stoppages kept to a minimum, BYU’s offense was able to move the ball more freely, scoring on over 91% of its trips to the red zone, and punting less per point. It was only 0.7 times.
Given the circumstances and competition this year, I’m happy to say that what we’ve seen thus far has been the most disciplined and fundamentally sound Cougars team Kalani Sitake has ever had. sea bream.
5: Number of BYU quarterbacks to start the season 6-0 before Jake Retzlaff does it in 2024.
Retzlaff belongs to an elite group.
As KSL Sports’ Mitch Harper pointed out, Retzlaff is the only player in the league who has played Mark Wilson (1979), Robbie Bosco (1984), Brandon Dorman (2001), Max Hall (2008), and Zach Wilson. (2020) as the only Cougar passers to open the season. Currently on a six-game winning streak.
Ty Detmer never did that. So did fellow Hall of Famers Jim McMahon and Steve Young. But Retzlaff has it.
The self-proclaimed “BY-Jew” wasn’t the perfect center for BYU, but he’s been mostly impressive and a big part of this offense’s success.
Retzlaff has the fourth-highest PFF grade among quarterbacks in the Big 12 and has a solid 15 total touchdowns, 1,426 passing yards and a 65.4 QBR.
Zero: Number of teams other than BYU with two return touchdowns and two defensive touchdowns in 2024.
Admittedly, this may be cherry-picking a bit, but it helps show how strong these Cougars were in all three phases of the game.
BYU’s special teams were elite, with Keelan Marion and Parker Kingston each finding the end zone to end a decade-long return touchdown drought within the program.
The Cougars’ 14 takeaways and two defensive scores (a fumble return TD by Tommy Prasas and a pick-six by Glasker) established BYU as a legitimate defensive unit. Then, of course, there’s the offense, with Retzlaff and his teammates finding the end zone much earlier than they did a year ago.
BYU scored 35 touchdowns in 12 games last season. The Cougars already have 25 points through six contests through 2024.
This feels like BYU’s most complete team in years, especially considering the level of talent the Cougars faced, but the job is far from done.
Sitake’s team still has a long way to go before it reaches its Big 12 title game destination and beyond, but the beginning of the journey has been impressive and the stats can definitely back that up. .
