Here’s what’s going on inside Darnell’s head.

The BYU-Oklahoma State football game made many Cougar fans want to leap into the air just like Tyler Batty on the fake punt play.

Like Batty, they probably should have led with their shoulder instead of their groin.

Reality can be painful.

This is the end

Cougar fans, you wanted this.

You wanted BYU to be playing for something in November.

You hoped the Cougars would be playing for more than just a bowl berth, but in Year 1 of the Big 12, that was the stakes on Saturday in Stillwater.

The game started with a fumble and ended with a fumble. In between, BYU battled, made errors, recovered and eventually lost a game it led by 18 points at halftime.

The past two weeks showed the Cougars had plenty of potential but failed to realize it for much of the season. Oklahoma State is headed to the Big 12 championship game and BYU pushed them to two overtimes. Last week, the Cougars probably should have beaten Oklahoma and the Sooners finished the regular season 10-2.

BYU is done and done.

You’ve heard of a one-trick pony? On Saturday, the Cougars were a one-half pony. Leading 24-6 at halftime was simply too good to be true and couldn’t be sustained against a good team.

Now it’s time for Perfectly Rational Overreactions (PRO’s).

PRO No. 1: Aaron Roderick’s conservative play calling in the second half killed the BYU offense.

Armed with an 18-point lead, Roderick’s play calls seemed pretty conservative but belies a bigger problem: He didn’t trust Jake Retzlaff to thrown downfield. Ironically, with under a minute to play, Roderick had to let Retzlaff throw and he led the Cougars to a game-tying field goal.

Oklahoma State made some significant defensive adjustments at halftime and the Cougars were never able to counter. The offensive output, at least until the final field goal drive, was dreadful in the second half. That might say more about personnel than play calling, but it’s probably a bit of both. Retzlaff has had a problem with turnovers and maybe more aggressive play calling would have resulted in more giveaways. Still, what did BYU have to lose in opening up the offense in the second half and staying aggressive?

PRO No. 2: Retzlaff’s quarterback play cost BYU the game.

Retzlaff never got on track as a runner or a passer against the Cowboys, though he did score two TDs on goal line plays. For most of the game he was wild and erratic as a passer. Perhaps someone with his unusual throwing mechanics will always struggle in a cold, wet weather game. Yet Retzlaff did direct a game-tying drive in the final minute and led the Cougars to a touchdown in the first overtime period. In the post-game, Retzlaff talked about needing the reps to identify what opposing defenses are doing. He got reps in four games this season and completed less than 50% of his passes. That’s not good enough and he knows it.

What really cost BYU the game was that Oklahoma State was able to utilize its playmakers better. Ollie Gordon II ran 34 times for 166 yards and five touchdowns. Leon Johnson III (9 catches for 132 yards) and Brennan Presley (9 catches, 90 yards) ran circles around the Cougar secondary. Alan Bowman threw two interceptions but also finished with 31 completions for 321 yards.

BYU’s offensive production from Retzlaff (14 of 30, 161 yards), Aidan Robbins (16 carries, 74 yards), Kody Epps (5 catches, 53 yards), Isaac Rex (3 catches, 23 yards) and Chase Roberts (1 catch, 4 yards) pales by comparison.

Rex and Roberts with only four catches between them is almost criminal in its underuse.

Is that on Retzlaff or Roderick? “Both” may sound like a cop out, but it’s true. Retzlaff needed to execute better and Roderick needed to find more plays that produced success. That’s his job and the second half was not good enough.

PRO No. 3: BYU’s first year in the Big 12 was a huge failure.

Losing five in a row to end the season after a 5-2 start is surely disappointing but most experts figured BYU would win five or six games in its first Big 12 season. The Cougars played Oklahoma and Oklahoma State tough and with a couple of more plays might have finished with two wins. I’m still not sure what happened against TCU, Texas, Iowa State and West Virginia. That BYU team was not competitive. But the final two games were much, much better.

Finally, PRO No. 4: BYU needs major changes for 2024.

You mean like the major changes that took place in 2023? The Cougars had more than 60 new players on its roster (more than 30 from the transfer portal) and a mostly new defensive staff. How did all of that work out?

Was it the lack of overall talent in the transfer players that led to a subpar season or was it coaching? How about all the injuries? How much of BYU’s struggles were simply because it took a huge step up to the Big 12 and played one of the most difficult schedules in school history?

I feel like the Cougars need to build some continuity for 2024 and not just fire everybody and get rid of a bunch of players. A more measured approach, with additional resources added because of Big 12 money kicking in, would result in more improvement and a stronger culture.

The knee-jerk reaction is to blow it all up, but there is something to be said for making careful decisions, not rash ones.

Who Carried the Boats and the Logs? (BYU version)

There are several candidates, so let’s detail them. If the Cougars had pulled out a victory, I might have chosen Retzlaff. I know he had bad stretches in the game, like most of the second half, but if he could have led BYU to victory in double overtime that would have showed he is a gamer. I still think he has potential but needs to make a lot of improvement as a passer in the offseason. I would also mention kicker Will Ferrin, who was pretty much automatic the last half of the season and hit the game-tying 48-yard field goal with ease. Tyler Batty was great in the first half and his fake punt catch-and-run was one of the highlights of the game. But my boats and logs carrier is cornerback Eddie Heckard, who had two interceptions including a pick-six. He was such a great playmaker and is everything BYU is looking for when it goes to the portal. Too bad he’s done after just one season.

Cheap old man rant

Took my family bowling at BYU on Black Friday. For five of us to bowl one game, it was $50 plus tax.

Apparently, BYU is charging Big 12 prices for everything now.

Seems like it was just a few years ago I could take my family bowling for $20 to $25. BYU charges $4 for a pair of rental shoes. TO RENT SHOES FOR AN HOUR THAT HAVE BEEN WORN BY THOUSANDS OF OTHER PEOPLE AND ARE UGLY.

Plus, my son Devin beat the tar out of me. So it was a lose-lose situation.

Taking big steps

The BYU men’s basketball team that won the Vegas Showdown with convincing wins against Arizona State and North Carolina State is NCAA Tournament worthy.

The Cougars are experienced, deep and selfless. Those qualities will go a long way, even in the Big 12. I know that league will be a grind but I definitely feel like BYU has a better shot now than I did before the start of the season.

Finally got a look at Aly Khalifa in extended minutes and liked his contribution. Noah Waterman was the Vegas Showdown MVP and there probably isn’t any Cougar fan who thought that would be possible after last season’s middling performance.

BYU is 6-0 to start the season and a Top 10 KenPom team, which is also a bit of a surprise.

What’s in a name?

We’ve been shortening Fousseyni Traore’s name for years now but never settled on a spelling.

Is it “Fouss?” “Fous?” “Foos?” Somebody give me some help here.

Epic win

I was live at BYU’s 4-3 comeback victory against North Carolina in the NCAA women’s soccer Elite Eight and I still can’t believe what I saw. At that level of college soccer you simply don’t expect a team to rally from a 3-0 deficit against a quality opponent like the Tar Heels. Kudos to all those BYU fans that stayed through the cold and snow to celebrate the final whistle. That was an all-timer, for sure.

By the way, #sportswriterproblems: I was on a tight print deadline and with 30 minutes left in the match (BYU down 3-0) I had my story mostly finished. Had to rewrite it and barely made my deadline. But that’s OK. The result on the field was worth the extra effort.

That’s all for now, but for this: Fine, I won’t give up. But I will swear the entire time.

Don’t worry, I’ll be in a better mood next week. Finish November strong and have a great week.

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