Keelan Marion's rare kick return touchdown gives BYU a 3-0 start against Wyoming

LARAMIE, Wyoming – BYU needed a fresh start after building a 17-7 halftime lead against former conference rival Wyoming.

Keelan Marion was happy to provide it.

The redshirt junior wide receiver carried the opening kickoff of the second half 100 yards for a touchdown that helped the Cougars to a 34-14 victory over their former Mountain West rivals and handed the Cowboys their third straight loss to start the year on Saturday at War Memorial Stadium.

Marion's kick return was the first by a BYU player in a home game since Adam Hine against Virginia in 2014. It is BYU's first kick return touchdown on the road since Oct. 17, 1998 against Hawaii.

Jake Retzlaff completed 22 of 36 passes for 291 yards, three touchdowns and an interception and rushed for 62 yards on six carries (the most yards on his team) for the Cougars, who improved their record to 3-0 for the second consecutive season.

Chase Roberts caught six passes for 129 yards; and Keanu Hill, Darius Lassiter and Kody Epps each caught a touchdown from Retzlaff.

But that outcome didn't quite live up to the expectations of the former junior college star from California when Wyoming's Wrook Brown intercepted a pass at the goal line on BYU's first offensive series.

After a dominant defensive performance against SMU, BYU's defense held the Cowboys to 40 yards of offense in the fourth quarter.

Retzlaff found Keanu Hill for his first touchdown of the season midway through the quarter, a 20-yard checkdown pass to the free tight end, who sprinted unchallenged into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

Epps doubled the lead on the Cougars' first drive of the second quarter, scoring a 3-yard touchdown at the corner pylon after a nine-play, 74-yard drive with 9:12 left in the half.

It was Epps' first touchdown since Oct. 15, 2022 at home against Arkansas – a game the Cougars returned to last year with an away game in Fayetteville.

Evan Svoboda shortened the lead for the Cowboys by completing 5 of 6 passes during an 11-play, 75-yard drive, including a 24-yard pass to Clay Nanke, before converting a point-six from two yards out with 5:11 left.

With 45 seconds left, Will Ferrin kicked another 49-yard field goal to give BYU a 17-0 halftime lead after outscoring the Pokes 251-102 in the first half.

The visiting Cougars made 0 of 5 third downs and trailed 1-0 in turnover margin at halftime.

But the guests had a lead of ten points – and Marion extended this to 24:7 with a kickoff return of officially 100 yards, which began almost three yards from his end zone.

On the next drive, Marion made an 11-yard catch on third and fourth downs, ending a streak of 16 consecutive third-down misses that led to Ferrin's 37-yard field goal.

Retzlaff increased the score to 34-7 with his third touchdown throw of the evening. It was a 20-yard shot over the middle that Lassiter stretched over the goal line. The Cougars opened the fourth quarter with Evan Johnson's first career interception and finished confidently.

Svoboda completed 14 of 32 passes for 140 yards and one interception and ran for 32 yards and two scores for the Cowboys. Tyler King caught three passes for 52 yards for Wyoming.

This story will be updated.