Week 12 of the college football season is here and despite there not being a ranked matchup this weekend in the Big 12, there is still plenty on the line with conference play in full swing. One of the most important games of the weekend took place in Provo, Utah as the BYU Cougars hosted the Kansas Jayhawks.
BYU is fresh off a big win against in-state rival Utah on the road while Kansas is coming off a big win of their own against Iowa State. Both teams are in need of a win for different reasons but in the end, Kansas pulled off the 17-13 upset. Here are my top three takeaways from the game.
Kansas Finally Wins a Close One
Nobody and I mean nobody in the entire country has had more heartbreaking losses than Kansas this season. Coming into this game, the Jayhawks had a 3-6 record, and five of their six losses have been by a single possession. In fact, most of those losses have come from blown fourth quarter leads. Despite that, Kansas put those demons aside on Saturday night in Provo.
What impressed me the most about Kansas on Saturday was their defense. They have had their fair share of struggles defensively but against BYU, they played lights out. The Jayhawks were able to get two key takeaways and only allowed the Cougars to convert 30% of their third down attempts. It almost seemed like they got better as the game went on. After giving up just ten points in the first half, Kansas only allowed three points in the second half. And when their backs were against the wall late in the game, they were able to stop BYU from scoring to hold on to their lead. I know everyone loves to talk about Jalon Daniels and Devin Neal when it comes to Kansas but on Saturday night, it was all about their defense.
BYU’s Final Drive
There are a few things I could key in on for BYU in this game but the one thing that I wanted to focus on was their final drive. With less than four and a half minutes left in the game, BYU had their ball on their own 21-yard line down by four. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff made a couple of key passes which put BYU in great position to score with plenty of time left on the clock.
The Cougars had the ball on the Kansas 15-yard line with a fresh set of downs following the two-minute warning. And instead of letting Jake Retzlaff make a play, BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick called three run plays in a row. Then on fourth down a false start pushed the Cougars even further back to make it fourth and long. Retzlaff ended up finding Chase Roberts, but he was a few yards short of the first down marker.
What I don’t understand is why would you take the ball out of Jake Retzlaff’s hands in that situation? I know he didn’t have his best game, but he did lead the offense down the field when it mattered most. And instead of letting him throw the ball, the coaching staff decided to completely take the ball out of his hands until it was fourth and long. I am not sure if they were trying to take more time off the clock or what, but it made no sense at all to me and it cost them their perfect season.
Everything is Still on the Table
The Cougars were the only undefeated team in the Big 12 coming into Saturday. Despite losing, BYU still has everything in front of them. There are now just two Big 12 teams with one loss in conference play and the Cougars are one of them. But now, it’s win or go home. There is no longer room for error for this football team and they have another big test next weekend when they travel to Tempe to take on an Arizona State team who is also in the mix for a Big 12 championship.
As for Kansas, this game was all about one thing which was becoming bowl eligible. While the Jayhawks still have to win their next two games to get there, this was a big step in the right direction for Lance Leipold. Kansas has lost so many close games this season and for them to go on the road and knock off an undefeated BYU team is nothing short of incredible. I have said it before, but Kansas is the best 4-6 team in college football. This is a team that I would not want to play right now because they are playing their best football in the month of November.
