Southern Illinois (0-0, 0-0, Missouri Valley) at BYU (0-0, 0-0, Big 12)
- Kickoff: Saturday, 6 p.m. MDT
- Venue: LaVell Edwards Stadium (Capacity: 62,073)
- TV: ESPN+
- Livestream: ESPN.com/watch
- Radio: KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM/BYU Radio Sirius XM 143
- Series: First meeting
- Weather: Mostly sunny skies at kickoff, with temperatures in the high 80s, but dropping to the high 50s throughout the night. Winds will be light and variable, with gusts up to 10 mph from the Southwest. Very little chance of rain throughout the game.
The trends
For BYU: The Cougars have lost five straight games dating back to last year, but played significantly better in their last two games of 2023, with close losses to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Both of those teams were nationally ranked.
The Cougars are a perfect 18-0 against teams from the Football Bowl Subdivision and beat FCS Southern Utah 41-16 in Provo last year. They are averaging 47.8 points per game against FCS foes, and have allowed only three FCS opponents to score more than 14 points against them.
BYU is 7-1 in season-openers under head coach Kalani Sitake, who is 61-41 entering his ninth season as the Cougars’ head coach. They went 2-7 in the Big 12 last year, their first in a Power Four conference after 12 seasons as a college football independent.
For Southern Illinois: The Salukis went 8-5 overall, 4-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference, in 2023 and were eliminated in the FCS playoffs by Idaho in overtime. They were 4-3 away from Carbondale, Illinois, last year, and are widely considered one of the top programs in the FCS.
The Salukis are ranked No. 11 in the preseason FCS coaches poll and picked to finish fourth in the MVC behind South Dakota State, North Dakota State and South Dakota. Coach Nick Hill is 44-48 in his ninth year at the helm.
What to watch for
Junior college transfer Jake Retzlaff, who started at quarterback in BYU’s final four games of 2023 — all losses — is expected to get the start Saturday, although BYU coaches have not publicly announced their starter. Retzlaff dueled Baylor and USF transfer Gerry Bohanon for the starting spot. Retzlaff threw for 648 yards and three touchdowns last year.
The Cougars enter the game fairly healthy, although sophom*ore running back LJ Martin was slowed in preseason training camp by a shoulder injury sustained last spring and was limited in contact drills. Coaches have said the El Paso, Texas, native who rushed for 518 yards and four touchdowns in 2023 will play.
Related
‘We have a clear-cut starter right now’: BYU’s Aaron Roderick updates QB situation ahead of season opener
All eyes will be on the offensive line, after BYU struggled to establish a consistent rushing attack last year. Four offensive linemen with starting experience return: Connor Pay, Weylin Lapuaho, Caleb Etienne and Brayden Keim.
Southern Illinois is 6-36 against FBS teams since becoming a member of the FCS ranks (formerly known as Division I-AA) in 1982. Coach Nick Hill was involved in five of those wins, two as a quarterback and three as the head coach. The Salukis beat UMass in 2019, Northwestern in 2022 and Northern Illinois in 2023 with Hill in charge.
The Salukis will have a new starter at QB for the first time since 2021, a stretch of 37 games. Nic Baker has moved on and the contenders to start Saturday are returnee Hunter Simmons and Murray State transfer D.J. Williams.
Key player
Tyler Batty, BYU defensive end, senior: Normally, this designation would go to an offensive player such as a quarterback or running back. But with neither team naming a starting QB until kickoff and BYU RB LJ Martin’s reps perhaps limited, we will go with Batty, a captain and BYU’s defensive leader.
The Cougars were horrible last year at stopping the run and putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. If Batty can get a couple of sacks and make life difficult for SIU’s relatively inexperienced QB, the defense will thrive.
Batty has 26.5 tackles for loss in his career, and 15 sacks. He was named to the 2023 AFCA Good Works Team for his stellar play and work in the community. He enters the season having started in 32 games, and having played in 40.
Quotable
View Comments
“I am not concerned (about anything in particular). I just want to play. I want to show everybody what we’ve got. We have been through this before. I have been coaching a long time. I have been around the game of football a long time. We all know what is being said. We all know what is being predicted out there. We just want to get out there and play. The guys have worked extremely hard. They have been doubted and questioned quite a bit. You have 12 opportunities to show yourself. This is opportunity No. 1. I need to make sure our guys are ready to go. That’s my job, and they will be. They will be excited. Everything they have done up to now is exactly what we have asked them to do.” — BYU coach Kalani Sitake
“No, I don’t think it really does, honestly. You’ve got to know and you’ve got to prepare, especially in the offseason. We have had the whole summer (to prepare). You do offseason studies on teams. We know what QBs they have. We know what their strengths and weaknesses are. We assume they’ve both gotten better from what we’ve seen on tape.” — Southern Illinois coach Nick Hill on if not naming a starting QB creates an advantage
Next up
BYU: at Southern Methodist University (SMU)
Southern Illinois: at Austin Peay
BYU schedule
- Saturday — vs. Southern Illinois, 6 p.m. MDT on ESPN+
- Sept. 6 — at SMU, 5 p.m. MDT on ESPN2
- Sept. 14 — at Wyoming, 7 p.m. MDT on CBS Sports Network
- Sept. 21 — Kansas State
- Sept. 28 — at Baylor
- Oct. 5 — Bye
- Oct. 12 — Arizona
- Oct. 18 — Oklahoma State, 8:15 p.m. MDT, ESPN
- Oct. 26 — at Central Florida
- Nov. 2 — Bye
- Nov. 9 — at Utah
- Nov. 16 — Kansas
- Nov. 23 — at Arizona State
- Nov. 30 — Houston
