Jake Retzlaff Sets Career-High In Passing Yards As BYU Football Pulls Away
Aug 31, 2024, 8:08 PM | Updated: Sep 3, 2024, 1:57 pm
PROVO, Utah – Jake Retzlaff has been just shy of perfect in his BYU Cougar debut in front of the LaVell Edwards Stadium faithful. The redshirt junior has three touchdown passes, helping BYU to a 31-6 third quarter advantage.
The Cougars are hosting the Southern Illinois Salukis at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, August 31.
BYU vs. Southern Illinois: Live Updates, Analysis, And More From Provo
third tuddy of the night for @jretz11 goes to @tav_taase pic.twitter.com/MO6HvCF8Qi
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) September 1, 2024
The former Riverside City QB is already 14-of-21 for 271 yards with his three touchdown passes. Mata’ava Ta’ase, LJ Martin, and Jojo Phillips each have touchdown grabs from Retzlaff.
The Cougar’s defensive physicality has overwhelmed the Salukis in a dominating performance. Southern Illinois had 126 yards of offense compared to Retzlaff’s nearly 300 yards through the air.
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One Score Prediction for BYU vs Southern Illinois
Over the course of the week, BYU’s prognostications have been trending backward. Still, BYU remains a favorite in this game.
On paper, Southern Illinois appears to be one of the best FCS teams BYU will have ever faced.
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Looking good, LES. 👀 ⛰️ #BYU #GoCougs #BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/Cy8Z1PQi8S
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 31, 2024
Despite the trend of SIU being a potential FCS upset, BYU is the better football team. The Salukis lost many key personnel from last year’s team, which was fourth in total defense a season ago.
BYU will get production from the ground game of LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati to carry them to a comfortable victory and set the tone for the 2024 season.
BYU 38, Southern Illinois 17
Cougars Postgame Show
BYU vs. Southern Illinois recap on KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM), KSLSports.com, and the KSL Sports app.
For more information on BYU football, follow our BYU insider Mitch Harper. Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on Twitter/X and Threads: @Mitch_Harper.
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Brian Preece is a KSLsports.com insider covering Locals in MLB and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball coverage here.
