No. 11 BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff passed for 228 yards and threw two touchdowns, along with another touchdown run, leading the Cougars to a 37-24 victory over UCF on Saturday. This win keeps them undefeated and in the running for the College Football Playoff.
BYU (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) managed to control the game by holding onto the ball for almost 40 minutes. They made the most of their time with the ball, especially in key moments.
The Cougars started strong, scoring the first 17 points of the game. They extended their lead with a 62-yard touchdown pass from Retzlaff to Chase Roberts just before halftime, giving BYU a 14-point advantage.
“We love it. We take advantage of the two-minute drill every way we can,” Retzlaff said. “I don’t think I completed that route one time all fall camp. Completing it in the game is always fun. Just knowing we’re prepared for anything that comes to us. That was fun.”
After halftime, BYU continued strong with a 10-play, 72-yard touchdown drive, ending with a one-yard pass from Retzlaff to tight end Mata’ava Ta’ase.
BYU outperformed UCF (3-5, 1-4) with a total yardage of 480 to 379, also winning the ground game against the run-focused Knights.
BYU running back LJ Martin rushed for 101 yards and scored a touchdown on 15 carries, while Hinckley Ropati added 83 yards on 13 carries to lead BYU’s running game and maintain possession against the normally quick Knights.
“We’ve wanted to work these two guys from the very beginning of the year,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “Having them as a 1-2 punch is really good. I just like the way that they are playing. It’s good to have them both healthy.”
The only positive for UCF came from running back RJ Harvey.
The senior back rushed for 127 yards on 16 carries, including a 54-yard run that brought the ball to the two-yard line, which he then finished with a touchdown on the next play. He also scored another two-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Harvey surpassed 1,000 yards for the second year in a row, making him the first UCF player to achieve this since Marquette Smith in 1994-95.
However, the Knights struggled to support their running game, as quarterback Jacurri Brown threw two interceptions in the second half and ended with just 96 yards, completing 8 of 17 passes.
Freshman Dylan Rizk took over for Brown in the fourth quarter and finished the game with 102 yards on 6 of 10 passing, including a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones.
