Just believe: BYU football’s confidence in Keelan Marion rewarded in win at Wyoming
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- BYU junior returner Keelan Marion returns a kickoff for a touchdown during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- BYU junior returner Keelan Marion returns a kickoff for a touchdown during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- BYU junior returner Keelan Marion returns a kickoff for a touchdown during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- BYU junior returner Keelan Marion returns a kickoff for a touchdown during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- BYU junior returner Keelan Marion (17) celebrates with his teammates after returning a kickoff for a touchdown during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- BYU sophomore wide receiver Parker Kingston makes a catch during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- BYU junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff throws a pass during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- BYU senior tight end Keanu Hill scores a touchdown during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- BYU players huddle up before the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- BYU senior defensive lineman Logan Lutui signals fourth down after defensive stop during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- BYU defenders make a tackle during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- The BYU offensive line prepares to run a play during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- BYU junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff attempts to avoid a tackle during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- BYU players celebrate with sophomore defensive back Evan Johnson after he intercepted a pass during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- BYU senior quarterback Gerry Bohanon throws a pass during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- BYU sophomore defensive back Evan Johnson (left) intercepts a pass during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- BYU junior wide receiver Chase Roberts catches a pass during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
LARAMIE, Wyo. — Play it safe or take a big risk?
That’s the question facing college football kickoff returners like BYU junior Keelan Marion on the few times when receiving a kickoff that drops near the goal line.
A touchback or fair catch guarantees that the offense gets the ball at the 25-yard line — but bringing the ball out can be a high-risk, high-reward move.
In the first two-and-a-half games of the 2024 season, Marion had returned five kicks with little success, only having one get past the 25-yard benchmark.
Indeed, in his one return in the first half of Saturday’s game against Wyoming at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyo., Marion had gotten stuffed by the Cowboy coverage team at the 16-yard line.
But despite the lack of success, Marion said Cougar head coach Kalani Sitake had a very clear message at halftime.
“I read the first kick wrong and I was kind of beat up about it,” Marion said. “We went to halftime and Coach Sitake came and looked me in the face and was like, ‘just trust it and hit it.’
Sitake said he wants his returners to trust themselves and the rest of the return team.
“Kelly Poppinga has done a great job coordinating our special teams, but it takes 11 guys to do exactly what he wants,” Sitake said. “When they do, good things happen. Keelan needed to trust that the guys in front of him were going to do their job. I’m just glad it all worked out.”
So when Marion trotted out to receive the second half kickoff, he decided he was just going to make the best play he could.
Most BYU fans at the game or watching TV likely initially thought it was a bad idea (many said as much on social media), but Cougar junior wide receiver Chase Roberts explained that this is how this team approaches the game.
“That’s BYU football,” Roberts said. “We are aggressive. We just told Keelan we got it, like, just trust it. There’s a hole, and we saw it on the last play. We’re tough, we’re resilient, and we’re going to keep being aggressive.”
And the dividends this time were game-changing as Marion found a gap, dodged a couple of diving tackles and cruised into the end zone for the 100-yard TD.
“I actually was shocked myself,” Marion said with a grin. “I didn’t even know how to celebrate or anything. I just went and huddled with the guys.”
It was the first time since 2014 that BYU scored on a kickoff return (Adam Hine, 99 yards vs. Virginia), the first time it happened on the road since 1998 (at Hawaii) and the first time since 1996 that the Cougars had a 100-yard return (James Dye, 1996 vs. UTEP).
That play turned the 10-point Cougar halftime lead into a 24-7 advantage and set the tone for the rest of the contest, as BYU rolled to the 34-14 victory.
“I think that gave us a different type of juice,” Marion said. “Everybody had a different type of pep. They stepped up. The defense came and hyped me up. When defense is out there, we know they are going to go get a stop. We just need to stay in control, not panic and bring our own juice.”
The Cougars started the game strong, with touchdown passes from junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff to senior tight end Keanu Hill (20 yards) and senior wide receiver Kody Epps (3 yards) to build a 14-0 advantage.
But — aided by a couple of costly BYU penalties — Wyoming answered with a short TD run to cut the Cougar advantage in half.
“Up 14-0, you got the feeling that if we could get another score it would really make things difficult for them,” Sitake said. “But then they scored and it felt like we should have more points on the board.”
But as the game moved toward halftime, BYU was able to get a field goal, Marion’s TD return and another field goal to regain control.
“The last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half are a crucial part of game,” Retzlaff said. “They call it the middle eight. If you win those middle eight minutes, the odds of you winning the game are like 90-something percent, which is super high. It’s an interesting statistic that a lot of people look at.
“We did a good job of finishing the half strong and getting the points (although I wish we got seven there) and then coming out in the second half firing. The offense was fired up to go score on our own, but when Keelan does that for us, then we’ll be happy all the time.”
Each team added a touchdown with the Cougars getting a 20-yard pass from Retzlaff to senior wide receiver Darius Lassiter and Wyoming scoring on late with BYU’s reserve defenders in.
Sitake said the Cougars need to improve but he was pleased his squad got the job done on the road.
“It wasn’t perfect, but we got to play some complementary football,” Sitake said. “The guys have worked really hard. We are excited with where we are at right not, but we’re not satisfied. We’ve got to keep working but we are going to celebrate and appreciate the wins.”
