'Made too many mistakes': Turnovers doom BYU's upset bid in 31-24 loss to No. 14 Oklahoma

PROVO — Moments before BYU's morningside kickoff against No. 14 Oklahoma, the Cougars pulled off a minor upset by winning the coin toss from a Sooners squad that had won nine of the previous 10.

The Cougars had arguably their most complete performance of the season, but an unlikely upset bid came up painfully short as Gavin Sawchuk ran for 107 yards and a touchdown, and Oklahoma returned an interception 100 yards for another score to move the Sooners to 9-2 and 6-2 in Big 12 play with a 31-24 win Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Jake Retzlaff threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, and ran for 29 yards and another score (as well as a lost fumble), while Aidan Robbins ran for a season-high 182 yards on 22 carries for BYU (5-6, 2-6 Big 12) in its fourth straight loss.

Kody Epps caught six passes for a season-high 90 yards, and Chase Roberts added 45 yards and a touchdown for the Cougars, the 24-point underdogs who certainly didn't play like it — at least, not for extended stretches.

Oklahoma scored 21 points off three turnovers, including Sawchuk's go-ahead touchdown from 16 yards out with 7:57 to go for the Sooners, who totaled just 370 yards of offense to BYU's 390, including 217 on the ground.

"I've probably said this way too many times: We made too many mistakes … but I'm so proud of the guys' fight," BYU coach Kalani Sitake said after honoring 30 seniors, including 15 who have exhausted their eligibility. "There are no moral victories, but I'm glad they should they could play with people on the field.

"Credit to Oklahoma; I think coach (Brent) Venables has done a great job with his team. They're resilient, they fight back, and they cause turnovers the way I wish we could've done."

Before that final stretch, BYU matched the Sooners and their fourth-ranked offense in the country at 505.4 yards per game score-for-score.

After starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel found Nic Anderson for a 3-yard touchdown toss to open the scoring, BYU immediately responded through Retzlaff's 23-yard strike that scuttled to Roberts for a touchdown en route to a 7-7 stalemate by the first quarter break.

The Cougars equalized on a 27-yard score by Jayden Gibson with Retzlaff's 1-yard touchdown toss to Isaac Rex midway through the second quarter.

Talan Alfrey and Crew Wakley posted consecutive pass breakups inside the 10-yard line to hold Oklahoma to a 23-yard field goal, and Will Ferrin beat the horn with a career-long 49-yard field goal to lift the Cougars to a 17-17 tie at the break.

"It gives us the trust and confidence in the scheme, and in each other," said Alfrey, who posted a team-high 10 tackles in the loss. "We have confidence that we can go down and replicate the same thing (next week against Oklahoma State), and even better. There are still things we have to do to take care of business."

The first half and an apparent head injury signaled the end of the day for Gabriel, who exited with 191 yards and two touchdowns on 13-of-21 passing before halftime.

In his place, Oklahoma sent out former five-star freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold in the second half, the No. 11 overall recruit by 247Sports who was initially planning to use his redshirt season before making his fifth appearance Saturday.

Arnold finished with 33 yards on 5-of-9 passing in his fifth appearance of the season for Oklahoma, but also ran for 24 yards on eight carries, keeping BYU's defense honest with his dual-threat nature.

Still, powered by Robbins and a 22-yard run, Retzlaff drove BYU down to the 2-yard line to open the second quarter. But the first-year BYU starter's pass intended for Epps on the goal line found Oklahoma's Billy Bowman instead, and the former four-star defensive back from Denton, Texas, returned the interception 100 yards for a touchdown to put the Soones back in front 24-17.

Retzlaff pulled one back, driving BYU downfield 75 yards on eight plays before a 10-yard touchdown run with 1:19 left in the third quarter. The Cougars outgained Oklahoma 372 yards to 299 through the first three quarters, but Bowman's pick six kept the game level at 24-24.

If Retzlaff is remembered for throwing the pick six, Epps hopes he is also remembered for being the last player to chase Bowman into the end zone, as well as the ensuing touchdown drive that followed.

"It starts with Jake," Epps said. "He threw the pick, and he was the last guy down there, tried to make the tackle, and then comes out and leads the touchdown. It's all about top-down. … I commend Jake for his resiliency and leading us."

But an offense that posted a season-high 217 of its 390 total yards on the ground wasn't enough as the Sooners held on for the win.

After initially pulling a 27-yard field goal attempt, Oklahoma got the ball back with a sack-fumble and Sawchuk made BYU pay for it with a 16-yard scoring run to take the lead, 31-24 with 7:57 to go.

"It was nice," Robbins said of his performance. "It's just a credit to my offensive line for providing me the opportunity to do those things, and (offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick) for making the play calls with the ball in my hands. I commend everybody; we tried to execute at a high level. It just wasn't enough, at the end of the day."

The Cougars close the regular season on the road, next Saturday, Nov. 25, against No. 24 Oklahoma State.

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