West Virginia

BYU football analysis: It’s time to make Jake Retzlaff the starter for the remainder of the season, bowl eligibility be darned

Published

1 year ago

November 5, 2023

BYU football analysis: It’s time to make Jake Retzlaff the starter for the remainder of the season, bowl eligibility be darned

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — As West Virginia football fans sang the John Denver classic “Take Me Home, Country Roads” Saturday night after pummeling BYU 37-7 at Milan Puskar Stadium in an impressive display of state and school pride, the Cougars and their coaches patiently waited on a corner of the field for their turn to sing their song and reward the couple thousand royal blue-clad fans who made the trip from either Provo or points up and down the East Coast.

“That’s not my decision. Like I said, I will just go back to the tape and dissect what I did and learn from that. I think that’s A Rod’s decision at the end of the day. I just know that I am going to go out there and play my hardest and play my heart out every week and whatever that comes to, I will live with that.” — BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff

One phrase of West Virginia’s melody had some extra significance for BYU backup quarterback Jake Retzlaff, who filled in for a banged up Kedon Slovis: “To the place, I belong.”

After completing 24 of 42 passes for 210 yards, taking care of the ball reasonably well, making some outstanding throws and escaping the pocket and avoiding a couple sacks with the mobility and athleticism coaches and teammates promised he has, Retzlaff showed that he belongs at the top of BYU’s quarterback depth chart.

At least for now.

The 5-4 Cougars’ performance showed, once again, that their issues go way beyond shaky quarterback play, which was what the veteran Slovis — who has an ulnar collateral ligament problem in the elbow of his throwing arm, among other dings — was giving them the past few games, even in that 27-14 win over Texas Tech on Oct. 21.

Retzlaff gives BYU a breath of life in what is quickly devolving into a mess of a season, sort of like in 2017 when the bottom almost dropped out of Kalani Sitake’s program. That’s why the spunky junior college transfer from Southern California should get the start Saturday when BYU hosts Iowa State (4-2, 5-4) at LaVell Edwards Stadium, regardless if Slovis is healthy or not.

Kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. MST and the game will be televised by ESPN.

Why is a change needed? It’s time to look to the future — which clearly isn’t Slovis, a fifth-year graduate transfer whose skillset might be better suited to pro football than college football, where there is a premium on mobility and dual-threat ability.

Heck, Slovis might not want to regain his starting spot, given how poorly BYU’s offensive line has protected its quarterback lately. And he’s got no running game to rely on to take away some of the pressure.

“Yeah, Kedon has been playing banged up for a little bit now,” Sitake said. “The Texas game kinda put him in some danger and he couldn’t really …”

Sitake didn’t finish the sentence, but it was clear where he was headed. Slovis couldn’t protect himself.

Retzlaff seemingly can.

Remember 2018?

BYU’s season got off to a similar start, as senior Tanner Mangum led the Cougars to wins over Arizona, No. 6 Wisconsin and McNeese State before the season started to nosedive with blowout losses at No. 11 Washington and at home to Utah State.

A freshman by the name of Zach Wilson got the start on Oct. 14 against Hawaii, delivered a 49-23 win at LES, and the rest is history. The current New York Jets starting QB showed off his running ability with a rushing touchdown and three passing touchdowns, and Mangum never got his starting job back.

We’re not saying Retzlaff is the next Wilson, but he displayed some similar arm strength, some similar moxie, that got Wilson into the pantheon of BYU’s quarterbacking greats.

By the way, BYU had four drops against the Mountaineers, according to Pro Football Focus, so Retzlaff’s numbers easily could have been better than a 57% completion rate. The thing he didn’t do was get the ball in the end zone on the reg, which he knows he needs to improve upon.

“It is hard to say that sitting here right now, how I played, how we played,” Retzlaff said in the postgame news conference. “It was 37-7 at the end of the day. I will have to go back and watch the tape and really figure out what we gotta do and how we gotta be better and how I gotta be better.

“I don’t know the numbers or anything yet. We just gotta play better as a unit and put some points on the board. We didn’t do that this week,” he continued.

