BYU made a big statement, in my opinion, against Southern Illinois, beating them by 28 in Provo. Now they have a another big statement opportunity, on the road, in Dallas against SMU, a fringe top 25 team.

Game Recap vs Southern Illinois

We all got to watch BYU football play their first game. All of the talk in the offseason and preseason ended and it was time to put it out on the field. Jake Retzlaff got the start and showed why he was worthy to be the starter. BYU was only favored by 14 points against a FCS team. It was a little insulting. But BYU came out rocking.

Southern Illinois got the ball first and BYU stopped them, not even getting a first down. A huge win for the defense. BYU then got the ball and went 65 yards for a TD. Ropati had a 1 yd TD run to cap off the drive. During their first drive, BYU rushed for 28 yards and passed for 24 yards. A PI penalty was the other yards. BYU looked good.

Southern Illinois had another punt on their next possession and BYU had a TD on their next drive, never looking back after that. Retzlaff found Freshman Jojo Phillips on a 57 yd TD pass. The ball hung up in the sky for what felt like years, but it was a great throw.

Offensive Stats

Jake Retzlaff finished the game 20/30, with 348 passing yards, 3 TDs, and 16 rushing yards. He had some throws and runs that were questionable and looked like he was a little rusty, but overall, he was much better and improved from last year. Retzlaff made better decisions and was quick with those decisions. He showed improved accuracy as well.

LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati split carries from the RB position. But Martin was the better performer. Martin had 13 carries for 67 yards and 1 TD. He also had a 7 yard TD reception. Ropati also had 13 carries but for 57 yards and 1 TD. They were a great compliment to each other though. Ropati is a bruiser and Martin looked shifty and fast.

Chase Roberts was definitely the go to man for Retzlaff. He had 7 receptions for 108 yards. Jojo Phillips had 2 receptions for 70 yards and 1 TD. TE Mata’ava Ta’ase had a 19 yard reception TE as well. Darius Lassiter didnt play this game because he was fulfilling an NCAA waiver requirement that he was supposed to sit 1 game this year. He will be back against SMU. It will be exciting to have him as he and Roberts were the best performers in fall camp according to offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick.

Defensive Stats

On defense, BYU looked much better in terms of rushing the QB and getting in the backfield. BYU only had 2 sacks but they had 7 tackles for loss. The Cougars also had 1 INT by Jakob Robinson. LB Jack Kelly, a transfer from Weber St, led the team with 5 tackles.

BYU got to see a lot of true freshman also play against Southern Illinois, which was great. 11 total true freshman played:
Faletau Satuala (S) – 14 defensive snaps played

Cody Hagen (WR) – 13 offensive snaps played

Therrian Alexander (CB) – 12 defensive snaps played

Tommy Prassas (S) – 11 defensive snaps played

Ephraim Asiata (DE) – 10 defensive snaps played

Tei Nacua (WR) – 8 offensive snaps played

Jonathan Kabeya (CB) – 6 defensive snaps played

Viliami Po’uha (DE) – 3 defensive snaps played

Orion Maile-Kaufusi (DE) – 3 defensive snaps played

Dom McKenzie (WR) – 1 offensive snap played

Ryner Swanson (TE) – 1 offensive snap played

Satuala, Hagen, Alexander, and Asiata are some highly touted true freshman so it was good to see them get a good amount of snaps and get familiar with the college game. It will be interesting to see how much they play in the next two games, especially against SMU, which is on the road against another P4 team.

Game Preview vs SMU

BYU goes on the road to Dallas to play SMU tomorrow night, Friday night, at 5pm MT. SMU is currently in the “teams receiving votes” section of the top 25. If the rankings went past the top 25, they would be ranked 32nd. SMU has played well. Their first game against Nevada was close, as they only beat Nevada by 5. But they came back next week to destroy Houston Christian by 52.

