BYU WR Darius Lassiter Will Miss Part Of Alamo Bowl Against Colorado
Dec 18, 2024, 7:14 PM
PROVO, Utah — BYU football will be without one of its top receivers for part of the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.
Darius Lassiter will miss the first half of the All-Big 12 clash against Colorado due to his ejection late in the win over Houston on November 30.
Kalani Sitake said BYU WR Darius Lassiter will have to sit out the first half of the Alamo Bowl against Colorado.
Lassiter was ejected late in the fourth quarter of the win over Houston. pic.twitter.com/AIkYdbBsMf
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 18, 2024
Lassiter had an exchange with Houston defensive back A.J. Haulcy after Jake Retzlaff scored on a seven-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of BYU’s 30-18 win.
Haulcy gave a shove to one of Lassiter’s BYU teammates, which caused the senior receiver to retaliate.
That led to an ejection last month.
Darius Lassiter to miss the first half of the Alamo Bowl
More significant than the ejection from a game that didn’t have the outcome in question is that Lassiter will miss the first 30 minutes against Colorado in the Alamo City.
“He’s going to play, but he’ll have to sit out the first half for the unsportsmanlike [penalty] in the last game,” said BYU head coach Kalani Sitake. “That’s just part of the consequences, you know? You can’t get involved in that kind of stuff. It’s not a fight, it’s a game. It’s unfortunate, but he’ll have 30 minutes to make up for the rest of it.”
Lassiter has been a standout for BYU in 2024. The former Eastern Michigan transfer had 43 receptions for 679 yards and four touchdowns, helping BYU post a 10-2 regular season record.
One of Lassiter’s four TDs was the game-winner against Oklahoma State in October.
“He’s practicing. We’re working on him getting better,” Sitake said about Lassiter. “He’s got some next-level potential, so we’ll just keep working with him. But we’re limited in that way.”
BYU’s WR outlook without Lassiter in the first half of the Alamo Bowl
The absence of Lassiter for a half likely means Jojo Phillips could have an opportunity to start against a Colorado secondary featuring Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.
Phillips, a redshirt freshman, leads BYU receivers this season with the highest yards-per-catch average at 21.1 yards.
BYU also has Chase Roberts, who confirmed on Wednesday that he plans to play against the Buffs. Roberts is mulling over an NFL decision for 2025 at the moment.
Then Keelan Marion, an All-American kick returner, has become a weapon in BYU’s offense on jet sweeps.
True freshman Cody Hagen was the primary backup to Lassiter on the depth chart entering the Houston game. But according to BYU Passing Game Coordinator Fesi Sitake, Hagen is “most likely going to miss the bowl game” due to an injury.
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.
