Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; BYU Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake speaks to the media during the Big 12 Media Days at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Jake Retzlaff’s big night lifts BYU past Southern Illinois

Jake Retzlaff threw a career-high three touchdown passes Saturday night and BYU opened its season with a 41-13 rout of visiting Southern Illinois in Provo, Utah.

Retzlaff completed 20 of 30 passes for 348 yards as the Cougars rolled up 527 total yards and 27 first downs. LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati combined for 124 yards on 26 carries, with each rushing for a touchdown.

Salukis quarterback DJ Williams rushed 15 times for a game-high 121 yards and both his team’s touchdowns while completing 10 of 20 passes for 98 yards with an interception. Williams was sacked twice and threw a handful of other passes under duress from the BYU pass rush.

The pregame storyline was whether SIU could add to its three wins over FBS opponents since 2019, the most for an FCS school in that time. Cougars coach Kalani Sitake and his players pledged to approach the game as though it were a Big 12 opponent and the start proved they did.

After forcing a three -and-out to start the game, BYU ripped off a 13-play, 65-yard drive for a 7-0 lead on Ropati’s 1-yard run. The Cougars went up 14-0 when Retzlaff hit Jojo Roberts for a 57-yard touchdown off play-action at the 1:56 mark.

Williams scored on a 4-yard run with 46 seconds remaining in the first half to draw the Salukis within 14-6 but Will Ferrin drilled a career-long 50-yard field goal as time expired for a 17-6 lead.

BYU put it away with touchdowns on its first two drives of the third quarter. Retzlaff flipped a 7-yard pass to Martin, then found tight end Mata’ava Ta’ase with a 19-yard dart over the middle at the 8:12 mark for a 31-6 advantage.

Williams ripped off a 38-yard scoring jaunt for SIU less than four minutes later but Martin answered with a 1-yard touchdown plunge with 12:35 remaining in the game.

Ferrin capped the scoring by drilling a 41-yard field goal with 7:09 left.

–Field Level Media

Oct 21, 2023; Provo, Utah, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake looks on against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the second half at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

BYU preparing for a fight from Southern Illinois

BYU is 18-0 all-time against FCS foes entering Saturday night’s opener against Southern Illinois in Provo, Utah. Should be an easy mark for the Cougars, right?

Well, as Lee Corso might say, not so fast, my friend.

While BYU is favored, there’s the little matter of the visiting Salukis’ recent track record in FBS games. They’re 3-2 in their last five tries against the big boys with a narrow loss at Kansas State three years ago.

Little wonder that Cougars coach Kalani Sitake is, at least in his words, taking this game as seriously as any Big 12 encounter.

“They’re not going to come in here very shy,” he said. “We want to make sure we give them our best shot when they arrive in Provo.”

One way to do so, apparently, is to keep the winner of a quarterback duel secret until BYU gets the ball for the first time. It’s either going to be Jake Retzlaff, who started the last four games in 2023, or Baylor/South Florida transfer Gerry Bohanon.

There are also questions surrounding the running back position. LJ Martin (shoulder), who led the team in rushing with 518 yards last year, isn’t certain to play in this one.

Southern Illinois is also deciding between two quarterbacks. Either last year’s backup, Hunter Simmons, or Murray State transfer DJ Williams will be tasked with replacing the school’s all-time passing leader, Nic Baker.

“We’re ready to go play,” said Salukis coach Nick Hill. “We’re excited to see some of the new guys who will be playing. We’re ready to get this journey started.”

This will be the first meeting of the two schools. Southern Illinois was originally scheduled to open the season at Kansas. However, shortly after the Salukis topped Northwestern in 2022, Kansas asked out of the contract and helped SIU hook up with the Cougars.

Southern Illinois is netting $560,000 for the game, counting the $135,000 Kansas is paying not to play.

–Field Level Media

Sep 4, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Skylar Thompson (7) rolls out in the third quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas State, Southern Illinois look to build on strong debuts

Kansas State will kick off the home portion of its schedule Saturday night against FCS opponent Southern Illinois in Manhattan, Kan.

Both teams are coming off impressive victories. Kansas State (1-0) shut down Stanford’s offense in a 24-7 win last Saturday in Arlington, Texas. While the Cardinal were breaking in two new quarterbacks after Davis Webb was drafted by the Houston Texans, the Wildcats left both Stanford QBs wondering what hit them.

Southern Illinois (1-0), ranked No. 8 in this week’s FCS Top 25, is coming off a 47-21 victory at Southeast Missouri State last Thursday night. The Salukis had 553 yards of total offense, including a school-record 460 passing yards from Nic Baker. Baker earned Missouri Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Baker hit wide receiver Avante Cox with a 99-yard touchdown pass for the first TD of the season.

“I think (Baker) proved to everybody why he can be an elite player in this league, this country,” SIU head coach Nick Hill said. “Each week will create different challenges and obviously the next game is a huge challenge for us going to a Power Five opponent (Kansas State), so we just have to keep growing as a team.”

Kansas State coach Chris Klieman has plenty of experience in beating FCS opponents. He was the head coach at North Dakota State, where he went 69-6 and won four national championships in his five years at the helm. He will have his team prepared.

Kansas State’s defense was spectacular against Stanford, holding the Cardinal to 233 yards of total offense (39 rushing). A late drive gave the Cardinal their only points. Linebackers Daniel Green and Cody Fletcher combined for 17 tackles and a sack, while defensive backs Russ Yeast and TJ Smith each recorded an interception.

The Wildcats’ offense was solid on the ground, though quarterback Skylar Thompson was not as crisp as he had hoped he’d be in his first game since October 2020 when he was lost for the season with a shoulder injury.

“I thought it was a good win,” Thompson said after the game. “I feel like there’s more in the tank, though. I feel like I did some good things, but I felt like as an offense as a whole, we left a lot out there today, and that’s very encouraging moving forward.”

–Field Level Media

Jan 11, 2020; Frisco, Texas, USA; North Dakota State Bison head coach Matt Entz reacts to a touchdown on a fake field goal in the second quarter against the James Madison Dukes at Toyota Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Southern Illinois halts North Dakota State’s 39-game winning streak

Small-college powerhouse North Dakota State saw its FCS-record 39-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday when it was routed 38-14 by Southern Illinois in Missouri Valley play at Carbondale, Ill.

It was the first setback for the top-ranked Bison since a 33-21 road loss to South Dakota State on Nov. 4, 2017. North Dakota State (2-1, 1-1 MVC) has won the past three FCS titles and eight of the last nine.

“We didn’t show up and play very well,” Bison coach Matt Entz said after the loss. “There was not any position group that played well.”

Nic Baker passed for 254 yards and one touchdown in his first career start for the Salukis (2-1, 1-1).

“The talk before the game was that, in life, you just don’t get many opportunities like this,” Salukis coach Nick Hill said. “You get an opportunity to knock off the No. 1 team in the country and do something that leaves a legacy. This game will be recognized for a long time.”

It marks the second time the Salukis have defeated a No. 1-ranked team. They beat host Western Kentucky 31-20 on Oct. 27, 2005.

–Field Level Media