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BYU’s Darius Lassiter takes a selfie with fans after the Cougars’ 38-35 win over Oklahoma State at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Friday, Oct. 19, 2024.

Courtesy of BYU Photo

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BYU’s Jo Jo Phillips (13) delights fans after the Cougars’ 38-35 win over Oklahoma State at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.

Courtesy of BYU Photo

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Here’s what’s going on in Darnell’s head after another very late night at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

“Vampire Cougars”? How about Vampire Sports Writers?

Honestly, I’m pretty surprised that I’m still covering an undefeated college football team.

The Cougars weren’t great on Friday night, especially on defense, where it didn’t look like tackling or defending the read option was part of the practice plan last week. The offense also had three turnovers.

But when the game was on the line, magic happened.

Or luck, if you believe most Ute fans on social media, who amazingly stayed up all night to watch BYU-Oklahoma State and then tried to overturn the Cougar win until the wee hours of the morning.

What is the term? Oh yes. “Rent free in their minds.”

Good and/or lucky

Luck plays a pretty big role in sports, and anyone who has ever played or watched a game or competition has experienced both sides.

Sometimes you get breaks, and sometimes the breaks go against you.

A big shout out to Oklahoma State for making good use of their bye week and playing really well on offense. Their game plan called for the BYU defense to trail most of the game. The Cowboys’ attempt to take the 17-play lead in the final two minutes was pretty incredible. OSU converted three third downs and two fourth downs on this drive.

When OSU coach Mike Gundy was asked after the game if a performance like Friday would give his team the momentum to “do things right,” he replied, “I think we did it right tonight, right.” ?”

Another piece of wisdom from Gundy: “College football is a pass/fail game.”

Yes indeed.

Good? Happy? Doesn’t matter.

All that matters is the BYU win. It passed test number 7.

Go to test #8.

Now it’s time for Perfectly Rational Overreactions (PROs) after BYU’s stunning 38-35 win over Oklahoma State.

PRO #1: Darius Lassiter is absolutely uncatchable and BYU’s best receiver.

Lassiter had some nice moments as a BYU receiver, but he became a star on Friday. When asked if he celebrated with Retzlaff after the decisive move, he simply replied: “I don’t know anymore.” Players somehow lose their minds in such situations and no one can blame them.

Over the last three games, Lassiter has 19 catches for 335 yards and two touchdowns, including two 100-yard performances. He has good size (6-2, 210) and deceptive speed. While Chase Roberts is probably Jake Retzlaff’s favorite third-down receiver, Lassister is a big-play guy who has started to develop really good chemistry with his QB.

PRO #2: BYU’s defense has some serious issues.

There are a few things on defense that concern me. The tackles have been below average in the last two games. Due to the constant substitutions, experienced regular players seem to be on the sidelines and newcomers on the field in key situations. The way the Cougars defended the read option was atrocious. Kalani Sitake said there was a “hero’s ball” going on with the boys trying to do too much instead of reaching their 1/11, and that sounds right.

Then there’s BYU’s late-down performance: Arizona was 11 of 19 on third downs two weeks ago. Oklahoma State was 9 of 13 on third down and 2 of 2 on fourth down, meaning they kept their offense alive on 11 of 13 opportunities. OSU missed a field goal on one of those drives, forcing the Cougar D to force exactly one punt all night.

I know this group came into Friday’s game ranked No. 1 in pass efficiency defense, but sometimes the numbers lie. I see what I see. BYU can’t get off the field and it will cost them dearly if they don’t get third downs.

PRO #3: Jake Retzlaff is having his defining moment as BYU quarterback.

The mark of a great player is that he goes big when it matters most. Retzlaff didn’t have his best game on Friday. He threw two interceptions and at one point it looked like he injured his left shoulder while making a tackle on one of those picks. But Retzlaff made this final trip possible. His throw to Lassiter was money, but his decision to turn up instead of going out of bounds to stop the clock resulted in 20 additional yards that made the game-winning play. This is a bold move as there are just over 30 seconds left.

After the game, Retzlaff was asked what he loved about his team. He said: “The way there is no shying away. We know who we are.”

Weird stat of the year: Retzlaff has thrown for 218 yards in each of the last three games.

Finally PRO #4: BYU is now 7-0 and a team of destiny.

What does it take for you to believe?

Close encounters are a part of special times of the year. The 1984 team was honored before Friday’s game, and that national championship season outlasted Hawaii (an 18-13 win), Wyoming (41-38), Air Force (30-25) and finally Michigan in the Holiday Bowl (December 24). -17). ). When the Cougars went 14-1 in 1996, there were narrow wins against Texas A&M (41-37), New Mexico (17-14), Wyoming in the WAC Championship Game (28-25 in OT) and finally Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl championship game ( 19-15).

A team of destiny? It’s a nice twist, but it doesn’t bring you any more victories. The Cougars need to continue to improve and close the gaps on defense. Hey, BYU is at UCF next week and the Golden Knights entered Saturday ranked No. 4 in the country in rushing offense (268 yards per game). That will be a challenge.

Who carried the boats and the logs?

Who can choose between Retzlaff and Lassiter?

I can.

Retzlaff had his comeback moment and Lassiter finished the game with great plays. We tend to give the quarterback most of the credit (and blame), so I’ll stick with The BYU Jew. His story is fantastic, from his religion, to his journey after missing his senior year of high school due to COVID, to accepting the junior college challenge, to overcoming a difficult start to his Cougar career last season . How can you not love Jake?

Impress me

I’m not a big fan of fireworks. You’ve seen fireworks, you’ve seen pretty much everyone. The effort of finding parking, finding a good spot to watch them, and then navigating the crazy traffic home is no longer worth it to me.

However… What if all these fireworks shows are replaced by drone shows?

Count me in.

The amazing drones at LES on Friday night generated BYU logos, lyrics to the Cougar fight song and even one where it formed the shape of a football player (No. 12, according to Retzlaff) throwing the ball.

This is “Spiderman: Far From Home” level stuff. I’m surprised there wasn’t a big reveal where a curtain was pulled back and Mysterio was shown operating the controls.

Remember, remember

If you get a chance, read a few stories about the 1984 national championship season. One is from Bill Connelly at ESPN.com (“Why BYU’s 1984 national title still matters in college football”) and another from our own Daily Herald (“40 Years Later: Former BYU-SID Ralph Zobell Recalls the 1984 National Championship Season”).

I was serving a church mission in 1984 and our mission president gave us permission to watch the game. It started late in the Eastern Time Zone (I was in Ohio) and most of the other missionaries were asleep when Robbie Bosco threw the winning touchdown pass to Kelly Smith in the final moments of the Holiday Bowl.

Paranoid trainers

The entire episode with Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham and quarterback Cameron Rising is over (we think) after it was announced that Rising’s season-ending injury. After weeks of hesitating over whether Rising is healthy enough to go, the Utes can hand things over to rookie Isaac Wilson and move on with their season.

The whole thing makes me laugh. Whittingham told reporters he didn’t want to give his opponents a competitive advantage by telling them who was starting at quarterback.

What’s so funny? Hey, ALL trainers are paranoid freaks. Even if he had announced Rising as the starter, the opposing coach would STILL prepare for Wilson due to the paranoia of not being prepared for EVERYTHING.

That’s all for now, but just one thing: There’s a Starbucks AND a Dutch Bros just a block from my house. I thought I lived in Utah. When did I move back to Oregon?

BYU fans have a few weeks to recover before the next home game (November 16 vs. Kansas). Take a deep breath and enjoy your week.