Ralphie VI, the prized Buffalo mascot, made the trip to the Alamo Bowl. He was all set for his traditional pre-game sprint across the field before kickoff. But instead of his powerful strut down the field, when released from his holding area just casually strolled about 30 yards down the field. His handlers did turn him around after about 30 yards when he finally decided to jog off the field. It turned out to be quite the omen for Deion Sanders’ team. Thanks to a terrific defensive effort by BYU, the Cougars secured an Alamo Bowl victory by the score of 36-14.
NFL Talent Under Pressure From Opening Kickoff
Colorado made headlines leading into this game with the amount of insurance money they secured to protect the financial futures of some of their big-name players. The Buffalos had all of their future NFL draft picks suited up and playing all four quarters (someone will have to explain that Cam Ward decision in the Pop-Tart Bowl another time). But BYU was not intimidated at all. Colorado had only 61 yards of offense in the first half, with 58 coming off a single Travis Hunter reception. One of the major factors in the small offensive output was the 40 yards in sacks Shedeur Sanders took. Colorado’s best first-half drive resulted in a missed field goal.
The second half began with more of the same. BYU forced an interception by Sanders, which would be the first of two in the second half. The biggest difference was BYU capitalized on the turnover by converting it into a touchdown drive to push their lead out to 27-0. Hunter’s final stat sheet looked like many he had all season. He finished the game with four receptions for 106 yards and one touchdown. Without Hunter’s production, the total offense for Colorado totaled just 104 yards.
BYU’s Special Teams Major Factor
The Cougars held a 20-0 halftime lead despite having a -2 turnover margin in the first half. But it was the BYU special teams that made some unexpected plays. BYU recovered a surprise onside kick in the second quarter. While the Cougars were unable to do anything with the extra possession, it wouldn’t be the last time the special teams had an impact. Later in the second quarter, a 64-yard punt return touchdown by Parker Kingston. The special teams plays were huge especially combined with timely big plays by Kalani Sitake’s offense.
Cougar Offense Made Necessary Plays
It was a great thing the BYU defense played one of its best games in this Alamo Bowl victory. The offense had a total of three interceptions in this game, two of which were thrown by quarterback Jake Retzlaff. But the Cougar offense never ran into major troubles moving the football. BYU finished with just 331 yards of total offense. They had 22 first downs to Colorado’s nine. But it was BYU’s ability to convert third downs that was the highlight for the night. The Cougars were an incredible 8-for-14 on third-down conversions.
Alamo Bowl Victory Caps Off BYU’s Best Season In Over A Decade
With this Alamo Bowl victory, BYU finished off its 14th season of its 100-year history of winning at least 11 games. The Cougars never appeared to have gotten a fair evaluation from the playoff committee. Once they lost their first game of the season, they were no more than a passing afterthought. But, losing two games when they did and missing the Big 12 championship game put them in a position to be left out.
So while BYU fans had a right to be salty about the end of the regular season, it was clear the players moved on quickly from it. This was a dominating Alamo Bowl victory over a very talented Colorado team that gave plenty of Big 12 teams problems this season. With the returning production BYU has in 2025, they will enter next season as one of the pre-season favorites to win the conference.
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