Morgantown, W.Va. • It felt like the calls became deafening. After starting quarterback Kedon Slovis threw for two interceptions and under 200 yards in a loss to Texas, the fan base’s yearning to see a new quarterback reached a boiling point.
Their logic was clear: A new quarterback could solve BYU’s issues.
A week later those fans got what they asked for. With Slovis dealing with an injury that kept him sidelined, in came Jake Retzlaff.
The result? A 37-7 loss to West Virginia.
And the reality? The problems always extended far beyond Slovis and the quarterback position. Even on a night where Retzlaff played well — throwing for 210 yards — he couldn’t make up for BYU’s other deficiencies.
Somewhere in a 30-point blowout — that was nearly a shutout minus a last-second rushing touchdown — the truth set in. BYU is a flawed team, and it will have to claw its way to the postseason to get one more win.
“It felt like they could just do whatever they wanted,” head coach Kalani Sitake said. “We couldn’t create any momentum. We couldn’t get things going. We got to be better. We lost the game in all three phases.”
BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) is rushed out by West Virginia's Edward Vesterinen (96) during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Morgantown, W.Va. (AP Photo/Chris Jackson)
It was hard to tell which phase played worse.
On defense, BYU was overpowered. West Virginia ran for 336 yards and had two running backs get over 100.
From the onset, West Virginia dared the Cougars to stop the run. They couldn’t, and it was clear from the opening drive. West Virginia marched 75 yards down the field and averaged five yards per carry for a touchdown. That was actually better than the rest of the game, where West Virginia averaged seven yards a rush.
BYU allowed 12 carries of 10 yards or more. It would give up 206 yards on those plays.
“We knew they were going to come out and establish the run,” safety Ethan Slade said. “...There was definitely an emphasis on gap contain and assignment. We just need to do a better job. Missed assignments, missed tackles can lead to big plays and we definitely had a lot of those.”
The offense only compounded the issue. Retzlaff ran into the same problems that Slovis dealt with for the first two months of the season.
The running game was no help, going for 67 yards and 3 yards per carry. The receivers dropped passes, including a would-be first down in the third quarter to Isaac Rex. And BYU dug itself a hole quickly by going for it on fourth down twice and not getting it.
The first time, near midfield in a 7-0 game, Sitake elected to go for a fourth down-and-two by calling a run-pass-option. BYU was stopped and West Virginia scored five plays later to make it a two-score game.
“I have to rethink it,” Sitake said. “If we aren’t having a lot of success on that, maybe don’t do it.”
Perhaps the biggest issue that glared its head was the offensive line’s blocking. Retzlaff was running away from sacks most of the night. Even as he went 24-of-42, many of his throws came off of one foot as he scrambled away. Sitake put it bluntly when he said the pass blocking has regressed.
“Yeah,” he said on whether the offensive line hit a new low. “Felt like there were too many whiffs. Too many unblocked guys whether it was run blocking or pass protection. It wasn’t good enough. Jake battled. I don’t know if you guys agree with that. But I thought he played hard. Threw the ball with great velocity and accuracy. I like what he did in the game.”
West Virginia's Preston Fox, top center, catches a touchdown over BYU's Kamden Garrett (7) during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Morgantown, W.Va. (AP Photo/Chris Jackson)
It underscored the point — that it was always bigger than a quarterback’s play. That is why going into the fourth quarter, BYU’s offense was staring at nine straight quarters without a touchdown.
And now BYU has to deal with that reality as the final three weeks of the season come into focus.
It needs one more win to get to bowl eligibility. Making a quarterback change won’t solve it, regardless of whether Slovis is healthy enough to come back against Iowa State.
And so in the next three games, BYU will have to find ways to solve its bigger problems. Because getting to the postseason is more than just a measuring stick of success, it is a critical piece of the program’s future.
“We have got to find way to get that bowl eligible win,” Sitake said. “Take advantage of the extra game. ... Extend the season and extend our opportunity to develop our guys still.”
Saturday, though, it looked like finding one more win was hard. Sitake only agreed.
“It is going to be tough film to watch,” he said. “We got to watch it and learn from it.”
