{"id":448050,"date":"2025-12-15T05:58:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/448050\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T05:58:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:58:15","slug":"jake-retzlaff-preps-for-ole-miss-reflects-on-byu-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/448050\/","title":{"rendered":"Jake Retzlaff preps for Ole Miss, reflects on BYU \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Long before BYU knew it was out of the College Football Playoff, Jake Retzlaff was already in<\/a>. As a result of Tulane\u2019s 34-21 victory over North Texas on Dec. 5 in the American Conference championship game, the Green Wave, led by the former Cougar quarterback, clinched a spot in college football\u2019s ultimate contest.<\/p>\n

Retzlaff and No. 11 Tulane play at No. 6 Ole Miss on Saturday (1:30 p.m., TNT) in a rematch of their Sept. 20 game that didn\u2019t go so well for the Green Wave. The Rebels limited Retzlaff to 56 yards passing and 51 yards rushing in a 45-10 victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited. It\u2019s going to be a great opportunity, especially considering we didn\u2019t even get off the plane when we played those guys the first time,\u201d Retzlaff said. \u201cThis is a chance to make a statement on a national spotlight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last summer, Retzlaff was in the national spotlight for a different reason. A woman filed a civil lawsuit accusing the quarterback of sexual assault. The case was dismissed<\/a> but a looming multiple-game suspension related to BYU\u2019s honor code led Retzlaff to look elsewhere for his senior season.<\/p>\n

Disappointed, but determined, Retzlaff quietly slipped out of town.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had some really good guidance over my career \u2014 people telling me to go out the right way and stay connected to so many people that are important to me,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are a lot of special people at BYU who are family to me, especially in that locker room. <\/p>\n

\u201cI could probably say a lot about how or why I left, but Cougar Nation has been so great to me. I don\u2019t feel the need to tear anyone else down. There are too many guys I care about there to say anything bad about that program.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jake\u2019s detour<\/p>\n

As Retzlaff drove away from the BYU campus last summer, his mind was full of questions. The place he had grown to love was in his rear-view mirror with an open road of uncertainty in front of him. <\/p>\n

\u201cI knew that wherever I went, if there was an opportunity to play, that I\u2019d have a chance to succeed,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I found out it was Tulane, I knew we had a great chance to be that G5 team to break into the playoff.\u201d<\/p>\n

With no guarantee of playing time, Retzlaff had to win the starting job during fall camp and win over the team while he was doing it. As for getting the playbook down, for that he relied on his BYU experience.<\/p>\n

\"\"BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) and his teammates celebrate their won over the Houston Cougars in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. BYU won 30-18. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News <\/p>\n

\u201cI learned a lot about football from A-Rod<\/a> (Aaron Roderick), Matt Mitchell<\/a>, Fesi (Sitake), Harvey (Unga), TJ Woods. I learned a lot from those guys,\u201d Retzlaff said of his former staff at BYU. \u201cSo, a lot of it was just translating the verbiage. I had already done a lot of these things before.\u201d<\/p>\n

That includes winning.<\/p>\n

After being named Tulane\u2019s starter, Retzlaff led the Green Wave to victories<\/a> against Northwestern (23-3), South Alabama (33-31) and eventual ACC champion Duke (34-27) before running into Ole Miss. He followed the loss with another trio of wins against Tulsa (31-14), East Carolina (26-19) and Army (24-17).<\/p>\n

\u201cThis team came together like glue throughout the season,\u201d Retzlaff said. \u201cTruthfully, I didn\u2019t know how it would go with me being so new and trying to get to know the guys. We have grown a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flying high at 6-1 and just outside the top 25, Tulane took a road trip to face UTSA on Oct. 30 in San Antonio. Retzlaff knew he missed BYU, but he didn\u2019t realize how much until Tulane\u2019s team bus pulled up to the Alamodome.<\/p>\n

Emotional return<\/p>\n

Due to his untimely departure, Retzlaff never had a \u201clast game\u201d experience at LaVell Edwards Stadium. There was no senior walk or final hurrah in front of the home fans. But he did have the Alamo Bowl. <\/p>\n

\"\"Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) throws during the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. BYU won 36-14. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News <\/p>\n

\u201cThe emotions that came to me when I walked into that building were the exact same feelings I had when I walked in with BYU,\u201d he said. \u201cI went over to the locker where I had sat at \u2014 it was surreal.\u201d<\/p>\n

In what had to seem like only days before, Retzlaff\u2019s mind raced back to Dec. 28 when his underdog Cougars lit up No. 23 Colorado 36-14. Not only did the victory push BYU (11-2) up to No. 13 in the final AP Top 25, but an Alamo Bowl record 7,996,679 television viewers watched them do it. <\/p>\n

The win catapulted the Cougars into an optimistic offseason and spring practice, fused by the kind of momentum that fuels a contender for the following year. But it wasn\u2019t to be. At least not in the way Retzlaff had thought \u2014 and certainly not in a green and white uniform.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an emotional experience going back to the Alamo Bowl. It just goes to show how I feel about my time at BYU,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m so grateful for my experience and it\u2019s something nobody can take away from me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bleeds blue<\/p>\n

UTSA hammered Tulane 48-26. Retzlaff and the Green Wave responded by winning the next five games to crack into the top 25 and reach the program\u2019s first College Football Playoff. Throughout all of it, he has kept a close eye on his former team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have been so fun to watch. Every time they were on, I was glued to the television,\u201d he said. \u201cBoy, has that little kid, LJ Martin, grown up and become something<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martin rushed for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns during BYU\u2019s 11-2 regular season and was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of our first interactions on the field was during a player-run-practice before our first seasons,\u201d Retzlaff said. \u201cI was getting mad at him because he screwed up a play. It is literally his first day on the field, but that never changed our relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Retzlaff\u2019s departure, BYU turned the offense over to true freshman Bear Bachmeier who earned the Big 12\u2019s Freshman Offensive Player of the Year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe and Bear have a good relationship,\u201d Retzlaff said. \u201cI texted him once or twice during the season.\u201d <\/p>\n

Just as Retzlaff transformed Tulane, Bachmeier led the Cougars to the program\u2019s first Big 12 championship game and a date in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against No. 22 Georgia Tech on Dec. 27 (1:30 p.m., ABC).<\/p>\n

Winning ways<\/p>\n

Retzlaff\u2019s 2025 stats at Tulane are comparable to what he did last season at BYU. He threw for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns for the Cougars, and he is up to 2,862 yards passing and 14 touchdowns for the Green Wave. Retzlaff reduced his interceptions from 12 to 6 and increased his touchdown runs from 6 to 16.<\/p>\n

Retzlaff\u2019s Tale of the Tape<\/p>\n

BYU 2024 | Tulane 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n