He also said the score “doesn’t reflect how we think we played,” meaning the Cougars left some points out there, much like they did last week in the 35-6 loss at No. 7 Texas in which Slovis could only get them two field goals.

Speaking of Slovis, he’s been everything BYU has wanted of its starting quarterback off the field, emerging as a true leader and force for positivity. His teammates always speak highly of him, and how he takes accountability for poor play after losses. But there’s just no reason to keep playing him, bowl eligibility be darned.

“We will play the best guy. If someone is injured and they can (still) play at a high level, then that is what we will go with. If not, we will play with the healthy guy that can go,” Sitake said, with BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe sitting in the back of the room. “We have a number of players, not just the quarterback, but other positions that can contribute and help us win.”

Responding to a different question about whether BYU’s pass blocking has regressed from earlier in the season when that seemed to be a strength, Sitake again mentioned Retzlaff’s mobility.

“We gave up three sacks. It just seemed like Jake was probably running too much and couldn’t settle his feet. Maybe they got some hurries. He took some shots,” Sitake said. “… When Jake has time, and I have said this before, when Kedon has time, they can usually make the right throws and go through our progression and our reads. There were a couple of times where Jake had to tuck it and run. That’s not a good sign for us.”

It would be a worse sign if BYU went back to the same old thing, in this case the pocket-passer Slovis. Sitake himself said he owes it to the team and fan base to put the players on the field who give the Cougars the best chance to win — not just this year, but beyond.

What does Retzlaff think?

“That’s not my decision,” he said, handling questions like a seasoned pro. “Like I said, I will just go back to the tape and dissect what I did and learn from that. I think that’s A Rod’s decision at the end of the day. I just know that I am going to go out there and play my hardest and play my heart out every week and whatever that comes to, I will live with that.”

Speaking of offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick, who will ultimately make the decision, Retzlaff said the former BYU receiver wouldn’t put a player on the field who couldn’t play at this level, when asked if he proved to himself and his teammates that he could with his performance Saturday night.

“I don’t think there was a doubt going into the game,” Retzlaff said. “It wasn’t a matter of proving that I could play at (this) level, it was just a matter of going out and executing the offense. And like I say, we didn’t do that well enough tonight.”

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West Virginia

Which Five Transfers Will Make the Biggest Impact at West Virginia?

Published

2 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Press Room

Which Five Transfers Will Make the Biggest Impact at West Virginia?

West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez is far from being done in the transfer portal, but with nearly two dozen pickups thus far, I figured we could start taking a closer look at the stars of the group.

We will revisit this before spring practice and then prior to the start of fall camp, as more players will be added, so we’ll adjust the list. For now, here are the five transfers who I believe will make the biggest impact.

Jahiem White is clearly RB1, but in this day and age, you need two or three capable running backs, especially in a Rich Rodriguez offense. Edwards brings a different dynamic to the table with his 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame. He can hammer it in between the tackles to give WVU a nice lightning-and-thunder combo, similar to what they had with White and CJ Donaldson. He rushed for over 1,000 yards and six scores this season.

Perry brings a level of physicality that has been pretty much non-existent in the Mountaineer secondary over the last handful of years. He does have some versatility to him as well, being able to play deep safety, up in the box, and even in the slot if needed. Assuming he makes the transition to the Power Four level smoothly, he’ll have a chance to play on Sundays.

West Virginia’s wide receiver room underwent a near-complete makeover, but with the addition of Cam Vaughn, they have a dynamic playmaker they can build with for the next three seasons. In his redshirt freshman season at Jax State, Vaughn caught 48 passes for 803 yards and five touchdowns. Not too shabby for someone who just made the switch from quarterback a year ago.

After losing Josiah Trotter (Missouri) and Trey Lathan (Kansas) to the transfer portal, the Mountaineers desperately needed to add a veteran linebacker who could come right in and make a difference. Over his last two seasons at Colorado State, Wilson tallied 205 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, seven passes defended, 3.5 sacks, and two picks. A tough, hard-nosed kid who fits this defense like a glove.

