More than the game: Jay Hill heart attack scare puts perspective on BYU football win over Southern Illinois
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- BYU players gather around defensive coordinator Jay Hill on the field before the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU senior defensive lineman John Nelson tries to knock a pass down during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU head coach Kalani Sitake watches his team during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU senior cornerback Jakob Robinson (right) makes a tackle during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff gets tripped up during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU students cheer on their team during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU defenders tackle Southern Illinois receiver Nah’shawn Hezekiah during the game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU junior wide receiver Chase Roberts runs the ball up the field during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU senior defensive lineman Tyler Batty tackles Southern Illinois sophomore tight end Ryan Schwendemen during the game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU junior linebacker Sione Moa chases Southern Illinois quarterback DJ Williams during the game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU junior linebacker Jack Kelly attempts to tackle Southern Illinois quarterback DJ Williams during the game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU junior kicker Will Ferrin kicks a field goal BYU head coach during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU head coach Kalani Sitake watches his team during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU defenders chase Southern Illinois junior quarterback DJ Williams during the game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU sophomore running back LJ Martin runs the ball up the field during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU junior linebacker Choe Bryant-Strother makes a tackle during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU head coach Kalani Sitake watches his team during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU senior running back Hinckley Ropati runs the ball during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff looks to make a play during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU mascot Cosmo performs during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU senior defensive lineman John Nelson (center) attempts to tackle Southern Illinois junior quarterback DJ Williams during the game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU senior wide receiver Kody Epps (0) carries the ball up the field while Cougar offensive lineman Connor Pay looks to block during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU students cheer on their team during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- Young BYU fans pose for a photo before the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff runs the ball during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- Dieter Uchtdorf, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (right) greets BYU head coach Kalani Sitake before the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- A BYU receiver makes a catch during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU cheerleaders wave BYU flags during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU sophomore wide receiver Parker Kingston tries to break a tackle during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- Fire knife dancers perform during the BYU game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU mascot Cosmo throws a football during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU junior kicker Will Ferrin attempts a field goal during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU defenders make a tackle during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU sophomore running back LJ Martin runs the ball up the field during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU defenders tackle Southern Illinois junior quarterback DJ Williams during the game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU head coach Kalani Sitake watches the action during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU senior tight end Mata’ava Ta’ase has the ball knocked away during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU defenders make a tackle during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
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- BYU freshman receiver Jojo Phillips makes a catch during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
A season-opening game against an FCS opponent is supposed to be about taking care of business.
BYU did that on the field Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium with its 41-13 win over Southern Illinois — but it was anything but routine because of what happened off the field.
When Cougar defensive coordinator Jay Hill left to drive home after practice on Thursday, he knew something was wrong. He posted on his @CoachJayHill X account that “never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be having a heart attack at age 49.”
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said after the game on Saturday that he got what he thought was going to be a normal phone call from Hill’s phone on Thursday night, only to have Hill’s wife Sara.
“I asked if everything was OK and she said they were at the hospital and Jay had had a heart attack,” Sitake said. “That was kind of hard for me to hear. All I cared about was if he was OK. That was a huge scare. I’m glad they were able to take care of him and get him on the path to recovery.”
Sitake said that Hill, however, was focused on making sure the Cougars were ready to play the Salukis.
“He was all about the game,” Sitake said. “He said he didn’t want anyone to know or to have it be a distraction to the team. After we got off the phone, he started texting all the coaches like nothing was going on.”
But something that significant couldn’t be just completely dismissed and eventually Hill and Sitake addressed it with the team.
“We got him on FaceTime and he was able to FaceTime with the team,” Sitake said. “He was able to share with them how much he loved them and cared about them. I thought that was really cool. It kind of gave the players just a sense of relief. He didn’t want the attention, but people love him.”
BYU senior defensive lineman John Nelson and senior cornerback Jakob Robinson both had the same reaction to the stunning news of Hill’s health scare.
“We came in and got the news yesterday (Friday), and we were all really shocked and surprised,” Nelson said. “He’s super active and always involved in everything we do. To get that news of him going through that was devastating, to say the least.”
Robinson said: “It was definitely heartbreaking for us just to see him up on the screen. You could tell he was really sad and wanted to be there with us.”
But it was also clear that Hill wanted the team to focus on getting the job done on the field on Saturday, so Nelson said the Cougar players used that as motivation.
“A lot of guys on offense and defense rallied around the idea that he pours his heart and soul into this program and believes in us, so we better play our hearts out for him,” Nelson said. “He didn’t want us to play the game any different or do anything crazy. He was just like, you go out and play, do your thing. I think it was good to have that. I’m proud of the guys and how they played.”
Hill was discharged from the hospital on Saturday after two stents were inserted into his arteries. That evening he was back at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
“I was super happy to have him back and it just made my day to have him back,” Robinson said.
Nelson said: “It was incredible to have him here. It was really motivating.”
Both defenders referenced how Hill is always talking to them about the importance of being tough and then he exemplified it with what he went through this weekend.
“He’ll talk about us being tough, and then he’ll be tough,” Robinson said. “Now I can’t really say anything when he tells me to get up after I roll my ankle. He just had a heart attack, and now he’s back here. It just speaks a lot about our coach.”
Sitake officially had the defensive playcalling duties, but said Hill was in the press box on a headset and was part of the conversations.
“We were going back and forth on different calls and things like that,” Sitake said. “He’s in great spirits and I’m glad that he’s healing up. We’ll be ready to have him join us on Monday.”
Hill’s defense wasn’t flawless against Southern Illinois, giving up 121 yards rushing and 98 yards passing to Saluki junior quarterback DJ Williams. But it still held the visitors to just 231 total yards and 13 points.
“Jay’s been getting these guys prepped,” Sitake said. “He’s been getting them ready for this, and I think it’s a good step for where we want to be as a defense overall.”
Offensively BYU got a big game from junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff, who said he got the news he would be the starter when fall camp ended over a week ago but wasn’t officially announced until Saturday.
Retzlaff finished with a career-high 348 yards passing, going 20-of-30 with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
“It was a lot of fun to play football again,” Retzlaff said. “The guys around me played incredible.”
BYU also gained 179 yards rushing on 47 carries (3.8 yards per carry) with sophomore LJ Martin ending up leading the way with 67 yards on 13 rushes and a TD, while he also had a receiving touchdown.
But while the win was exactly what BYU wanted in the gridiron, the bigger win was seeing Hill recovering.
“I just want to tell everybody thank you for caring about him and praying for him,” Sitake said. “It worked, and he’s doing really good right now.”
