Jake Retzlaff says BYU football's offense is about to be great Deseret News

Which BYU offense will emerge Saturday when the No. 11 Cougars take on a UCF football team that looks totally capable of playing the spoiler role in Orlando at FBC Mortgage Stadium?

Will it be the one who opened last Friday's game against Oklahoma State with a 75-yard touchdown drive and closed it with four straight scoring drives in the second half?

Or will it be the one who committed three turnovers in the first half and made a run in the second quarter after a promising drive sputtered into OSU territory?

Quarterback Jake Retzlaff says it will be the former.

The junior college transfer said Monday that the BYU offense is so close to reaching its full potential that he would be extremely disappointed if the Cougars (7-0, 4-0) are slowed by the Knights (3-4 , 1-3). in Big 12 battle in the Sunshine State. Kickoff is at 1:30 PM MDT on ESPN.

We're like a play away, a play or two plays away, Retzlaff said. Everyone has taken small steps together and that makes a big difference on the field. We're here, dude. We are on the threshold.

That was pretty much the sentiment of BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Rodericks on Tuesday as he spoke to reporters after a practice that both he and defensive coordinator Jay Hill said was one of the best of the season.

We did a lot of good things (against OSU), but the most important thing is that we take care of the football this week will be very important, Roderick said.

BYU was able to get away with three turnovers at home. Retzlaff threw two interceptions and Hinckley Ropati ran back the other on a gadget play that was doomed from the start but probably can't repeat that at UCF's Bounce House if it wants to keep its perfect season intact. .

The Cougars were scheduled to travel to Florida on Thursday to get an extra day to acclimatize, a common practice in the Kalani Sitake era when the games are two time zones away.

It's tough, but I think we have a good plan. We've done it a lot during our time as self-employed, so we have a pretty good plan for it, says Roderick. Last year we didn't play well when we went two time zones away (to West Virginia). We have to do better than that. But I think we have a good plan and I expect us to play well.

Retzlaff hopes the same running game that gained 255 yards against the Cowboys travels to Orlando.

He picked up 81 of those yards on the ground, while sophomore LJ Martin ran 20 times for 120 yards and showed he has fully recovered from an injury that forced him to miss three full games and much of another.

LJ is 100% (healthy), and that's the man we know and love, Roderick said. We missed that. I thought he played very well and we expect more from that.

Roderick said Ropati, who rushed for 47 yards, also played well. The OC put Ropati's pick on himself, saying OSU was in a different defense than he expected and should have had a way for Retzlaff/Ropati to control the play.

“I've put him in a tough spot,” Roderick said.

On the other hand, Roderick Retzlaff had prepared perfectly for the two-minute attack that ultimately won the match.

It felt like the days when we were running this offense the way it was supposed to be run. I thought the offensive line was physical, LJ was running (well), we were in a rhythm, Roderick said. And the run game sets our play action pass, and vice versa. We have to keep making progress. We're getting better, but we're still nowhere near where we want to be in the run game.

The Cougars will likely be without receiver Kody Epps for another week.

Offensive lineman Connor Pay hopes to return for the Utah game on Nov. 9 after breaking his foot in the 34-28 win over Baylor.

Roderick said OL Sonny Makasini will be back, but declined to say whether Makasini or third-string Bruce Mitchell will get the start at center.

Mitchell got the (middle) job out of necessity and had done very well, Roderick said. We have a lot of confidence in Bruce. Sonny was also playing great before he got hurt.

A big key to the offense's success has been efficiency in the red zone. The Cougars are No. 23 nationally in that category, with a conversion rate of 92.3%. BYU has scored 18 touchdowns and made six field goals in 26 red zone trips.

We're only getting better every week. Coach A Rod has done a great job of implementing things, as have the rest of the coaches, just getting us on track and preparing for games, Martin said. I feel like we're getting better week by week, and this week is another step in trying to get better.

Martin said he had doubts about his return, but in the end it felt like cycling again.

“I was doubting myself a little bit, I was just coming off my injury and I wasn't sure if I still had it,” he said. Being able to do that really gave me a confidence boost.

As for Retzlaff, his confidence is sky high, but he doesn't take anything for granted.

I've talked about this before: Keep the bottom line, the bottom line, he said. That means going out and winning games. Whether it's us being hyped or going out there and being the underdog, we know we were the only people who knew what we were going to do this season.

Cougars in the air

No. 11 BYU (7-0, 4-0) at UCF (3-4, 1-3)

Saturday, 1:30 PM MDT

At the FBC Mortgage Stadium (capacity: 45,301)

Orlando, FL

TV: ESPN

Radio: 102.7 FM/1160 AM