BYU is 18-0 all-time against FCS foes entering Saturday night’s opener against Southern Illinois in Provo, Utah. Should be an easy mark for the Cougars, right?
Well, as Lee Corso might say, not so fast, my friend.
While BYU is favored, there’s the little matter of the visiting Salukis’ recent track record in FBS games. They’re 3-2 in their last five tries against the big boys with a narrow loss at Kansas State three years ago.
Little wonder that Cougars coach Kalani Sitake is, at least in his words, taking this game as seriously as any Big 12 encounter.
“They’re not going to come in here very shy,” he said. “We want to make sure we give them our best shot when they arrive in Provo.”
One way to do so, apparently, is to keep the winner of a quarterback duel secret until BYU gets the ball for the first time. It’s either going to be Jake Retzlaff, who started the last four games in 2023, or Baylor/South Florida transfer Gerry Bohanon.
There are also questions surrounding the running back position. LJ Martin (shoulder), who led the team in rushing with 518 yards last year, isn’t certain to play in this one.
Southern Illinois is also deciding between two quarterbacks. Either last year’s backup, Hunter Simmons, or Murray State transfer DJ Williams will be tasked with replacing the school’s all-time passing leader, Nic Baker.
“We’re ready to go play,” said Salukis coach Nick Hill. “We’re excited to see some of the new guys who will be playing. We’re ready to get this journey started.”
This will be the first meeting of the two schools. Southern Illinois was originally scheduled to open the season at Kansas. However, shortly after the Salukis topped Northwestern in 2022, Kansas asked out of the contract and helped SIU hook up with the Cougars.
Southern Illinois is netting $560,000 for the game, counting the $135,000 Kansas is paying not to play.
