PROVO, Utah (AP) — Back-to-back losses have left BYU needing outside help to secure a spot in its first Big 12 championship game and play for a bid into the College Football Playoff.
Beating Houston on Saturday would only be a first step. No. 19 BYU (9-2, 6-2 Big 12, No. 19 CFP) also needs a loss from either Arizona State or Iowa State to clinch a title game berth. A win by both teams — or a BYU loss — will end any lingering playoff dreams.
Still, simply getting back on track after close losses to Kansas and Arizona State is a more immediate concern than stressing over tiebreaker scenarios.
“You can’t really be concerned with what everyone else is doing,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “We just got to be focused on this game.”
Houston (4-7, 3-5) has a stout enough defense to make life tough for BYU’s suddenly erratic offense. Their matchup promises to be a low-scoring slugfest. Houston leads the league in total defense (321.9 yards per game) just ahead of BYU (323.1). Both teams are equally stingy with points where BYU ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring defense (20.3 points per game) and Houston is fifth (22.3).
Getting bowl eligible is no longer an option for Houston following a 20-10 loss to Baylor, so this game offers a different kind of motivation. It gives Houston a chance to close a tough season on a high note by ending BYU’s conference title hopes.
“Shoot, this is our bowl game in my opinion,” Houston coach Willie Fritz said. “This is a big one for us. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve got a lot of respect for what Coach (Sitake) has done there at BYU. They’ve had a tremendous season. It’s going to be an opportunity for us to test ourselves.”
Late surge
BYU rallied from a 21-point deficit against Arizona State, scoring on three straight drives after halftime before falling 28-23 to the Sun Devils. Jake Retzlaff’s interception with a minute left doomed the comeback. BYU did get a final play near midfield with one second remaining. Retzlaff completed a Hail Mary pass to Chase Roberts, but defenders brought him down at the Sun Devil 2.
Early offensive ineptitude played a role in BYU needing to convert on a last-minute drive for a third consecutive game.
The Cougars had scored only two offensive touchdowns over a span of 12 quarters going into halftime against Arizona State. They had totaled a combined 35 points against Utah and Kansas after scoring 34 or more points in each of their first five Big 12 games.
“It shouldn’t take a fire to be lit under us like what happened,” Retzlaff said. “It was obvious we were not out of it. It came down to one play at the end.”
Barbay out
Houston made some changes on offense this week. Fritz fired offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay on Tuesday. Shawn Bell, the quarterbacks coach and passing coordinator, will assume play calling duties against BYU. Barbay had previous stints as an offensive coordinator at Central Michigan, Appalachian State and Mississippi State before joining Houston this season.
Houston currently ranks last in the FBS in scoring offense (13.6 ppg) while also ranking last in the Big 12 in total offense, passing offense and yards per play. The Cougars are scoring 6.6 points per game in their seven losses and have been shut out twice by Big 12 opponents.
A midseason switch at quarterback from Donovan Smith to Zeon Chriss did not boost offensive production. Houston did not score an offensive touchdown against Baylor or Arizona and has been held scoreless on offense in four of five Big 12 losses this season.
All-purpose impact
BYU receiver Keelan Marion was named one of the three finalists for the Jet Award, given to the top return specialist in the FBS. Marion leads the FBS with two kickoff return touchdowns and ranks seventh nationally with 26.8 yards per return. He has returned 17 kickoffs for 455 yards.
Marion tops BYU with 832 all-purpose yards this season. He has tallied 2,179 career all-purpose yards over four seasons split between BYU and Connecticut.
Dual threat
Houston quarterback Zeon Chriss has thrown for 668 yards while completing 63% of his passes and added 376 rushing yards in his six starts. Chriss is one of four Power Four underclassmen to tally at least 600 passing yards and 375 rushing yards this season.
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