West Virginia beat out Ole Miss to land one of the best cover corners in the transfer portal in Michael Coats Jr. This past season with the Wolfpack, he notched 41 tackles, 14 passes defended, and four interceptions, finishing in the top five nationally in the last two categories. Barring some crazy get in the portal, I expect Coats to be the top acquisition out of the portal this offseason for the Mountaineers.

QB Jaylen Henderson (Texas A&M), RB Tye Edwards (Northern Iowa), RB LJ Turner (Catawba College), WR Cyrus Traugh (Youngstown State), WR Cam Vaughn (Jacksonville State), WR Daveon Walker (Butler C.C.), WR Jarod Bowie (Jacksonville State), WR Oran Singleton Jr. (Eastern Michigan), TE Jacob Barrick (Jacksonville State), TE Johnny Pascuzzi (Iowa), OL Walter Young Bear (Tulsa), OL Robby Martin (NC State), OL Wyatt Minor (Youngstown State), OL Kimo Makane’ole (LSU), DE Braden Siders (Wyoming), LB Chase Wilson (Colorado State), LB Ashton Woods (North Carolina), CB Derek Carter (Jacksonville State), CB Jordan Scruggs (South Alabama), CB Devonte Golden-Nelson (Akron), CB Michael Coats Jr. (Nevada), S Justin Harrington (Washington), S Will Davis (Virginia Union), S Fred Perry (Jacksonville State), S Jordan Walker (Chattanooga), and K Ethan Head (Tulane).

West Virginia

West Virginia holds off Colorado 78-70 for important road victory – WV MetroNews

Published

13 hours ago

January 12, 2025

Press Room

West Virginia holds off Colorado 78-70 for important road victory – WV MetroNews

No. 21 West Virginia continues to rightfully battle fatigue throughout the second half of games as it regularly plays with what is in essence a seven-man rotation.

That was again the case Sunday at Colorado.

Fortunately for the Mountaineers, reserve guard Joseph Yesufu played a major part in ensuring the visitors didn’t squander a 14-point second-half lead.

Yesufu scored 13 of his 18 points after halftime, including eight over the final 4:44 to help West Virginia overcome the Buffaloes’ second-half comeback attempt in a 78-70 victory at CU Events Center.

“Joe Yesufu really gave us a good spark when we needed it the most,” first-year WVU head coach Darian DeVries said. “Our offense had gotten a little stagnant and we were settling for jumpers off of some of their switching and things. Joe was able to give us that spark we needed.”

By claiming a win in the first meeting between the two teams, WVU improved to 12-3 overall, 3-1 in Big 12 play and won a second conference road game this season to match the program’s Big 12 road win total of the previous three seasons combined. Colorado (9-6, 0-4) remains one of two winless teams in league play.

The Mountaineers never trailed outside of the game’s opening basket, and they put together a strong opening half to lead 40-29 through 20 minutes — West Virginia’s third double-figure halftime advantage in four Big 12 contests.

Center Eduardo Andre made all four of his field-goal attempts and scored 10 points in the opening half, while freshman wing Jonathan Powell added 10 on 4-of-7 shooting with a pair of three-pointers. Add in nine points from point guard Javon Small, and the Mountaineers’ top scoring trio combined to equal Colorado’s point total at halftime.

WVU went to halftime with five turnovers to Colorado’s 11, and the Mountaineers had all 12 points off turnovers in the game to that point.

“Creating some of those turnovers was huge for us to get a little separation in the first half,” DeVries said.

When Small hit three threes over a stretch of 1:15 early into the second half, it gave the visitors their largest lead of the contest at 49-35.

Yesufu added a triple moments later for a 52-39 advantage, but CU increased its aggressiveness offensively and was to within seven at 54-47 when Dangot Bak made two free throws with 13:22 remaining.

That was a theme throughout the second half as the Buffaloes made 24-of-28 foul shots after not producing a point from the free-throw line on two attempts in the first half.

Bak’s two free throws came early into a stretch of 12 straight Colorado points scored from the charity stripe. It ended with Trevor Baskin making the second of two attempts with 8:20 to play, at which point the Mountaineer lead was 57-55.

