Cougar offense sputters in squandering 18-point halftime lead to No. 20 Oklahoma State

In some version of the world, BYU may have beaten two ranked Oklahoma schools in its inaugural season in the Big 12.

But in reality, where the Cougars reside, they weren’t good enough the past two weeks, even when in dire need to get to a bowl game with a sixth win.

Instead, BYU finishes the season with no wins in its last five after a 5-2 start.

That makes for a long winter.

On this day, BYU put out a plate of candy for its faithful.

Then dropped the offering on a wet, cold ground.

“We went toe-to-toe with two of the best teams in the country and came up short, but it showed what we are capable of doing, but missing out on a bowl game hurts,” BYU QB Jake Retzlaff told KSL Radio afterward.

On Saturday in Stillwater, BYU could not hold on to a 24-6 halftime lead against Big 12 championship-bound Oklahoma State and lost in double overtime 40-34 on a fumble to finish the season 5-7.

OSU coach Mike Gundy had to overcome BYU putting all its chips on the field. “We knew things were coming and they’d play all their cards and we didn’t handle it as well as we could have,” he said.

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The Cougars had every opportunity to beat OSU and would have if its offense was capable of adjusting to the Cowboy tweaks at intermission. BYU could not get past its own 43 the entire second half until the last possession in regulation when Retzlaff led a field goal scoring drive to force overtime.

Isaac Rex is understandably distraught... and emotional... being consoled by his family.

Reality is... #BYU never should have been in that overtime situation. The winning opportunities were numerous in the 2nd half... well before the final play. #BYUSN

— Spencer Linton November 26, 2023

Because BYU couldn’t move the ball in the second half with a huge lead, OSU simply stole momentum. The Cougars couldn’t pass, struggled to run and couldn’t convert third downs, and most of that was due to OSU’s excellence, but a big part was BYU’s poor execution.

“Everyone is upset,” said cornerback Eddie Heckard of the mood after the game with the team. “We were right there and had the opportunities but didn’t make the big plays to make a difference. Everyone is hurt.”

If BYU had scored a touchdown or even made a field goal in the third or fourth quarter, they might have held on for a huge upset as a 17-point underdog.

On seven offensive possessions in that half, BYU often threw on first down for incompletions and faced second-and-10s — an unsurmountable feat — and almost always ran the ball with no success.

It was a wash, rinse, repeat failure.

What happened? Receiver Kody Epps said it is above his pay grade to say, but offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick and other offensive coaches will meet with position groups and reveal what they saw on Monday.

Epps said to have a chance to beat OSU in the last regular-season game is something he’d not want any other way. “Not the ending, but as a competitor, to fight and compete to the end and have a chance in overtime, as a competitor you want to have a chance to make a difference in a game like this,” he said. “I’ve loved being a part of this game, especially with my teammates who want to compete hard.”

BYU had four three-and-outs in seven possessions in the second half. The game ended in second overtime with a strip fumble on Cougar tight end Isaac Rex in the second overtime.

Meanwhile, OSU’s Ollie Gordon tied Barry Sanders’ school record with five touchdowns as the Cowboys simply took advantage of a worn-down BYU defense that got no help with a 24-6 lead from the offense.

Spare me each and every comment in the post game about how this team left it all on the field. This team did not leave at all on the field...

The defense left it all on the field, and the kicker.

The offense was EMBARRASSING.

Bring on next year, with lots of changes.

— Ryan Hancock, BSPhD November 26, 2023

Weber State transfer Heckard had two interceptions, one of them a pick-six to help BYU gain control of the game in the first half after starting with a turnover fumble.

Credit OSU for coming back on BYU, and making big plays on both sides of the ball.

The Cowboys stayed focused and on task and after the half, OSU took away BYU’s Aidan Robbins and put a spy on Retzlaff with the QB run. BYU’s offense couldn’t dial up something else that worked.

As a team, BYU did come ready and prepared to play, but the season-long inconsistency caught up with the Cougars. On offense the pass game was out of sync. Retzlaff tried to find his rhythm and chemistry with targets but managed just a 47% completion rate in this game. Then BYU’s defense, the one that limited OSU to just two field goals in the first half, wore down.

Familiar?

Proud of how finished the season. Seemed like a different squad compared to the team we saw in middle of the year. It’s not easy to come into the facility, recommit yourself every week, and stay motivated during those times. #riseandshout #BYUFootball #GoCougs

— Austin Collie November 26, 2023

BYU will now focus on recruiting with the transfer portal opening up in a few days.

The Cougars won’t get 15 practices for bowl prep. Instead, the team will rehab, train, lift and finish the fall semester with coaches restricted to limited time with players. Head coach Kalani Sitake said he is looking to be creative in how to use the eight hours a week allotted by the NCAA to improve the team; to teach scheme and develop the team’s football IQ.

No bowl game?

Epps said BYU’s team looks at it differently than other teams because of who the coach is.

“A lot of teams don’t make a bowl game and they’d call it a waste, but (with) our team specifically, we don’t view it like that,” he said. “The friendships we have, the bonds that we make with our coaches and university, ... (yes) it is frustrating not to go to a bowl game, but we love this game so much and the unity and love we’ve created, the record doesn’t exemplify what this means to us as a unit and a team.”

This was a growing pains type of season for BYU football.

If lessons learned are applied to Season 2 in the Big 12, it may be applied football science.

But it is obvious the scheme must be better executed and the Cougars need more depth and talent in this new Power 5 endeavor.