Why UCF is kind of team that 'could cause some issues' for No. 11 BYU

PROVO — Just over halfway through the 2024 college football season, No. 11 BYU has surpassed expectations — and still has everything to play for.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for the team initially picked to finish No. 13 in the Big 12 as it heads to Central Florida is to shut off the outside noise in the same way head coach Kalani Sitake's team did when it was the team with a preseason projection of 4.5 wins by the Las Vegas sportsbooks.

Perhaps for that reason, Jake Retzlaff — the redshirt junior quarterback who received one of eight Stars of the Week designations from the Manning Award after throwing for 218 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions in a 38-35 win over Oklahoma State — keeps a screenshot from Pro Football Focus on his phone.

If you've watched any of BYU's television broadcasts this year, you know which graphic that is: the one that lists Retzlaff as the No. 16 starting quarterback in the Big 12, dead last among his peers in the newly expanded conference.

So for the awards, accolades and attention now? It's all gravy, Retzlaff says.

"Keep the main thing, the main thing, no matter what," he added as he met with the media Monday before the Cougars fly cross country for Saturday's game against UCF (1:30 p.m. MDT, ESPN). "It's all cool and it's all fun. All it's going to do is build up the BYU football brand more and I'm just excited for us to be able to put on our game at that level of (media) attention.

"I know our guys are ready for it, and I know that, like I said, we're good at keeping the main thing, the main thing, and that's all I'm thinking about. Whenever something gets posted, I'm excited for it. It's a cool deal to get that recognition but at the same time, I also remember the PFF ranking to start the year. ... In no way are we done, and we're excited to keep this thing rolling."

On paper, the Knights (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) are the exact team that can give BYU fits.

Led by senior running back RJ Harvey, a top-10 tailback in college football averaging 127.1 yards per game with 11 touchdowns, UCF ranks third nationally in rushing offense with 274.8 yards per contest.

That will be met by a BYU team that allows 141.7 yards per game, a rush defense that ranks 64th in the country.

"He's a big-time running back," BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill said on Monday's "Coordinators Corner" coaches show. "The quarterback did a great job of rushing last week, and they have one of the best wide receivers in the Big 12. They've got weapons … and we need to come up with a great scheme to stop this running attack."

Added Sitake: "There are a lot of things they do that could cause some issues for us."

The message was pounded home to BYU players Saturday, or at least the ones who finished with medical treatment and put their feet up to watch college football around the country.

That would have included UCF, which led then-No. 9 Iowa State at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa, until the bitter end, when quarterback Rocco Becht plunged in for a 1-yard touchdown with 30 seconds left to lift the Cyclones to a 38-35 victory that handed the Knights a fourth straight loss.

"I think their record does not speak for how good of a football team they are," Retzlaff said. "They're probably the best 3-4 football team in the country, and probably a lot better than a lot of people who have better records than them. They fly around. They do a lot of good things defensively, especially — I mean, you guys saw the way the Iowa State game ended on Saturday.

"I know this is a really tough team and they played them really tough. I know they're going to play us really tough, especially since they'll be at home. So going to their place, it'll be a fun trip."

Harvey finished four yards shy of the 200-yard mark in Saturday's loss, which was the 12th game of his career with 100 yards or more and a pair of touchdowns. The Orlando native has run for 3,105 yards in his UCF career, the fourth-most in the history of the 45-year-old program.

He did it with a new quarterback, too, as Miami transfer Jacurri Brown made his first start — and also ran for a career-high 154 yards that included a 67-yard scoring run that put the Knights up 28-14 in the third quarter.

"UCF has a dynamic run game," Sitake said. "That is going to be difficult for us. They created havoc. … We're really looking forward to this game."

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