The 2024 Alamo Bowl features the 10-2 BYU Cougars against the 9-3 Colorado Buffaloes. Here is the 2024 Alamo Bowl Preview.
BYU Cougars
BYU won 10 games this season to qualify for a bowl game. They defeated three teams that qualified for bowl games: SMU, Kansas State and Baylor. Their only loss to a team that didn’t make a bowl game was to Kansas.
The Cougars score 30.9 points per game, ranking 45th in the country. They pass for 238 yards (ranked 55th) and rush for 159.4 yards per game (ranked 73rd).
Jake Retzlaf has starred at quarterback for the Cougars. He passed for 2,796 yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on 57.9 percent completion. Four players have at least 200 receiving yards this season. Chase Roberts has been the leader with 51 catches for 843 yards and four touchdowns.
Three players have done most of the work on the ground for the Cougars. LJ Martin leads the team with 630 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Retzlaf has been effective from the quarterback position with 388 rushing yards and backup running back Hinckley Ropati has been as well with 360.
Defensively, the Cougars allow 20.1 points per game, ranking 18th in the country. They give up 180.3 passing yards and 136.7 rushing yards per game. Harrison Taggart and Isaiah Glasker each have been good at bringing down ball carriers with 65 and 62 tackles respectively. Jack Kelly has the team lead with five sacks. Marque Collins has been impressive in the secondary with seven passes defended and two interceptions.
Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado won nine games to make their first bowl game under Deion Sanders. They defeated three bowl-eligible teams: Colorado State, Baylor and Texas Tech. Their only loss to a team that didn’t make a bowl game was to Kansas.
The Buffaloes score 34.5 points per game, ranking 25th in the FBS. They pass for 327.2 (ranked fourth) and rush for 70.4 yards per game (ranked 134th).
Shedeur Sanders was one of the best quarterbacks in the country this season for the Buffaloes. He has passed for 3,926 yards, 35 touchdowns and six interceptions on 74.2 percent completion. Six players have at least 200 receiving yards on the season. Travis Hunter is their leading receiver with 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Colorado has just one running back that has rushed over 200 yards on the season. Isaiah Augustave is that player with 373 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
On defense, the Buffaloes allow 22 points per game, ranking 37th in the FBS. They concede 204.7 passing yards and 149 rushing yards on the season. Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig and Nikhai Hill-Green have been the leading tacklers with 83 and 82 a piece. B.J. Green has paced the team with 7.5 sacks. Hunter has displayed his talents on both sides of the ball with seven passes defended and four interceptions.
Prediction
With Sanders and Hunter set to play for Colorado, their offense has too much firepower for BYU to keep up. Colorado’s defense is good enough to slow down BYU and cover the spread in the process.
Colorado Buffaloes 43 BYU Cougars 34
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