Undefeated No. 11 BYU, a slight underdog against UCF, doesn't demand respect, it deserves it

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — No. 11 BYU is undefeated but isn't taking anything for granted.

The reality of college football is that a loss can derail championship ambitions, and the Cougars know that in their bid to win the Big 12 Championship and secure a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff , there is hardly any room for error.

BYU (7-0, 4-0) visits reeling UCF on Saturday and is a 2 1/2-point underdog, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. This despite the fact that the Cougars are undefeated and the Knights (3-4, 1-3) have lost four times in a row.

Quarterback Jake Retzlaff appears unfazed that some observers remain skeptical about how good BYU could be.

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“Our team has done a good job of making sure the main thing remains the main thing, which is to go out and win games,” Retzlaff said. “We know whether it's about being hyped or being the underdogs, the only people who knew what we were going to do this season are us. Regardless of what it is, we still have the mentality to prove people wrong.”

BYU survived a close call last week when Retzlaff threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Darius Lassiter with 10 seconds left to beat Oklahoma State 38-35. The Cougars began the winning streak with 1:13 left, rushing 75 yards in eight plays to keep pace with 10th-seeded Iowa State (7-0, 4-0) atop the tight Big 12 standings.

Four other teams, including Colorado and No. 16 Kansas State, have a loss in conference play.

BYU coach Kalani Sitake expects whatever opponent remains on the schedule will test the team's mettle down the stretch.

“We’re at a point where we thought we could be,” Sitake said. “It doesn't matter if people believed us or not. We can control what we can control and achieve it every week.”

New QB has settled in

UCF made a surprising move to bench senior transfer quarterback KJ Jefferson and turn to freshman EJ Colson and sophomore transfer Jacurri Brown. Brown eventually earned the starting spot and will keep it against BYU after the Knights nearly upset Iowa State on the road last week.

“I’m really excited about him,” UCF coach Gus Malzahn said. “His potential is truly extraordinary.” He has as good an arm as anyone in college football. I like the way he acted. He ran physically, he ran hard. The moment wasn't too big. There’s a lot of really good things to build on with him.”

Running back RJ Harvey had a big game against Iowa State, rushing for 154 yards and two touchdowns in UCF's 38-35 loss. Brown was 8 of 20 passing for just 62 yards.

Malzahn said the Knights will look for more balance against BYU.

Run wild

When BYU took on Oklahoma State last week, the Cougars expected to get a hefty helping of star running back Ollie Gordon. What they didn't expect was that quarterback Garrett Rangel would also be out of control.

Gordon rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns, gaining 50 of those yards in one play. Rangel made it 77 on the ground as the Cowboys almost surprisingly came out of the field. Oklahoma State finished with 269 rushing yards, the second most BYU has had this season.

The Cougars' run defense numbers will be tested again on Saturday. UCF leads the Big 12 in rushing with 280.3 yards per game. Harvey averages just over 127 yards per game.

“They have so much offense,” Sitake said. “It's difficult to prepare for everything.” That's what we have to do. That is the challenge. I think they have different ways to hurt you. They're all things we've seen. But they are a very dangerous team. We have to tackle things well and be operational.”

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