BYU Plans To Start Jake Retzlaff At QB Against Iowa State
Nov 8, 2023, 6:22 PM
BYU football will start Jake Retzlaff at quarterback against Iowa State. (Mitch Harper, KSL Sports)
(Mitch Harper, KSL Sports)
PROVO, Utah – Start number two is coming up for BYU football quarterback Jake Retzlaff.
BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick announced Wednesday night that Retzlaff will get the nod for a second consecutive week against Iowa State (Saturday, 8:15 p.m. on ESPN and KSL NewsRadio).
Breaking: Jake Retzlaff is going to start against Iowa State at QB for #BYU. #BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/uFhMwwFm1a
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 9, 2023
“Right now, we’re planning on Jake starting,” Roderick said. “Kedon’s improving. He made a few throws today. He’s heeling, but he’s not all the way there yet and we’re unsure if he will be available on Saturday or not.”
Kedon Slovis continues to recover from a shoulder injury and elbow pain that kept him sidelined last week in the loss to West Virginia.
Earlier in the week, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said that Slovis had to “earn the right” to regain his starting position at quarterback despite injuries.
Jake Retzlaff gets the starting nod for the second consecutive week
In relief of Slovis at West Virginia, Retzlaff was a rare bright spot on an otherwise difficult day for the BYU offense. Retzlaff was 24-of-42 for 210 passing yards. He had zero passing touchdowns but no interceptions or fumbles in his first career start.
Retzlaff also rushed for 26 yards on 10 carries to go along with his passing numbers. Some of those runs were designed quarterback run calls.
“I thought he played pretty well. Obviously, we didn’t score enough points. I mean, it’s super disappointing to score only seven points. But he did a lot of good things in that game. He did a really good job. Solid performance, but we have to do better as an offense.”
Getting another start with Retzlaff also allows BYU to get a glimpse into the future. This season will count as a redshirt for Retzlaff. Then he has two years of eligibility remaining. It’s an early audition for him to lay claim to being QB1 for BYU in 2024 and beyond.
“We were hoping to get a chance to see what he could do in these four games anyway,” Roderick said. “There was never a plan necessarily to start him in those games. But we wanted to get him in some. It’s unfortunate for Kedon, but it’s turned out to be a real good opportunity to see what we have in Jake.”
BYU vs. Iowa State
Date: Saturday, November 11, 2023
Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium
Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. (MT)
TV: ESPN
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM) — Extended pregame coverage begins at 6 p.m.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X and Threads: @Mitch_Harper.
