Houston (4-7, 3-5 Big 12) at No. 19 BYU (9-2, 6-2 Big 12)

• Start: Saturday, 8:15 p.m. MDT
• Venue: LaVell Edwards Stadium (capacity: 62,073)
• TV: ESPN
• Live stream: https://www.espn.com/watch
• Radio: KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM/BYU Radio Sirius XM 143.
• Series: BYU leads 3-0
• Weather: Sunny and dry conditions are expected throughout the day, but unfortunately this start starts at 8:15pm when it will be significantly colder but still dry. The temperature is expected to be around 30 degrees around kick-off and drop to 20 degrees as the game progresses.

The trends

For BYU: The Cougars have lost two straight games, both games by one score, and are currently tied for first place in the Big 12 with three other teams: Arizona State, Iowa State and Colorado. To get to the Big 12 championship game in their second season in the league, the Cougars must win and either ASU or ISU must lose on Saturday.

The Cougars have fallen to No. 19 in the College Football Playoff rankings and appear to be able to advance to the CFP only by winning the Big 12 Championship Game.

BYU is trying to post its 19th 10-win season; Head coach Kalani Sitake coached BYU in two of those other 10-win seasons, 2020 and 2021.

For Houston: These Cougars, who wear red, have had problems with BYU in the past and are 0-3 against Provo’s blue-clad team. The schools last met in 2020, with BYU overcoming a 26-14 deficit to win 43-26 at TDECU Stadium in Houston.

The last time Houston played in Provo, BYU won 33-25 in 2014 as Jamaal Williams and Taysom Hill combined for 323 yards.

Houston has lost two straight games – at Arizona and at home to Baylor – after beating No. 17 Kansas State 24-19 in Houston.

What you should pay attention to

BYU had some season-ending injury problems, with linebacker Harrison Taggart suffering a concussion in the 28-23 loss to Arizona State in Tempe. Taggart has a concussion and is unlikely to play against Houston. However, defensive coordinator Jay Hill said safety Wakley should be back after Wakley missed the ASU game with an undisclosed injury.

The Cougars will look to establish their rushing attack in the cold of Provo and not rely on Retzlaff and standout receivers Chase Roberts and Darius Lassiter to handle so much of the offense. That means sophomore RB LJ Martin and senior RB Hinckley Ropati are constantly being called upon to get things going on the ground.

Before the game, BYU will honor 20 outgoing seniors, although some who are still eligible — like tight end Mason Fakahua — have not officially declared they are moving on.

The Houston Cougars have to get used to the cold quickly. According to the school’s game notes for the regular-season finale, the average kickoff temperature for Houston’s first 11 games was 80.5 degrees. In just one game this season, Houston has played when the temperature was below 65 degrees at kickoff. On November 15th it was 58 degrees in Arizona.

Temperatures in the low 30s to high 20s are expected in Provo on Saturday.

Zeon Chriss has started the last six games at QB for the Cougars and completed 63.2% of his passes for 668 yards. He also ran for 376 yards and is a true dual-threat QB, BYU DC Jay Hill said Tuesday.

Key players

Jake Retzlaff, junior, quarterback, BYU: Retzlaff is No. 26 nationally with 20 passing touchdowns, but hasn’t quite been able to get the Cougars into the end zone when it really mattered in the last two games as the Cougars came up short against Kansas and Arizona State. Retzlaff’s numbers against the Sun Devils were great, especially after the officials added a 49-yard throw to Chase Roberts in the Hail Mary vs. ASU to the record books.

For BYU to win Saturday night, Retzlaff will need to return to his pre-Kansas form, which means performing better in the red zone and avoiding costly turnovers. If he can do that, BYU should be able to score more points in Houston and post double-digit wins in the regular season.

Quotable

“This is for the seniors. This is their final appearance and this will be our last time with them at LaVell Edwards Stadium. We want to focus on them and do our best for them. … We’re preparing for a team like Houston that is dangerous and has beaten some teams and surprised some along the way.” – BYU coach Kalani Sitake.

“In my opinion, this is our bowl game. This is a big deal for us. I am looking forward to it. I have a lot of respect for what coach (Sitake) has done there at BYU. They had a great season. It will be an opportunity for us to test ourselves.” — Houston coach Willie Fritz.

Next

• BYU: Either the Big 12 championship game on Dec. 7 in Arlington, Texas, or a bowl game at the end of the month
• Houston: Season over

BYU schedule

• August 31 – Defeated Southern Illinois 41-13
• September 6 – Defeated SMU 18-15
• September 14 – Defeated Wyoming 34-14
• September 21 – Defeated Kansas State 38-9
• September 28 – Defeats Baylor 34-28
• Oct. 5 – Bye
• Oct. 12 – Defeated Arizona 41-19
• October 18 – Defeated Oklahoma State 38-35
• October 26 – Defeated Central Florida 37-24
• November 2nd – Bye
• November 9 – Defeated Utah 22-21
• November 16 – Lost to Kansas, 17-13
• November 23 – Lost to Arizona State, 28-23
• November 30 – Houston