“Defensively, we put ourselves in some tough positions with some reaching fouls and not staying disciplined and allowed Colorado to get to the line and deservedly so,” DeVries said. “We have to learn how to still be able to be physical, but also be discipline in the way we’re doing that. That game shifted pretty quickly in the second half and Colorado did a nice job with some adjustments.”

Andre and Sencire Harris accounted for dunks on consecutive WVU possessions, and Harris scored from close range again with 5:41 left for a 63-59 advantage.

After Baskin scored on a second-chance opportunity with 2:28 left to bring the Buffaloes to within 66-63, Yesufu scored on a drive to the basket.

With WVU’s lead again back to three on its next possession, Yesufu produced the game’s most important basket, scoring with his left hand on a drive that amounted to a conventional three-point play and a 71-65 advantage with 1:23 remaining.

That was the end of eight straight WVU points produced by Yesufu, who entered averaging 4.1 and had scored more than seven once over his first appearances in a Mountaineer uniform.

“They were doing a nice job on Javon in the second half, so we wanted to put the ball in Joe’s hands a little bit more,” DeVries said. “He has great speed and at that point in the game, that’s what we needed was somebody that could get downhill and be able to get to the rim a little bit more.”

Small made 3-of-4 free throws to help the visitors up their lead to nine, and the Buffaloes never got the deficit inside of six over the final minute.

Yesufu made 6-of-9 shots in his season-high scoring output.

Small led all players with 26 points and seven assists.

Andre added 12 points and shot 5 for 5 before fouling out, while Powell finished with 10 after a scoreless second half.

WVU was without Tucker DeVries for a seventh straight game and freshman KJ Tenner for a second straight contest.

“We’re a little shorthanded, so we do get fatigued sometimes in the second half,” DeVries said. “[Colorado head coach Tad Boyle] did a really good job. He played a lot of guys and they had fresh bodies that kept coming at us. We just don’t have the amount of bodies we need to sub and we got in a little foul trouble on top of it. We got worn out a little bit, but we had just enough. Joe, being a little more fresh than the other guys, was able to kind of will us to the last finish line.”

Julian Hammond III led Colorado with 23 points and was 8 for 8 on free throws.

Assane Diop added 13 points and was 6 for 6 from the free-throw line.

Colorado out-rebounded the Mountaineers 35-30, but scored only two points off seven WVU turnovers. The Mountaineers also had a 32-26 edge in paint points.

The Buffaloes made only 8-of-23 field-goal attempts after halftime and finished 20 of 48 for the game.

“It was critical that we didn’t let them get a lot of space,” DeVries said. “They have multiple guys that when they get some room have the ability to get it off and they shoot it at a high percentage. We wanted to try to get into some of those ball screens and actions as much as we could to try to make it difficult. The counter to it is that’s where a lot of our fouls started coming. We have to figure out a way to be able to do both.”

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West Virginia

No. 21 West Virginia vs. Colorado Computer Predictions

Published

1 day ago

January 12, 2025

Press Room

No. 21 West Virginia vs. Colorado Computer Predictions

No. 21 West Virginia and Colorado face off in Boulder on Sunday at 3:0 p.m. EST. The Mountaineers are 2-1 in Big 12 play, while the Buffaloes are 0-3 in league play.

Computer models such as BartTorvik, BPI, and KenPom predict the matchup between both teams.

BPI — ESPN BPI gives West Virginia a 59.3 percent chance to win on Sunday. The Mountaineers are expected to win by 2.4 points. The Mountaineers are No. 44 in the BPI rankings while Colorado is No. 86.

BartTorvik — BartTorvik gives the Mountaineers a 65 percent chance to win the game. The projected final score is 67-63 in favor of West Virginia. WVU is No. 25 in the T-Rankings, and Colorado is No. 84.

KenPom — KenPom gives West Virginia a slight edge at a 51 percent chance to win the game. The projected final score is 67-66 in favor of the Mountaineers. WVU is ranked No. 47 by KenPom, while Colorado is ranked No. 81.

Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m. on Sunday and the game will be televised on ESPN+.

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