Cougs Daily

Top Performers from BYU's 34-14 Victory Over Wyoming

Casey Lundquist

Sep 14, 2024; Laramie, Wyoming, USA; Brigham Young Cougars wide receiver Chase Roberts (2) makes a catch against the Wyoming Cowboys during the first quarter at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium.
Sep 14, 2024; Laramie, Wyoming, USA; Brigham Young Cougars wide receiver Chase Roberts (2) makes a catch against the Wyoming Cowboys during the first quarter at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium. / Troy Babbitt-Imagn Images
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On Saturday night, BYU cruised to a 34-14 victory over the Wyoming Cowboys. BYU improved to 3-0 on the season as they prepare for the conference opener against Kansas State next Saturday. Here were the top performers from BYU's 34-14 win.

1. Chase Roberts - WR

Chase Roberts is BYU's undisputed top wide receiver after three games. Roberts was Retzlaff's top target against Wyoming, reeling in 6 catches for 129 yards. The back-shoulder fade throws between Retzlaff and Roberts were BYU's best offense on Saturday night.

2. Keelan Marion - WR

There aren't many kick returners in BYU history that have returned kickoffs for touchdowns. On the first play of the second half, Marion took the kickoff 103 yards for the score. The blocking was great at the point of attack, and Marion did the rest, weaving in and out of would-be tacklers for the touchdown. That was the first kickoff return for a touchdown at BYU since Adam Hine in 2014.

That was an important moment of the game. That touchdown essentially ended the game and squashed Wyoming's hopes of a comeback.

3. Jake Retzlaff - QB

After a rough start, quarterback Jake Retzlaff settled in and finished with 353 yards of total offense. Retzlaff was 22/36 for 291 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He also had 62 rushing yards to lead the Cougars in rushing.

The stat line, frankly, was a little misleading. Retzlaff made some bad decisions that could have resulted in more interceptions, and he missed a few open wide receivers. His performance against Wyoming was certainly a step forward compared to his performance against SMU, but there is still room for improvement from Retzlaff.

He was productive enough, but he still needs to clean up some mistakes.

Retzlaff's last touchdown throw was his best of the game. Retzlaff calmly evaded the rush, maintained good footwork, stepped up into the pocket, and delivered a strike to Darius Lassiter for the 20-yard touchdown. It's plays like that touchdown to Lassiter that show his potential. Retzlaff's ceiling has always been high. Rather, it's been a matter of raising the floor. If he can do that, he can be a good quarterback for BYU.

Next week, he will have to prove it against P4 competition.

Jakob Robinson - CB

Jakob Robinson locked down the Wyoming wide receivers on Saturday. He had three pass breakups, tying a career high. He also had three solo tackles.

Pokaiaua Haunga - RB

BYU was without its two top running backs against Wyoming: LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati. BYU turned to Miles Davis, Sione Moa, and Pokaiaua Haunga in their absence. Haunga, a true freshman, took his first college snaps against the Cowboys. Haunga ran for 35 yards on 5 carries - an average of 7 yards per carry. The other BYU running backs averaged 1.6 yards per carry.

He also had one catch for 11 yards.

Haunga flashed his potential and he made a case for more reps against Kansas State, especially if Martin and Ropati are unable to play.

Jack Kelly - LB

BYU linebacker Jack Kelly looks like BYU's best pass rusher through three weeks. Kelly had BYU's lone sack against Wyoming. He finished with three tackles including one tackle for loss and a sack.

Raider Damuni - S

BYU rotated a lot of players at safety against Wyoming. Raider Damuni is starting to emerge at that position. He looked like the highly-touted recruit when he signed with BYU out of Timpview. Damuni had four total tackles which was tied for the most on BYU's defense despite playing partial snaps.

He also had an interception on a free play for Wyoming. The interception didn't count, but he showed off his ball-hawk ability on the play.

Harrison Taggart - LB

Harrison Taggart is turning into one of BYU's most reliable players. Taggart had four including a tackle for loss on the first play of the game.

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Casey Lundquist

CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.

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