No. 14 BYU Wanting ‘Identity To Show’ At No. 21 Arizona State
Nov 22, 2024, 2:27 PM
BYU football head coach wants his team's identity to show at No. 21 Arizona State. (Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
(Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
TEMPE, Ariz. – It’s a Top 25 clash in the desert on Saturday as No. 14 BYU football takes on No. 21 Arizona State.
The stakes are significant, as both teams aspire to reach the Big 12 Championship Game and the College Football Playoff.
If BYU wins and rival Utah beats Iowa State on Saturday night, the 9-1 Cougars punch their ticket to Arlington for December 7.
Beyond the Championship implications, head coach Kalani Sitake sees BYU’s first visit to Tempe since 1997 as an opportunity to respond after an upset loss last week to Kansas.
BYU football is looking for their identity to show up against Arizona State
“I’m excited to see these guys play after this [loss to Kansas],” said Sitake. “We faced some adversity. We faced a loss. Now we’re going to learn from it and let’s see what type of team comes out. This is a good moment for our identity to show.”
BYU’s identity has taken a hit in November. The high-flying Cougars, who displayed complimentary football on their way to a 9-0 start, have struggled on offense the past two games.
BYU’s offense has only scored two touchdowns against Utah and Kansas. In last week’s loss to Kansas, BYU had four appearances in the red zone and ended up with six points off two field goals.
Red Zone offense
BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said they didn’t change their usual red zone workload in practice this week. But he’s staying positive about his offense’s potential heading into the stretch run of the regular season.
“There was blame to go around. I have to do a better job for the team,” Roderick said. “We had various position groups who made mistakes in that area on Saturday. Obviously, Jake [Retzlaff] made a really bad throw that he owns up to right before the half. That was a shame. You can’t panic. You’ve just got to keep working at it.
“Like I said, we’ve been good in that area of the field all year. So now it’s time to keep working and get ready for this week.”
Jake Retzlaff struggled last week
A lot of attention will be paid to BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff. The redshirt junior suffered his first loss as a starting quarterback in 357 days.
He finished with less than 200 yards passing and had only 21 yards rushing.
Returning to the efficient leader of the offense will be important for BYU to regain its identity.
At the end of the first half against Kansas, Retzlaff appeared shaken up on his non-throwing arm after a hard hit to the ground. Roderick said there was no concern with Retzlaff’s health coming into the Arizona State game, but he did point out that two weeks ago against Utah, Retzlaff was shaken up.
Retzlaff and the BYU offense will go up against an Arizona State defense that had an impressive performance last week at Kansas State. The Sun Devils held K-State scoreless in the first half and limited the Wildcats to only 14 points and had two interceptions on Avery Johnson.
Like ASU, BYU’s defense is trending entering this Big 12 showdown.
BYU held Kansas to 242 total yards.
BYU football looks to slow down Arizona State
The task doesn’t get any easier as BYU looks to slow down ASU RB Cam Skattebo, Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week Jordyn Tyson at wide receiver, and redshirt freshman QB Sam Leavitt.
Arizona State is 10th nationally in third and fourth down success rate at 48.4%. BYU’s defense is below average at 70th nationally in success on key downs.
However, BYU comes into the matchup with the number one defense in the Big 12, allowing only 315.3 yards per game.
Special teams, the game’s third phase, is also worth watching in this matchup and could prove to be an X-factor. BYU boasts the nation’s top kick return unit, which has returned two kicks for touchdowns this season by Keelan Marion.
Arizona State is 10th nationally in average punt return yardage at 16.0 yards per return.
No. 14 BYU vs. No. 21 Arizona State
Date: Saturday, November 23, 2024
Location: Mountain America Stadium
Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. (MST)
TV: ESPN
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM — Extended pregame begins at 11 a.m.)
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.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.
