DICKSON: If I say anything other than the defense, did I even watch the game?

On SMU’s first two offensive series, the Cougars held the Mustangs to minus-18 yards on six plays. I haven’t seen that kind of domination in a decade by BYU’s defense.

Keeping a power conference team out of the end zone is as impressive a feat by a Cougar defense as I’ve ever witnessed. Jay Hill’s defense is deep, fast and confident right now, and that will keep BYU in any game it plays.

I was also impressed with how the Cougars made plays at the end to win it. The offense made the game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter and the defense didn’t allow a single yard on SMU’s final possession. This is a team that struggled with making game-winning plays last season, so that’s encouraging.

LLOYD: I’m going to start with BYU junior offensive lineman Brayden Keim’s solo tackle.

Hey, the Cougar defense came up with a ton of great stops during the game and deserve an enormous amount of credit as Darnell pointed out, but when Jake Retzlaff’s screen pass was intercepted by SMU senior Jared Harrison-Hunte most of the BYU offense was headed downfield to block.

There were only three Cougars who had any chance of preventing Harrison-Hunte from getting to the end zone: wide receiver Darius Lassiter coming from behind (not likely at the position), Retzlaff himself (undersized) and Keim.

But Keim drove the Mustang defender to the ground at the 3-yard line, a huge stop since SMU ended up giving the ball back two plays later and got zero points out of the sequence. That was an impressive play by a 6-foot-9, 315-pound lineman.

That highlights the bigger aspect that was most impressive to me: BYU’s resiliency. I said going into the season this Cougar squad had to be able to bounce back when things didn’t go well and, in this game, it did.

One game does not make a trend, but that was certainly a positive sign on the road against what should be a pretty good opponent.

2. Starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff has one good game and one shaky game to start the season. How should Cougar coaches handle that position moving forward?

LLOYD: I’m going to be in the minority here but I think BYU is handling the situation correctly.

Yes, Retzlaff coughed up the ball three times at SMU. He needs to protect it better when running and not try for the hero throw when getting hit (I credit the Mustang defender for being ready for the middle screen more than blaming that pick on Retzlaff).

But I don’t want him or any other QB playing scared. Many of BYU’s best quarterbacks threw quite a few interceptions, then went back out and threw touchdowns. If anything, I’d like to see the Cougars be a little more aggressive in the pass game.

There does, however, come a point where you have to look at whether making a change is best for the team. Injuries often force that on coaches, but sometimes struggles do as well.

And, as much as fans hope the backup (Gerry Bohanon in this case) will come in and be the answer, there are no guarantees. Most of the time, the problems in such cases go deeper than just whoever is at quarterback.

Retzlaff needs to settle in and make the throws that are there better without making bad mistakes and Bohanon needs to be ready if or when his number is called.

DICKSON: I think BYU needs to get Gerry Bohanon some meaningful snaps before the start of Big 12 play. Retzlaff is still the starter and it’s likely he will play much better on Saturday at Wyoming, but things ramp up when Big 12 play starts and Bohanon has only handed off a few times against Southern Illinois.

I don’t have any problems with utilizing quarterbacks like SMU did last Friday. Preston Stone played the first two series against BYU and Kevin Jennings the next two. Jennings was much more effective so he played the rest of the game. At least this way, BYU coaches could get Bohanon some live work.

I don’t think they’ll do it, though. That’s never really been part of Aaron Roderick’s game plan. They will stick with Retzlaff until they have to take him out.

Retzlaff is a tough kid and I think he’ll bounce back. But Roderick said earlier this season they will probably need both quarterbacks in 2024. Why not give Bohanon some meaningful work?

3. What will be the key factor in BYU’s road trip to Wyoming?

DICKSON: The Cowboys don’t have much in the way of a potent offensive attack, which gives the Cougars a pretty big edge when they line up on defense.

But Wyoming does have a physical and effective defense and BYU is going to be without its top two running backs in LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati. Coaches have expressed confidence in Miles Davis, Enoch Nawahine, Sione Moa and Pokai “Glitch” Haunga as capable replacements.

