Three Thoughts on BYU’s 41-16 Win Over Southern Utah
BYU kicked off the 2023 season last week with a 14-0 win over the Sam Houston State Bearkats in a game that featured minimal offense, but that was not the case in today’s game. The Cougars took on Southern Utah at home in LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday afternoon and shook off some of the Week 1 rust with a comfortable 41-16 win. With that said, here are my three thoughts on the game.
1. SLOVIS IMPROVES
While it’s safe to say that Southern Utah’s defense was a downgrade from Sam Houston in Week 1, BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis showed some much-needed improvement. Slovis threw for 247 yards and three scores in the first half alone, before adding 101 passing yards and another score in the second half to bring his total stat line to 22 completions for 348 passing yards and four scores, which significantly topped his Week 1 total of 145 passing yards.
BYU’s offense looked as flat as anyone in the country last week as the group put up an underwhelming 14 points against Sam Houston State. While one week can change a lot in college football, Slovis and the offense exploded on Saturday against Southern Utah for 41 points and a whopping 394 total yards of offense, a refreshing sight for BYU fans everywhere.
2. RUSHING ATTACK WOES
While I figured things would look a bit better against Southern Utah, BYU’s rushing attack proved to be a concern once again. Freshman running back LJ Martin looked to be the most productive member in the backfield with six carries for 27 yards, but with an inconsistent pass attack being the main threat for BYU, Sitake has to figure a way to run the football soon.
It can sometimes be easy to point fingers at the offensive line when things aren’t going well in the rushing attack but with Kelani Sitake electing to give the majority of carries to a true freshman running back, it appears that the Cougars coaching staff is unsure of who to start on Saturdays. BYU’s offensive line will face their biggest test to date in Week 3 when taking on the Arkansas Razorbacks, and while the rushing attack wasn’t needed to take down Southern Utah, earning some quick yards against Arkansas is a must.
3. WHAT’S NEXT ON D?
BYU’s defense looks good, but have they really been tested? After shutting out the Sam Houston State Bearkats in Week 1, the Cougars’ defense was hungry to follow their performance up with another impressive day against Southern Utah. The Cougars gave up the first score of the season to wide receiver Isaiah Wooden on a 33-yard strike to start off the second half on a blown coverage.
While the defense hasn’t faced any tremendous offenses to this point in the season, the group has done well and comfortably held their own while avoiding costly mistakes. Senior cornerback Kamden Garrett gave the offense the ball back after an interception before halftime which led to points on the board. The Cougars held off the Thunderbirds with relative ease but with BYU heading on the road in Week 3 to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Cougars’ defense will have to prove itself against a tough SEC team.
