BYU beats Houston and knocks Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes out of the Big 12 race

Provo • During halftime of BYU’s loss to Arizona State last week, senior Tyler Batty tied the knot with his teammates.

He stood in front of the group and told them that the next 30 minutes could be the last meaningful football of his career. If BYU were to lose, it would relinquish all control over its destiny to get to the Big 12 title game. There may not be another attempt in Arlington.

It turned out he was right.

After losing to ASU, BYU needed help on Saturday to have a chance. But the Cougars didn’t make it, as both Arizona State and Iowa State won. Shortly after BYU kicked off at 8:15 p.m., its fate was already sealed – it was eliminated from Big 12 contention.

All that remained to be decided was whether Iowa State or Colorado would go to Arlington, Texas, to play ASU.

BYU’s 30-18 victory over Houston ultimately eliminated Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes and ensured that ISU would play ASU for the title.

For most of the evening, BYU played like a team with little at stake. The Cougars had three sloppy turnovers, all fumbles. The first drive ended with two BYU players colliding with each other and Houston returning a loose ball 57 yards inside the red zone.

Later, when BYU had a chance to really decide the game, the Cougars made two more errors. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff fumbled a snap inside the 10-yard line and then Parker Kingston fumbled a punt that would have given BYU the ball at midfield.

Ultimately, BYU prevailed against a four-win Houston team. It ran the ball for over 170 yards and Retzlaff managed enough in the two-minute drill to give BYU points.

Retzlaff recorded a few highlights. At the end of the first half, he hit wide receiver Chase Roberts for 52 yards and then finished the drive with a rushing touchdown. But overall, the BYU quarterback was pedestrian compared to the rest of his season, finishing with 167 passing yards and a completion rate of just 42%.

BYU’s defense stepped up after halftime, as it has in recent weeks. After Houston averaged over seven yards per game on the first few series, BYU eventually held the visitors to under 250 total yards.

The Cougars extended their streak of getting an interception in every game. Jack Kelly and Tyler Batty both came up with tips. Batty’s interception saved Houston a scoring opportunity inside the red zone.

Late in the fourth quarter, after Retzlaff’s second rushing touchdown of the night, a scuffle broke out. BYU receiver Darius Lassiter was ejected along with Houston’s AJ Haulcy for unsportsmanlike conduct.

After being picked to finish at the bottom of the Big 12 Conference, the Cougars finished their regular season with 10 wins. They will now wait to see which bowl game invites them.