In the first two games, the Cougars have averaged 156.5 yards rushing but only 3.8 yards per carry. Expecting that number to rise with backup running backs seems pretty optimistic. So it’s going to be on the BYU offensive line to throw their weight around and dominate the line of scrimmage. If they don’t, the offense could find moving the ball and scoring a difficult proposition.

LLOYD: BYU has to be ready for Wyoming’s best shot, which I think is a lot better than the Cowboys have shown in the first couple of weeks.

It’s easy to say the right things about not overlooking any opponent and how Wyoming is very dangerous, but it can be hard not to get overconfident facing a team that has struggled. I don’t believe the Cougars are good enough to waltz into Laramie and win without trying.

The indicator I will be looking at is how BYU starts the game. Do the Cougars come out strong, making key plays on both sides of the ball and building a lead? Or is BYU flat, struggling to get first downs and giving up some chunk plays?

I think the Cougars will be ready but if BYU lets the Cowboys hang around (like, say, Oklahoma did against Houston in Week 2), things could be really tense down the stretch.

4. Watching Kevin Young put together his first roster has been fascinating. What’s your way-too-early prediction on where the Cougar men’s basketball team will finish in the Big 12?

LLOYD: This is a fun question that really doesn’t have a clear answer. I can see the talent shining in a big way for Kevin Young and BYU fighting for a league title — or I can see the new system and lack of established cohesion resulting in a tepid finish near the bottom of the pack.

Frankly, I don’t know how Young will do when it comes to going up against really good opponents like the Cougars will face in the Big 12. The abilities of the players should give BYU a shot, but the other teams won’t be intimidated.

At this point, I’m going to say that there will be some roller-coaster moments for the Cougars during the season with monster wins and disappointing losses. The end result will be BYU finishing around No. 7 in the conference, which would be solid for a first-year coach in the best league in the country.

DICKSON: Last year’s team, which was experienced and had great chemistry, rolled through the preseason and pushed to a tie for fifth in the Big 12, which was about eight spots better than predicted.

It’s difficult for me to predict how well BYU will play with this new system and new group because I’ve seen less than half the roster play together in a game. The other guys, though highly rated, I’ve only seen video clips of their best plays.

The biggest challenge for Young and his coaching staff is putting together an effective starting lineup and rotation. Finishing any lower than fifth would be a disappointment, but I think the potential for this team could be much higher.

The Big 12 is a gauntlet, for sure, but it’s hard not to believe the Cougars have the talent to have a pretty special season and challenge the favorites.

5. The BYU women’s soccer team has posted a 2-3-2 record during a brutal preseason schedule and opens Big 12 play on Thursday at home against Arizona State. How do you think the Cougars will do in league play?

DICKSON: Jennifer Rockwood has never shied away from playing a difficult preseason schedule, even when she’s going through a rebuilding process.

In 2016, the Cougars went 18-3-1 and advanced to the NCAA third round but graduated all-timers Ashley Hatch and Michelle Vasconcelos. BYU started the next season 0-3-3 with a murderer’s row schedule that included Oklahoma, Penn State, Ohio State, UCLA, Colorado and Utah. The growing pains were, well, painful.

Two years later (2019), that same group of players posted a 21-1-1 record and went to the NCAA Elite 8. Many of those athletes were part of the Cougars first Final Four team in 2021. So Rockwood knows what she’s doing.

Right now, BYU is probably a middle-of-the-pack team in the Big 12 but I wouldn’t expect the Cougars to be there for long.

LLOYD: I think Darnell is correct in saying that BYU doesn’t challenge for the Big 12 title this year. There are just too many question marks and inexperience. The injuries haven’t helped as the Cougars are trying to develop.

But that’s what these BYU players signed up for when they came to Provo and I don’t expect them to back down from the challenge. They’ll compete in most games, regardless of the opponent.

If the Cougars can get more comfortable on the backline, which has been shaky to this point and given opponents too many chances, look for BYU to get hot at some point and go on an unbeaten run that will get them closer to the top.

Even given the challenges, I still think the Cougars end up as an NCAA tournament team this fall, although I don’t expect a deep run.