BYU defense forces 4 turnovers and 7 tackles for a loss to snap a 2-game skid with victory over Houston

PROVO — By halftime of No. 19 BYU’s regular-season finale Saturday night against Houston, the host Cougars had been eliminated as contenders for the Big 12 championship thanks to Iowa State’s 29-21 victory over Kansas State.

BYU’s defense did not receive the memo.

Jake Retzlaff threw for 167 yards and ran for 57 yards and two touchdowns, and BYU’s defense forced four turnovers and seven tackles for a loss to complete a two-game series with a 30-18 victory over Houston before an announced crowd of 59,213 fans. Slips to be scored at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

LJ Martin ran for 87 yards on 22 carries for BYU (10-2, 7-2 Big 12), which finished with double-digit totals in three of the last five years and 19th in program history. Chase Roberts caught three passes for 76 yards to lead BYU in rushing on a night the redshirt junior celebrated as his senior night.

Houston sophomore quarterback Zeon Chriss threw for 156 yards with one interception and ran for two touchdowns.

But BYU’s defense, led by 13 tackles from Tanner Wall and nine tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and an interception from Tyler Batty, held the Cougars to 250 yards of offense, including 94 on the ground.

And in a game in which Retzlaff completed just eight passes due to a combination of missed shots, dropped catches and three turnovers (but none by interception), BYU found a way to rise above it all and claim a win, even past the biggest Some of the team already knew they were out of the Big 12 title game.

“Come on, they’ll figure it all out,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said when asked if his players knew about No. 18 Iowa State’s win at halftime. “I figured it out at halftime and I think a lot of them probably did too. Also, you have to give Houston credit for their plays, but we made a lot of mistakes.

BYU linebacker Jack Kelly, who had seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and an interception, admitted that news of the Cyclones’ win spread pretty quickly in the locker room. But that wasn’t the most important halftime adjustment.

“Everyone knew what else we had on hand,” Kelly said. “We knew we had to send the seniors to a win and get a double-digit win.”

Houston (4-8, 3-6 Big 12) struck first after both Cougars groups traded turnovers on the first possession, and Chriss led a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard quarterback Keeper ended, who increased the ball to 7 -0.

However, the lead only lasted seven seconds when the visitors attempted an onside kick and Talan Alfrey picked up the change and returned it 58 yards for a touchdown.

It was BYU’s third kick return touchdown of the year, most matching Paul Allen’s three kick return touchdowns in 1961, which came on a touchdown by the same player who admitted he was on one Onside kick that led to a touchdown in the 28-23 loss to Arizona State a week earlier.

“It was a little redemption,” Alfrey said, before cheekily adding: “God works in mysterious ways, I think.”

But the hosts weren’t done with defense and special teams.

Kelly and Batty each had an interception, bringing BYU’s total to 20 on the year and most in the country, and Isaiah Glasker had a sack among the hosts’ seven tackles for a loss.

Retzlaff completed 6 of 12 passes for 110 yards, including a 52-yarder to Chase Roberts in the final two minutes of the first half to set up his own 13-yard TD rush that gave BYU a 21-10 halftime lead .

It could have been more.

BYU outscored the Cougars 90 to 32 yards in the third quarter. But Retzlaff fumbled a high snap just four yards from goal, and Parker Kingston parried a punt at midfield as the only score of the period came on Will Ferrin’s 22-yard field goal.

Houston got within eight on Chriss’ second touchdown run – and scored a 2-point conversion – with 8:34 left to play.

But BYU’s defense saved the game again as Kelly recorded his fifth sack of the season, Logan Lutui reversed into the game with the double sack and Blake Mangelson recovered a fumble to set up Retzlaff’s second rushing score with 2:52 left.

“That was very big,” Lutui said. “In our defense, whenever we are on top, we see that we will be the ones to finish the game.”

“I think the team was pretty fired up going into the fourth round,” he added. “It was a big game and everyone was excited. We wish we could have made it 6 points, but we’re glad we dropped the ball.”