Jake Retzlaff handed for 167 yards and added two dashing touchdowns as No. 19 BYU rode a stifling defensive efficiency to a 30-18 win over the Houston Cougars in Provo, Utah, on Saturday.
Retzlaff scored on runs of 13 and seven yards, the latter coming with 2:52 remaining within the recreation to assist BYU (10-2, 7-2 Large 12) reclaim its two-possession benefit. Houston (4-8, 3-6) had clawed to inside six factors earlier within the fourth quarter earlier than Jack Kelly and Blake Mangelson teamed for the largest defensive play of the competition for BYU.
With Houston dealing with fourth-and-7 on the BYU 44, Kelly sacked Houston quarterback Zeon Chriss and compelled a fumble. After a mad scramble, Mangelson made the restoration on the Houston 18.
5 performs later, Retzlaff scored on third all the way down to safe the victory for BYU, which was eradicated from Large 12 title recreation competition when Iowa State defeated Kansas State earlier.
Chriss handed for 156 yards and, like Retzlaff, ran for 2 scores. He was intercepted as soon as.
After securing a 10-7 lead, Houston slipped into an prolonged offensive drought. Together with a one-play drive that concluded the primary half, Houston amassed 55 yards over six possessions. BYU flipped the three-point deficit right into a 14-point lead earlier than Houston abruptly responded.
Chriss capped a 12-play, 69-yard drive with a 1-yard landing run. His subsequent move to Mekhi Mews resulted in a profitable two-point conversion that pulled Houston to inside 24-18 with 8:34 to play. When BYU adopted with three incomplete passes and a 17-second possession, Houston had its shot.
Chriss provided Houston a 7-0 lead together with his 3-yard landing run on the 1:47 mark of the primary quarter. However Houston squandered the momentum from its 10-play, 80-yard drive by making an attempt an onside kick that BYU’s Talan Alfrey returned 58 yards for a landing seven seconds later.
Trailing 10-7 early within the second quarter, BYU got here to life with a pair of landing drives en path to a 21-10 halftime lead. Sione I Moa and Retzlaff produced scoring runs of 6 and 13 yards, respectively, with Retzlaff capping a 6-play, 80-yard drive that took solely 50 seconds.
Houston, which entered final in FBS in scoring offense, totaled solely 250 yards.
–Subject Degree Media