Takeaways From BYU’s Last-Second Victory Over Rival Utah
Nov 10, 2024, 4:51 AM | Updated: Nov 11, 2024, 2:12 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – BYU football defeated rival Utah 22-21 to remain unbeaten in the 2024 season.
Here are some takeaways from BYU’s victory.
“Big Game Bill” comes up clutch
BYU kicker Will Ferrin was clutch on Saturday night, making all three of his field goal attempts, including the game-winner, with three seconds remaining from 44 yards out.
Jake Retzlaff referred to Will Ferrin as "Big Game Bill."#BYU #BYUFootball
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 10, 2024
On a night when BYU’s offense was not at its best, the special teams needed to come up big. Ferrin delivered that and played with the confidence that BYU could turn to him with the game on the line.
After the game, BYU QB Jake Retzlaff called Ferrin, “Big Game Bill.”
Poor Clock Management
The two-minute drill has been a point of pride for BYU this season. On Saturday night, BYU’s clock management was poor to close out the first half.
They allowed a lot of unnecessary time to go off the clock before burning their final timeout.
Rivalry breakdown!@Mitch_Harper and @BartleKSLSports recap BYU’s 22-21 win over Utah.#GoCougs #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/DJtem1ohgh
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It backfired after a completed pass. BYU rushed up to the line of scrimmage to spike the ball. Before the snap, Bruce Mitchell was called for a false start with 11 seconds remaining.
Since BYU had zero timeouts, a 10-second run-off ended the half. If three seconds had remained, BYU could have gotten a spike off to attempt a Will Ferrin field goal.
That end of the half drive resulted in zero points. Imagine if BYU had been able to secure three points from Ferrin. It could have changed the outlook and potential finish of the game.
BYU had the ball to open the second half. They burned a timeout before a 3rd & 13 play call. Timeouts are precious in a rivalry game with a history of games coming down to the end. BYU came out of the timeout and ran an underneath pass that then resulted in a loss of seven yards, more than a five-yard delay of game penalty would have been.
Kalani Sitake took ownership of clock management after Saturday night’s win. They need to tighten up in this area down the stretch.
BYU’s 95-yard drive changed everything
Utah was in BYU territory in the third quarter and opted to put the ball and pin BYU deep near their own endzone. BYU’s offense took over from its own five-yard line.
Despite feeling like they were down by 20 points, you looked up at the scoreboard, and BYU only trailed by one possession, 21-13.
BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff and the offense went to work as he connected with Keelan Marion, Darius Lassiter, and Chase Roberts.
The Cougars were aggressive and went for it on 4th & 2 inside the red zone and Hinckley Ropati ran hard and picked up the first down.
A few moments later, Retlaff scored on a quarterback keeper.
That 95-yard drive was critical for BYU to know they could manufacture a big drive against Utah’s stout defense. It served them well at the end of the game when Retzlaff was able to move BYU down the field to set up Will Ferrin’s game-winning field goal.
Keelan Marion is one of the greatest returners in BYU football history
It’s rare for anyone to get a kickoff return for a touchdown. For someone to return two kickoffs for touchdowns, that’s big-time.
Keelan Marion is a difference-maker for BYU. The Cougars trailed Utah 7-3 early in the second quarter. Marion silenced the crowd with a 96-yard kickoff return to put BYU back in front.
The former UConn transfer became only the fourth BYU football player to return two kickoffs for a touchdown in a season. You have to go back to Stacey Corley in 1989 to find a BYU player who has accomplished what Marion has done this year.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
