Cougars strike early and often in 41-13 win over Salukis

BYU prevails over Southern Illinois for fifth consecutive season-opening victory

Author Austin Rustand
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PROVO, Uah — BYU scored early and often in its 41-13 win over the Southern Illinois Salukis at Lavell Edwards Stadium on Saturday night, the fifth consecutive season-opening for the Cougars.

“It was good to get the win," said Kalani Sitake, BYU head coach. "We are glad to be playing football again and see these guys get on the field after the offseason. It wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t even our best, but I’m really proud of the team and I am glad that we are 1-0 right now. I want to give a lot of praise and appreciation to all of the fans that were here. They are amazing and brought a lot of energy. So I just hope they know that we appreciate and love them.”

BYU put together a decisive all-around performance against Southern Illinois with 527 total yards of offense, 179 coming on the ground and 348 through the air. The Cougar defense also impressed as it held the Salukis to 231 yards of total offense, forcing four three-and-outs, a turnover on downs and an interception. 

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff earned his first win as the Cougars’ starter with a 348-yard barrage on 20-30 passing for three touchdowns and no turnovers. Retzlaff also picked up 16 yards on eight carries in the win. 

Retzlaff’s target of choice was Chase Roberts who tallied seven receptions for 108 yards. Retzlaff connected with Roberts on passes of 25, 24, 18, 14 and 13 yards to set up multiple Cougar touchdowns.

LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati each found the end zone for BYU en route to the 28-point victory. Martin recorded 67 yards on 13 carries, including a 19-yard scamper that set up his 1-yard touchdown two plays later. Ropati also carried the ball 13 times for 57 yards, including his one-yard touchdown on the season’s opening possession. 

Linebacker Jack Kelly led the BYU defense with five tackles, three solo and a quarterback hurry while 24 Cougars recorded a tackle, 14 with two or more. Jakob Robinson recorded the game’s only turnover with his fourth-quarter interception of Southern Illinois quarterback DJ Williams.

First Quarter

The Cougars won the toss and deferred their option to the second half. The BYU defense forced a three-and-out on the Salukis’ first possession, giving the ball to BYU Retzlaff and company on the 35-yard-line.

After two rushes from Ropati, Retzlaff connected on his first two passes to Keelan Marion and Roberts to advance the Cougars to the SIU 37-yard-line. On 4th and four from the nine, Retzlaff again connected with Roberts over the middle for an eight-yard gain to the 1-yard-line, which set up a touchdown run by Ropati on the following play. With Ropati’s touchdown, BYU has scored an opening-drive touchdown in each of the past three seasons. 

The Cougar defense stood firm on their second defensive possession with Isaiah Bagnah recording the first BYU sack of the season for a 12-yard Southern Illinois loss. The Cougars regained possession at their own 14-yard-line after the second-straight punt for the Salukis. 

Retzlaff picked up right where he left off with a 24-yard completion to Roberts before finding Jojo Phillips for a 57-yard touchdown pass that traveled 60 yards in the air, to give BYU a 14-0 lead with 1:56 left in the first quarter. 

 

 

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Second Quarter

A sack by John Nelson on the first play of the second quarter forced a third consecutive Southern Illinois punt that gave the Cougars the ball at their own 42. On the first play of the drive, Retzlaff found Roberts for the third time in the game for a 13-yard gain. BYU went to Martin on back-to-back plays for 11 total yards and a first down at the SIU 34-yard-line. A missed field goal ended the drive, giving the ball back to the Salukis. 

The BYU defense forced three-straight incompletions leading to a fourth punt in as many possessions for Southern Illinois. After a 65-yard punt, the Cougars began at the 11-yard-line with back-to-back runs by Ropati for a first down. After a timeout, Retzlaff found Parker Kingston for a 36-yard gain to the SIU 40-yard-line. A stand by the Salukis stalled the BYU offense with the Cougars turning the ball over on downs at the SIU 34. 

The Salukis completed a 43-yard pass from Williams to Keontez Lewis to the BYU 23-yard-line which they paid off with a 4-yard touchdown run by Williams. The extra point was no good, keeping the Cougars up 14-6 with 46 seconds left in the half. 

Rushes of nine and 16 yards by Retzlaff and Ropati respectively moved BYU to midfield. With four seconds left in the half, Retzlaff connected with Roberts for an 18-yard pickup to set up a 50-yard field goal by Will Ferrin to give the Cougars a 17-6 lead at the break.

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Third Quarter

On the second play of the third quarter, Retzlaff let it fly and found Marion for a 52-yard completion to the SIU 13-yard line. A completion to Kody Epps of five yards moved the Cougars to the six. On 4th-and-three, Martin carried the ball to the 2-yard line before Retzlaff found an open Martin in the flat who took it in for the score. At the 11:19 mark of the third BYU led Southern Illinois 24-6.

The Cougar defense continued its strong play on the first drive of the third quarter, holding the Salukis to just 18 yards and shut down the fake punt to give the ball back to the offense on the SIU 38-yard-line. 

A 15-yard pass interference penalty moved the ball to the Salukis' 19-yard-line before Retzlaff hit Mata’ava Ta’ase over the middle for a touchdown to give BYU a 31-6 lead. With his third touchdown pass of the night, Retzlaff became the first BYU quarterback to throw for three touchdowns in a game since Jaren Hall against Arkansas in 2022.

 

 

Southern Illinois pulled within three scores with 4:19 left in the third quarter as Williams rushed for a 38-yard score. BYU led 31-13 after the Salukis went 75 yards in eight plays for the touchdown.

After a BYU punt that gave Southern Illinois the ball at the SIU 11-yard-line, the Cougar defense forced a second Saluki three-and-out. The SIU punt of 26 yards set BYU up with a short field at the SIU 37-yard-line.

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Fourth Quarter

On the first play of the drive, Retzlaff again found Roberts on a crossing route for a 25-yard pickup to the 12-yard-line. A hold moved the Cougars back to the 22 before a 19-yard run by Martin gave BYU a 3rd and two at the 4-yard-line. Martin capped the five-play, 37-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give BYU a 38-13 lead with 12:35 to go.

On the Salukis’ second play following the touchdown, Williams was intercepted by Robinson, his ninth career interception and first of the season. 

The Cougars took over at their own 35-yard-line and moved to the 48 with back-to-back rushes by Martin. On the next play, Retzlaff hit Miles Davis in the left flat who picked up 21 yards before being tackled by the shoestrings. The air attack continued with an 11-yard connection from Retzlaff to Cody Hagen over the middle. Will Ferrin capped the nine-play, 42-yard drive with a 41-yard field goal to give BYU a 41-13 lead. 

Up Next:

BYU will hit the road for a week two matchup against the SMU Mustangs in hopes of starting the season 2-0 for the fifth consecutive season. The game Sep. 6th game at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas will air on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. MT. Fans can also listen to the game on BYU Radio with the Voice of the Cougars, Greg Wrubell. 

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