BYU Football Game Week — Southern Illinois

BYU hosts Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 6:00 p.m. MDT. The game will be televised on ESPN+.

BYU Football Game Week — Southern IllinoisBYU Football Game Week — Southern Illinois

PROVO, Utah — BYU opens the 2024 season against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 6:00 p.m. MDT. The game will be televised on ESPN+.

Use this page as a one-stop shop throughout the week for everything related to the game. Updates will be made leading up to kickoff, including broadcast plans, news, fan events and game notes. 

Game Info

Game Info

BYU (0-0) vs. Southern Illinois (0-0) Saturday, Aug. 31 Kickoff: 6 p.m. MDT

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Southern Illinois Game Week—BYU Media Availability

“I’m really excited for game week. It’s here. It seemed like it was a long ways away when we first started camp. I’m really proud of the way our guys performed in camp, and the way our coaches and players handled the difficulty of camp. I think we got through it the way we wanted to. I think we were really aggressive and physical. The guys have been working really hard since January. It’s paid off. It shows. I’m excited for them to put it on the field come Saturday night."

"I’m really excited for the opportunity to go against Southern Illinois. A lot of people don’t know about them as an FCS program but they’re a powerhouse at the FCS level. Nick Hill is a really good head coach. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s going into his ninth year as a head coach just like I am. He’s coaching at his alma mater. I know how he feels about that since I do the same. If you look at what he’s done as a head coach and how his players play, it’s a huge compliment to his staff. They get their team ready to go. They’re a dangerous team. A few years ago they beat Northwestern and last year they beat Northern Illinois. They’ve won six games in their history against FBS opponents. Nick Hill has been attached to five of those wins, three as a coach and two as a player. They’re not going to come in here very shy. They’re going to come in here with excitement and energy to try to get a win. We want to make sure we give them our best shot when they arrive here in Provo."

On the quarterback battle
“We know our plan. We’re just not ready to tell everybody our game plan yet. We have an idea of what we’re going to do and how we’re going to execute our offense. We’re planning to do a lot of different things. We have a lot of different options. The goal is to get the win. I can’t tell you how that’s going to go right now but we can win with more than just one person at quarterback. We have a number of them who can play, that we can get victories with. We feel really good about the depth there. I was really proud with how the quarterbacks handled camp and I’m really confident with them, especially the top two [Jake Retzlaff and Gerry Bohanon].”

On the team leadership council
“The 15 players on the council are those who received a majority of votes. It was exciting for me to see that there were more players than those 15 who received a vote, even multiple votes. That means we have a great leadership group not limited to the 15 on the team leadership council. That should happen when you have a lot of veterans and a group that’s gone through a lot of adversity and worked hard together. Leadership isn’t just about the guys who speak, it’s about the guys who actually do the work and lead by example. You look at that group of young men, and they’re not all talkers. A lot of them just do the work. They have an impact in a lot of different ways. Having both quarterbacks receive a lot of votes is a great sign. This gives me a lot of confidence that we have a good group.”

On depth at safety
“It’s a deep group. I feel good about our safety group. There’s way more safeties now who can play than we’ve ever had before. The guy who is going to get us the most production will be on the field first but we’re not against using more than one guy.”

On running back LJ Martin
“LJ will be ready to go. We’re excited to see him play. This is his sophomore year. He’s a different player. Last year he was trying to learn the offense, this year he knows it already and he’s teaching the freshmen. He has so much ability. It’s going to be a lot of fun to watch LJ, Hinckley [Ropati] and Miles [Davis] go. I’ve been excited by the leadership we’re seeing from LJ. He doesn’t really say much but he has such an influence on this team. When he speaks, people listen. The running back room has become really good since he’s become the veteran rather than the newcomer.”

 

On being voted a team captain
“For me, it means a lot. This probably means more than any other award or anything else that could happen because this is my teammates voting for this, not anybody else. These are the people I care about the most. They’re the ones making that decision. To be voted a captain by them, to be someone who they feel comfortable with and want leading the team, that’s a really special thing for me. I know it is for everyone else on the leadership council too.”

On the growth of tackle Caleb Etienne
“He’s in a lot better shape right now. Physically, he’s moving a lot better. His understanding of [offensive line coach and running game coordinator] TJ Woods’ system, that enables him to play faster as well. He’s gotten stronger. Every aspect of his game has improved in comparison to last season.”

On Southern Illinois
“We always respect our opponent. We knew they were a good team from the second we turned the tape on and started studying. We know what they’re capable of doing and what they’ve done in the past. We’re going into this game understanding that this is a good football team. We have to be on our P’s and Q’s to get the job done.”

On returning to BYU for his final season
“I’m very happy with my decision to come back. Since I met with Coach Woods that first time while he was being interviewed, I felt comfortable with my decision to come back this season. There’s been nothing to cause me to think otherwise.”

On the goals of the offensive line in 2024
“We just want to be able to produce for the offense. We want to be the offense’s biggest asset, not its biggest liability. First and foremost, that starts with running the football. That’s been our focus all offseason long.”

On the team voting Gerry Bohanon and Jake Retzlaff to the leadership council
“The team views them both as leaders. That’s definitely a good thing. They both garner that respect from their teammates. That puts them both in a position to lead the offense. The player respect both of them in the starting quarterback role.”

On preparing for game one
“This off season was super long and we worked really hard. We are sick of playing against each other and ready to play some different players.”
 
On being named to the team leadership council 
“It means everything. I was a captain in high school and growing up, so I have always thought it is cool to have that ‘C’ on your chest and know that you are one of the leaders for the team. Everyone will really listen to you and respect you.”
 
On where he has improved the most
“Definitely the knowledge of the game. At the beginning, they had me getting a lot of mental reps to try to keep me healthy. Being able to coach the younger guys, learn from their mistakes and try to teach them has helped me a lot.”
 
On the defensive backfield entering the first game
“We have a lot of depth, especially in the corner room. We also have a lot of new guys, but I think we have really brought them up and they’re ready to play at any time. We have a ton of safeties too. I feel like just about any of them could really play and have a major impact on the game. I think everyone is really ready.”
 
On Southern Illinois
“We are going into every game the same. We are treating them just like we would for a Power Five school. It doesn’t really matter to us. I think as long as everyone is watching their film and studying, we’ll do good.”
On the team leadership council
“I think it kind of comes out during the off season workouts. You hear the guys that are more vocal. Once fall camp starts, those guys start making plays and you can see who is going to lead this team to victory. There are no surprises. When it comes to voting, we just send out a link and people put in who they think will help the team the best and lead them to victory.”
 
On being named to the team leadership council
“It is such an honor knowing that your teammates are asking you to be a leader for this team. It makes me want to be better and be an example in every aspect, whether it is on the field making plays, off of the field, how to handle a weekend before a game and how to handle yourself after a game. People are looking up to you and it is an honor to know that the eyes are on you. It helps me be a more Christlike example.”
 
On Kody Epps and Jojo Phillips
“They have been making plays during fall camp and I think it comes down to that. They also know the playbook really well. Kody is a really smart guy and he picked it up super quick. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes when he steps on the field. Jojo has also been able to grasp the playbook really well. He has no missed assignments during practice which makes Coach Fesi and a lot of the other players really confident that he can go in and make plays when the game time comes around. 
 
On the receiver depth chart
“I think it is awesome. It shows that we have a really deep receiving core and that anyone on the field can make plays. It shows what we have been working on during fall camp and that everyone has been making big plays on the field. I look at it as an amazing thing and know that we have a deep squad. If someone goes down, the next guy is going to step right up.”
 
On the off season
“This off season has been amazing. We have been grinding and some of that comes from the lack of production last year, but we have moved on. We are just ready for game one and are ready to show what we can do this year and the work we have put in this off season. It’s looking good.”

Game Day Information

Cougar Canyon & Cougar Walk
Cougar Canyon will take place on the West side of the stadium from 2:30 p.m. on game day. Food trucks and activities for all ages are available. BYUtv's pregame show Sports Nation GameDay and BYU Radio’s Cougar Pregame Live will also be broadcast live from Cougar Canyon. The Cougar Walk will take place from the north end of Cougar Canyon in through the soutwest corner of the stadium, starting at 4 p.m.

Cougar Canyon is expanding this season, south of the stadium. Cougar Club members have access to Cougar Club exclusive activities there. There will be activities available to all fans as well.

LaVell Edwards Stadium has adopted a NO bag policy, except for a few exceptions. Small clutch bags, no larger than 5” x 8” x 1”, with or without a handle or strap can be taken into the stadium. Medically-necessary bags will be permitted after inspection. One bag per person. No outside Food or drink will be permitted.

To see all stadium policies, go to the LaVell Edwards Stadium venue page.

Enjoy the convenience and reliability of UVX and FrontRunner to get you to and from the BYU vs. Southern Illinois football game this Saturday. You can ride UVX for a $2.50 fare, and there will be extra service provided before and after the game. For the best service, please head directly to the stadium stations, or bus, or UVX within 15 minutes following the game. 

Visit rideuta.com/plan to plan your game day travel!

Parking passes for all designated BYU lots are digital this season. If you are a passholder, you will see the pass available to download in the same location where you download your digital ticket. Please ensure that you download the digital pass before you start driving to the stadium, and have the pass up on your phone and ready to display as you arrive at your designated lot. Also, familiarize yourself with the parking map, if necessary. Having your parking pass ready to display will greatly expedite the process of pulling into the lot. As all parking pass holders get used to this new process, there may be wait times. We encourage you to leave for the game a little earlier than you usually do to allow for some extra time to park.