BYU football takes care of business in home opener vs. SIU: game recap, scores, stats

The waiting period is over and gone, and the Cougars have put their first game into the books. Despite a slow start, Kalani Sitake's squad found their groove in the second half to put the Salukis away with a final score of 41-13.

With defensive coordinator, Jay Hill, suffering cardiac arrest this morning but still finding a way to attend the game, Kalani Sitake filled in for this game's matchup, and the defense did quite well under his watch. I noticed some real improvement in the D's ability to create chaos and make the offense react, rather than control the game.

The quarterback battle is officially over as Jake Retzlaff was announced to be the starting quarterback at game time, and he would see plenty of time on the field, as the Cougars weren't able to put the Salukis away until the third quarter. Retzlaff's season debut reflected his team's output closely, as his efficiency ebbed and flowed over the course of the game.

In the early going, BYU's efforts were good, but not great. The team's opening drives involved a handful of 4th down conversions and a missed Will Ferrin chip shot, but the team began to gather their composure after SIU's DJ Williams ran in a touchdown to narrow BYU's lead to 8.

The defense looked strong for much of the game and forced tons of havoc with a fumble recovery deep in SIU territory which was inexplicably reversed after review, and a Jakob Robinson interception that essentially sealed the Cougars' win.

Unexplainable Officiating

Twice in this game, the officials made very poor judgement, and that's almost entirely the fault of the booth review team. A long bomb was caught by SIU in which the receiver pinned the football to the ground rather than gaining control into a catch. As the referees moved the chains and set the ball, coach Sitake ran down the field crying for a timeout which was not granted. SIU would go on to score a touchdown a few plays later.

Later in the second half, an SIU receiver coughed up a fumble which was later ruled to be an incompletion after further review. Despite the fact that this player caught the football, juked a defender and switched hands before losing possession, the call on the field was overturned and a golden opportunity slipped through the Cougars' fingers as they would have started the ensuing possession with 1st down and goal to go.

In a game against an FCS foe like Southern Illinois, the result was thankfully never in doubt, but if this were a closer contest, plays like this will make the difference in the final score. I hope this is the worst I see all season, because the Cougars will need every break they can get if they hope to become bowl eligible.

Roses for SIU

The Salukis showed a few flashes in this contest, despite what the final score may suggest. Quarterback DJ Williams is a real talent and was nearly entirely responsible for every positive play I saw from his team. The Cougars struggled to combat his mobility, allowing two rushing touchdowns from Williams. I hope to see some improvement in that department by the Cougars' next game, but not at the expense of praising this talented player.

In a game that gave Cougar fans some unease for the first half, SIU showed that they could make some noise in the FCS this season. Their program has won 3 matchups agianst FBS opponents in the last 5 years--the highest mark of any FCS team in that span. I expect this game to serve as a learning experience for SIU before they take on their remaining schedule.

Final Notes

The Cougars didn't look like world-beaters for much of the game, but that was never the expectation. The betting line for this game eventually dropped to only 14 points in favor of the Cougars, so a 28-point victory is a positive.

A few fireworks in this game get me excited for what we may see in the remaining schedule, and I believe that with a few adjustments, this team may have enough to pull a few shockers against strong competition. Retzlaff's accuracy came in waves, but he delivered a few deep balls that got me out of my seat and cheering.

The receivers got separation and caught most balls like their gloves were made of flypaper. When the ball was reasonably catchable, I saw few errors. The offensive line pushed SIU around, which is better than what we saw nearly all of last season. The run game flowed comfortably off the back of the big boys in front, and the duo of LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati impressed after a poor rushing year last season.

Defensively, the group was creating havoc and clogging running lanes. The 4-man front (music to my ears) was getting into the backfield early and often, and the linebacker core was an excellent line of defense that limited the Salukis from breaking off big plays.

It wasn't perfect, but the Cougars made a declaration with this win. As the final whistle blew, Cougar Nation understood: "they're probably a little improved from last season". Tonight's result was certainly better than last year's 14-0 dud in the opener, right?

You can check out the game highlights here:

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