BYU 34-28 Baylor (September 28, 2024) Game Recap

WACO, Texas — BYU safety Wakley saw the ball as it was thrown into the air, even though he couldn't actually see the Baylor quarterback. The 22nd-ranked Cougars were still undefeated after he stepped up and caught the ball.

“Shoutout to the D-line, they were all right in his face,” Wakley said. “It’s like a fly ball. …I knew as soon as it left his hand. I thought, “I got this,” to do the piece.”

Wakley's diving interception near midfield just in front of the Baylor bench with 59 seconds left ultimately secured Saturday's 34-28 victory. The Cougars never fell behind but had to hold on after twice building a three-touchdown lead before halftime as Jake Retzlaff scored two points and scored another.

“It’s a little dramatic at the end,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “I would like to see how we close the deal. … But I was proud of the team, proud of the way the guys responded, their response to adversity and in the game and their willingness to stick together. That was something special.”

The Cougars (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) earned their first Big 12 road win, and the defense took the lead late after a turnover and a quick three-and-out.

Retzlaff's second pick after halftime was a deflection that 337-pound nose tackle Elinus Noel III intercepted to give the Bears the lead at the BYU 45 with 4:01 left. Baylor (2-3, 0-2) was stopped on a fourth-and-six with 1:47 left in the 24th, but still had all the timeouts and got the ball back with just 13 seconds left BYU went with a threesome.

“The way the boys finished, they were resilient until the end,” said Retzlaff. “This will give you a win with a fast start.”

Baylor was up 34-28 after Josh Cameron toeed in a 23-yard touchdown catch on the other side of the end zone with about 10 minutes left. Cameron had seven catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns.

Retzlaff was 13 of 17 passing for 180 yards and two touchdowns, not counting a behind-the-line pass to Chase Roberts that counted as a 2-yard TD run, as the Cougars held a 31-point halftime lead. 14 built. They led 21-0 in the first quarter and were ahead 28-7 after a 44-yard TD by Darius Lassiter, who caught eight passes for 120 yards, with 9:32 left in the first half.

But Retzlaff was just 4 of 14 for 36 yards after halftime.

Baylor's Sawyer Robertson completed 27 of 48 passes for 324 yards. He had three touchdowns and threw two interceptions.

The Cougars led 7-0 just 6 1/2 minutes into the game. Baylor's only offensive snap at that point was a pass that was deflected straight into the air by 290-pound nose tackle John Nelson and intercepted by defensive tackle Blake Mangelson.

Takeaways

BYU: The Cougars are 5-0 for the third time in five seasons, having reached that mark just two other times (2001 and 2008) since their undefeated championship season in 1984. BYU was 2-7 in the Big 12 last year after playing as an independent for the past 12 seasons.

Baylor: Two weeks after ending a nine-game home losing streak against FBS teams with a 31-3 victory over Air Force, the Bears lost their eighth straight conference home game since beating Kansas on Oct. 22, 2022.

Another heartbreaker

A week earlier, the Bears lost 38-31 in overtime at Colorado when they missed a late field goal before the Buffaloes scored a Hail Mary touchdown on the final play of regulation, then won when Baylor scored on its OT possession in the end zone fumbled.

“Our second halves were really good. Our offense has strengthened, our defense has strengthened. So we know what kind of team we are,” Baylor linebacker Caleb Parker said. “We just have to start like this. We have to start fast and just play like we are, be confident and trust that we can win. Because we can.”

Impact on the survey

The Cougars are sure to be ranked for the second year in a row. But they may not advance much, if at all, after having to hang on until the end rather than convert those big early leads into a one-sided win.

Next

BYU: Has an open date before hosting Big 12 newcomer Arizona on Oct. 12.

Baylor: Plays at No. 18 Iowa State next Saturday night.

——

AP College Football: and Subscribe to the AP College Football newsletter: