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PROVO — Jake Retzlaff showed what he could do in his first start of BYU's second season in the Big 12, throwing for 348 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-13 win over Southern Illinois on Saturday.
But late in the night, Gerry Bohanon Jr. — the other quarterback of the Cougars' offseason-long competition that extended through the final day of training camp in August — also showed what made him.
Bohanon's introduction wasn't quite on the level of Retzlaff, who wowed and dazzled from the moment the not-quite-sellout crowd of 63,712 took their seats at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
But as Bohanon took the field with about six minutes remaining to see out the win, a significant roar erupted from the crowd to welcome the former Baylor and USF quarterback to his first home game in Utah.
Not that he noticed it.
"I'm going to be completely honest with you, I'm one of those people who doesn't hear much during the games. It's silent, almost," he said. "But it's good to know that the fans and everybody supported me.
"It was good to be there," he added. "It was a packed house; everybody said it wasn't packed all the way out, but I thought it was an exciting atmosphere to be a part of."
Bohanon transferred to BYU with one final season of college football eligibility, a 24-year-old former Sugar Bowl champion turned journeyman who threw for 2,160 yards and 17 touchdowns with six interceptions in his best season at Baylor in 2021.
But the 6-foot-3, 225-pound dual-threat signal caller from Earle, Arkansas, was beat out by former Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen and was given a fresh start with South Florida.
With the Bulls, he took the starting job and threw for 1,070 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions before an injury to his throwing shoulder threatened his career. He sat out the 2023 season wondering if he'd ever play again before ultimately jumping on the bike and finding a spot in Provo.
It was there that the primary challenger to Retzlaff's claim as the full-time starter found a renewed life in the game and another example that he could overcome hard times.
Of course, so did Retzlaff.
Retzlaff emerged from the competition bigger, stronger and with a renewed confidence in the swashbuckling throwing mechanics of a former baseball player. And Bohanon?
Well, no one likes to lose a competition, but the mature veteran of a cross-country collegiate career handled the decision with the wisdom of a senior statesman that earned his status as an assistant captain as voted by his teammates.
"I've had a lot of adversity in my life, whether it comes in football or life," Bohanon said. "I think football and the adversity you go through is going to help you out in the future. I don't know anyone who goes through life super easy, whether they have a lot of money or they're struggling. I've found it's best to just find happiness in the small moments and the things you enjoy doing. For me, I think it's going to build me up for whatever's going to come in the future."
Like Retzlaff, who is Jewish, Bohanon is not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that sponsors BYU. But after growing up in the Baptist faith, he's fit in seamlessly in a unique culture that is Utah, Provo and the predominantly Latter-day Saint population.
As seamlessly as the transition on the depth chart.
"That's just a testament to Gerry, his character, his maturity level; he's just an incredible guy on and off the field," Retzlaff said. "I've got so much respect for him in all aspects of life. He's an incredible teammate, an incredible father, an incredible leader, and our relationship has not changed very much at all.
"We're still just as supportive of each other as we were all fall camp, in the summer, and the spring. We're just as supportive now and he's done an incredible job being supportive of me and super positive and rallying with everybody else."
Bohanon has seamlessly slipped into the quarterback group behind Retzlaff, a mentor not only to the redshirt junior but also fellow backup quarterbacks Treyson Bourguet, McCae Hillstead, Cole Hagen and Noah Lugo.
It's his final season of college football, and the former Big 12 champion knows he's only one snap, one wrong move, or one misstep away from playing. He isn't hoping for an injury to Retzlaff but knows that in a game as violent as football, it's always a possibility.
He'll be ready, he says, though coaches haven't discussed a specific package of plays — at least, not yet, or not that he would want to tip his hands to the media or opposing teams.
"There's always a threat of him being on the field," said head coach Kalani Sitake, seemingly perturbed at a reporter's question about Bohanon's role with the team.
Bohanon will travel with the team, ready if his number is called, but also supportive of Retzlaff and "the plan" laid out by offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick. That includes for Friday night's game in Dallas at SMU (5 p.m. MDT, ESPN2), where Bohanon will be able to play closer to his family than he's been most of his college career.
"It's pretty close to home, probably about six hours away," he said. "It'll be the closest I've been to my family in a while. I have a lot of family and friends that will come out."
