BYU football grades: Cougars put in workmanlike showing in win over SIU
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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 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 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 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 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 head coach Kalani Sitake watches his team during the game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
BYU football beat writer Jared Lloyd gives his grades for the Cougar position units and coaches for Saturday’s game against Southern Illinois at LaVell Edwards Stadium:
Quarterback
Jake Ratzlaff was poised and decently accurate, tossing the ball around for a career-high 348 yards and three touchdowns. While he was solid, he’ll see some throws on tape that were just a little off and his rush decisions weren’t great, but he finished with no turnovers.
Grade: B+
Running back
LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati shared most of the workload with Martin ending up with a few more yards (67-57) and one more total touchdown (2-1). This group generally did OK, getting what was there to get and not trying to get too fancy.
Grade: B
Wide receivers/tight ends
Chase Roberts was the main target for Jake Retzlaff, catching seven passes for 108 yards. Keelan Marion and Jojo Phillips were also solid contributors. This group would say they had too many passes missed where they got their hands on the ball.
Grade: B+
Offensive line
The Cougars had moments where they looked good up front and getting 179 yards on the ground was solid. The two sacks allowed weren’t ideal and it looked like there were a number of plays where lead blockers completely missed their blocks, but it was a decent start.
Grade: B-
Defensive line
The Cougar defensive line got a sack from John Nelson and tackles for a loss from Logan Lutui and Blake Mangelson. This unit did create some pressure and bottled up the SIU running backs, but containing Saluki quarterback DJ Williams wasn’t as easy.
Grade: B
Linebackers
Jack Kelly was the team tackle leader with five with many guys getting a chance to show what they could do. Isaiah Glasker had an impressive tackle for a loss when he threw a receiver to the ground using just one arm. There were some mistakes on scrambles, but this group did fine overall.
Grade: B
Secondary
Jakob Robinson out-muscled an SIU receiver, then snagged an easy interception for the only turnover of the game. BYU held the Salukis to just 108 yards passing, 43 of which came on a ball that was dropped but was credited for a reception anyway. That’s good back-end defense against anyone.
Grade: A
Special teams
The highlights for this unit were Will Ferrin’s 50-yard field goal (the first make for BYU from that distance in four years) and Parker Kingston having a 17-yard punt return. The kickoff unit did its job as well, but Kingston and Keelan Marion bobbled the ball on some return opportunities, which is disconcerting. Ferrin also missed his first kick, which the Cougars hope was an anomaly.
Grade: C
Coaching
As expected in a first game, there were some personnel and execution problems, but the BYU coaching staff had the Cougars ready to play. BYU only had three penalties and no turnovers while dominating the game. The squad needs to keep improving, but the coaches got the team off to a good start.
Grade: B+
