A tale of two halves, though fitting, doesn't seem nearly strong enough to describe what happened in Waco, Texas, on Saturday.
For the first hour-and-a-half of the game, it looked like every blue-goggled expectation was merely an understatement and No. 22 BYU would be taking a trip to Arlington in December. But as the sun reached its peak and the game wore on, the Cougars started to see the ghosts of last year's conference games they let slip away.
The Cougars managed to sweat out the win, 34-28, in a messy, stress-inducing game against Baylor on Saturday.
Unlike last week, it was BYU's offense that controlled this game early on, scoring four touchdowns and a field goal in the first half alone.
Quarterback Jake Retzlaff started particularly hot in Waco. The junior quarterback had 180 yards and two touchdowns with a 76% completion rate and a 204.2 passer rating heading into the locker room at halftime.
The Cougars' ground game also was uncharacteristically steady in the first half. Averaging 5.3 yards per rush and 106 yards total, BYU was able to control the line of scrimmage the first 30 minutes of gameplay, opting to run it 20 times to just 18 pass plays.
The Cougars got on the board quickly and didn't seem to want to stop. They rattled off four touchdowns on their first four drives, two passing and two rushing scores. The last of those scores was a 44-yard bomb from Retzlaff to Darius Lassiter. Lassiter ended the game with eight catches for 120 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, the Cougar defense seemed to be on the same trajectory. Baylor's first play of the game was a pass that got tipped at the line and picked off by Blake Mangelson. The Bears' next drive ended in a turnover on downs it looked like BYU's trip to Waco would end in a blowout in its favor as the Cougars went up 21-0.
Baylor looked to avoid the rout and scored a touchdown on its very next drive to make it 21-7. It was the first touchdown given up by the BYU defense in two weeks. The Bears started to get momentum offensively and were able to find the endzone again before the half ended, as the Cougar defense started to show some cracks in the secondary.
BYU ended the half with a 54-yard field goal from Will Ferrin, a new career high. The score at halftime stood at 31-14 in favor of the Cougars.
The second half of this game was nothing short of a nightmare for BYU. The Cougars managed to score another field to open the second half and that was it. BYU's final five drives of the game resulted in two punts, two interceptions and a missed field goal. It looked like an entirely different team trotted onto the field. Retzlaff's second half looked like road to glory on Heisman difficulty: 36 yards, four completions on 17 throws and two interceptions.
The run game was floundering as well. Senior captain and starting center Connor Pay left the game with an apparent ankle injury and the offensive line was never the same. The Cougars managed a measly 2.3 yards per carry in the second half. The offense had 286 yards in the first half and 81 yards in the second.
The identity of this year's BYU team has always been its defense and it was time for them to step up and win the game. Surprisingly, it was the Bears' passing game torching the Cougars. Sawyer Robertson, who had never thrown for over 250 yards in his collegiate career, ended with 324 yards and three touchdowns, both career highs.
It seemed that every time BYU ran zone, Robertson was able to navigate the pocket until someone managed to get open and he found a receiver. When the defense tried to play man, Robertson would throw to the receiver with the weakest matchup and more often than not, he won. Robertson completed eight throws in a row at one point in the fourth quarter. Baylor converted four fourth downs as it seemed that the Cougar defense just couldn't find a way to get off the field.
With 10 minutes to go in the game, the Bears scored on a 23-yard end zone shot to come within a touchdown of BYU, 34-28. After a couple of punts from both teams, BYU had the ball on its 46-yard line and five and a half minutes to play. On third down, Retzlaff forced a throw that got tipped at the line of scrimmage and picked off. With the ball at the Cougar's 45-yard line, Baylor was in a position to take the late lead.
BYU's defense was put in the position to not only hold the Bears but save this game from an embarrassing collapse. With under two minutes left, Baylor was threatening inside the Cougar's 25-yard line. On fourth down, Robertson dropped back to pass and sailed a pass over his intended target's head, covered by none other than Jakob Robinson.
After a quick three-and-out from BYU, the Bears had their final shot to win it. With a minute left and one timeout, Robertson took a shot downfield. Crew Wakley, a safety recently named a starter, read the play and undercut the throw to intercept it and seal the game for the Cougars.
After a less-than-ideal performance, BYU's defense came through again. Robertson only completed two of his final ten passes, the final one being the interception that gave the Cougars the game. BYU's defense ended the day with three sacks, five TFLs, six pass breakups and two interceptions, as well as forcing two turnover-on-downs.
It was shaky, to say the least, and thousands of BYU fans across the country are considering therapy, but you can't take wins for granted in the Big 12. It was the Cougars first-ever Big 12 road win and moved them to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in conference play.
BYU now has a much-needed bye week before its matchup with Arizona in two weeks. The extra time off will give the growing list of injured players time to rest and the coaching staff plenty of time to prepare for the Wildcats elite quarterback-receiver duo.
For now, Cougar fans can enjoy their first 5-0 start since 2021. This BYU team has shattered expectations already and there is just a slight hint in the air that this season might be something special.