Thunderbirding is the new trailblazing. My attempt at trying to come up with a catchy title as I thought of a way to describe last weeks win and the upcoming schedule did not go well. I thought SUU were the Trailblazers so I originally had “BYU Trailblazing to the SEC” but that didnt really work because Southern Utah aren’t the Trailblazers, they’re the Thunderbirds. (Sorry Utah Tech). So voila, BYU Thunderbirding to the SEC. Here is a picture to just help us all remember.
BYU defeats Southern Utah
BYU looked much more like themselves this last game, defeating Southern Utah 41-16 and moving to 2-0. Now you could say a 25 point win against a FCS team really isn’t that great, but after what we saw in Week 1, this was a huge improvement. The biggest difference that I saw was Kedon Slovis. He returned to his USC form throwing for 348 yards, passing for 4 TDs and rushing 1 TD, and throwing only 1 INT. He was huge and carried this offense.
Our run game was still non existent, with only 46 total yards of rushing, and the offensive line still struggling at times. My thought is to just start LJ Martin from the beginning and mix in Robbins and Smith every now and then. Martin had 6 carries for 27 yards. Thats a 4.5 average but we didnt play him till the second quarter and he only played 4 series for the whole game. Isaac Rex (remember him?) came alive posting 112 receiving yards and 1 TD. Roberts had 83 receiving yards and 1 TD and Lassiter (new transfer this year) had 73 receiving yards and 1 TD.
Our defense was still so so so good! They are MUCH improved from last year and they look it. They mix things up, make it confusing for the QB, and (finally!!!!) get pressure on the QB. BYU did get a little gashed through the air though. They allowed 262 yards passing and one 30 yard TD pass. But they limited the running game and forced SUU to pass most of the game. BYU also forced 2 turnovers with one being an interception. So far now, in each of the first 2 games, BYU has forced a turnover in each game. BYU only has 1 sack so far through 2 games, but are getting a ton of pressure on the QB. The sacks will start coming!
If you want a little something to rile you up, check out these post game comments by the SUU coach on BYU after the game. Is BYU really just “okay”? Is that why we got invited into the Big 12? I know we arent Alabama or Georgia or are a part of the SEC but dang, shots fired.
BYU vs Arkansas in SEC Country
As I write this, Arkansas is favored by 8 points. It was 10 when the game opened and has since decreased to 8 points. Why? Well Arkansas’ top and starting running back, Raheim Sanders, is out for the game. He posted 175 yards rushing on only 15 carries and 2 TDs last year against BYU, so thank goodness. But their backup did just fine last week in his first start posting 15 carries on 82 yards. Arkansas defeated Kent St, 28-6 last week but it wasnt an impressive showing and they should have won by more. But Arkansas still blew them out. That is a similar story to this week’s game. If BYU doesnt come to play, Arkansas can coast to an easy win. BYU should be better than Kent St so I expect a closer game, but BYU needs to be ready, especially on the road in Arkansas.
In my opinion, BYU is playing the 2 best ATHLETES at QB for the season in the next two weeks. Not the best QBs overall, but the best ATHLETES at QB. Those guys are KJ Jefferson with Arkansas and Jalon Daniels with Kansas. We will talk about Daniels next week when BYU opens up Big 12 play, so lets focus on Jefferson. In last weeks game against Kent St he threw for 136 yards with 2 TDs but he also ran for 48 yards on 13 carries. Hes a dual threat and hes going to be hard to stop. Last year against BYU he was incredible. He had 367 yards passing, 5 passing TDs, and 10 carries for 32 yards. But that was BYUs old defense. This is a new and improved BYU defense we are talking about and they finally get to test it against a good QB.
In last years game, BYU was actually winning after the first quarter, 13-7. But the second quarter is where it all went downhill. It will be interesting to see how BYU starts the game and how they maintain their momentum throughout the game. Something to note as well is that Kody Epps is returning for BYU this week, one of their top receivers. BYU has been without him the first two weeks, but it looks like Epps is making a return just when they need him. As we get ready for the game, here are my 4 keys for a BYU win:
- Running game has to get going – at least 75 yards rushing.
- Offensive line has to control Arkansas’ defensive line. Minimal sacks and minimal pressure.
- 2 turnovers by the defense/special teams.
- Kedon Slovis has to go over 300 yards passing with a couple of TD throws.
Is that asking a lot of BYU in SEC Country? Probably, but they have shown they can win there, just ask Tennessee.
BYU will also be debuting their royal oreo uniforms this week. They havent worn them this year and I think they look really good and are one of my favorite uniform combos.
Will BYU Win Again This Year?
If you were to ask this question to ESPN Analytics, they would say no. BYU is not favored, according to ESPN, in any of their remaining games. ESPN’s projection for BYU is to be 2-10 and a part of me could see that happening because we just dont know how BYU will do facing an SEC team and then diving into the Big 12. But at the same time, really? Not one more win against West Virginia or Iowa St or Houston? I guess we will see but im not banking on it.
Other BYU Sports News
In other BYU sports news, the #1 team in the nation, BYU women’s soccer, defeated Utah 6-1 in Salt Lake. They now face TCU in their first ever Big 12 game on Thursday, September 14th in Provo at 7pm MT on ESPNU.
Lastly, here are the Big 12 standings from Week 2. Texas had a huge upset over Alabama vaulting them to #4 in the nation! TCU and Houston kick off the first of the Big 12 conference this week with each looking to start conference play on the right foot.
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