Provo • The Cougars’ undefeated run was over.
And then it wasn’t.
Quarterback Jake Retzlaff brought No. 13 BYU back from the dead on Friday night, finding wide receiver Darius Lassiter for a 35-yard touchdown with 10 seconds on the clock to give the Cougars a stunning 38-35 victory.
Retzlaff led a 75-yard drive that took just over a minute, setting up the miracle moment first with a fourth-down completion and then with a 27-yard run to put his team back within striking distance.
A moment later, the junior quarterback found Lassiter with a strike down the left side of the field. The wideout cut inside, breaking three tackles along the way to securing the score that sent LaVell Edwards Stadium into a frenzy.
“That was out-of-body,” Retzlaff said. “... That was a spiritual experience.”
The Cougars improved to 7-0 with the victory, keeping their Big 12 title and College Football Playoff hopes very much alive.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brigham Young Cougars defensive end Isaiah Bagnah (13) pressures quarterback Garret Rangel (13) during the game between the Brigham Young Cougars and the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Provo on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.
As the clock approached midnight, fireworks exploded in the night sky, the band played and the Cougar faithful celebrated.
“It’s all about having a good time,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said in his television walkoff interview. “You’ve just got to keep fighting. It’s a long game and the guys all kept believing.”
But just over a minute of game time earlier, things looked bleak for BYU.
With time winding down, Cowboy quarterback Alan Bowman found wideout Brennan Presley in the flat for a 6-yard touchdown pass that put Oklahoma State up 35-31 with 1:13 to play.
The Cougars had multiple chances to end the Cowboys’ fourth-quarter drive. The best opportunity: a third-and-13 with 2 minutes to play. But a BYU defense that has been so good all year couldn’t get it done. Bowman hit Presley on a short pass and the senior wide receiver turned it into a 21-yard gain and a first down to extend the drive.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Oklahoma State Cowboys running back Ollie Gordon II hurdles Brigham Young Cougars safety Faletau Satuala (10) on his way to a touchdown during the game between the Brigham Young Cougars and the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Provo on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.
The Cougars led 31-28 after Will Ferrin booted a 41-yard field goal with 9:39 to play in the fourth quarter.
The Cowboys used 17 time-draining plays — 8:26 of clock in all — on the ensuing drive and looked poised to steal the victory.
All Retzlaff and BYU needed was 1:02 to steal it right back.
BYU running back LJ Martin had 120 yards and two touchdowns. Retzlaff finished 13-for-27 for 218 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The quarterback also ran for 81 yards and a score. Lassiter had six catches, good for 129 yards and the game-winning touchdown.
The Cowboys were cruising early thanks to the legs of sophomore quarterback Garret Rangel and star running back Ollie Gordon II. Gordon had three first-half touchdowns and Rangel’s dual-threat ability kept BYU’s defense guessing.
But Rangel left the game with an injury after being tackled at the end of a long run late in the first half.
Bowman, the seventh-year senior who had just lost his starting job, was inserted into the game. He finished 11-of-19 with 81 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Gordon, meanwhile, was significantly limited in the second half by an injury of his own. He still finished with 127 total yards and three scores.
The Cougars will look to stay atop the Big 12 standings when they travel to Florida to take on UCF next Saturday.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brigham Young Cougars wide receiver Darius Lassiter (5) eludes the Oklahoma State Cowboys defense for a touchdown in the final seconds of game play for a 38-35 win to remain undefeated in Provo on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.