The Mustangs have played 2 QBs in both of their games. The starter for both of the games was Preston Stone. He is more of a field general and pocket passer. He has 3 TDs and 1 INT through 2 games. Their other QB is Kevin Jennings. He is more of a running QB but he can also through pretty well, so BYU will have to watch for that. BYU struggled against Southern Illinois in containing their running QB as he went for over 100 yards rushing. BYU will have to contain Jennings when he is on the field.

SMU Offense

In their last game against Houston Christian, SMU rushed for 369 total yards. Their main two RBs are Brashard Smith and Derrick McFall, they accounted for just over 175 yards and 3 TDs last game. BYU isnt always the best against top running backs, so containing the RBs and running QB Jennings has to be step 1. I think SMU will try to run the ball pretty frequently. They want to pound BYU and run the clock so BYU’s offense feels rushed and cant operate how they will want. BYU will need to stop the run.

SMU Defense

SMU’s defense is also very good. They are just above BYU at #36 in total yards allowed per game and also in the top 50 for rushing yards and passing yards allowed per game. They are physical and fast. BYU will need to come out physical and fast as well. The offensive line will need to be able to create some holes and protection for Retzlaff and the RBs. This will be a good test for BYU’s offensive line. BYU will need to be able to run the ball so that they can pass. If BYU’s run game is shut down and we have to throw for most of the game, that could be trouble.

Prediction

ESPN gives BYU only a 21.1% chance to win the game and has SMU favored by 11.5. Those are pretty huge in SMU’s favor. They have looked good and have a great defense and know how to mix it up on offense between running and passing. I have been going back and forth on this game. When I first predicted what BYU’s record was going to be at 7-5, that included a loss to SMU. But then I watched some of the game against Nevada and thought for sure BYU could beat them. But then SMU came back and looked really good destroying Houston Christian. This game is also on the road for BYU on a short week.

But BYU also looks much improved on the offensive side of the ball with Retzlaff and the offensive line. This BYU team also just feels different than last year. There seems to be more aggression, assertiveness, and physicalness. This game could be a very telling game in how the season could go against top teams. I think BYU pulls out a very, very close win, 28-27.

BYU Basketball News

Yesterday marked the first day that coaches could go and visit recruits in person. BYU did just that. Head Coach Kevin Young and 3 assistants went and visited 5 star and #1 recruit for the 2025 class SF AJ Dybantsa and 4 star Top 50 recruit PG JJ Mandaquit at Utah Prep in Hurricane, UT. They then traveled to Las Vegas to visit 4 star Top 25 recruit C Xavion Staton before flying to Atlanta, Georgia to do an in house visit with 5 star #6 recruit PF Caleb Wilson. They did all of that yesterday!

If you want to know who the 4 guys that BYU is really focusing on for the 2025 class, its these guys. BYU could create a starting lineup next year of 4 star PG JJ Mandaquit, 5 star SF AJ Dybantsa, 5 star PF Caleb Wilson, and 4 star C Xavion Staton. They would need a SG, but still, that would be amazing!

BYU Fills Last Scholarship

BYU basketball also filled their last remaining scholarship for this season! They had one more for international purposes and it was filled by 6’10 Serbia Forward Mihailo Boskovic. Just when you thought BYU was done adding to the roster this season, they land this guy.

He is 22 years old and has been playing professionally the last few years. He was the MVP at the FIBA U20 Championship in 2022. Boskovic won the MVP award over former Wake Forest forward Bobi Klintman who was just picked 37th overall in the 2024 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons. Boskovic also had a pre draft workout with the Kings last summer and had declared for the 2024 draft before withdrawing his name early.

He is a versatile forward who will immediately push for minutes. Boskovic is athletic, can put the ball on the floor, shoot, and play defense inside. He moves well for a 6’10 forward and can create space for his own shot. He could play anything from Small Forward to Center. With his ability to shoot, create his own shot, and defend, I think he will contribute right away. You can watch some of his highlights here. He look like he is a great shooter!

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