Friday Night Spotlight: SMU, BYU Meet in Vibrant Matchup

Sep 4, 20243 min read

The SMU Mustangs and BYU Cougars come into this Atlantic Coast Conference vs. the Big 12 Conference game, both with winning records on the year. The Mustangs come into it with a 2-0 record and the Cougars come into it with a 1-0 record. Both teams will meet at 7 p.m. EST on Sept. 6 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas.

What's at Stake?

The Mustangs enter this matchup with a nine-game winning streak at Ford Stadium dating back to 2022, which is the fourth longest in their program's history and happens to be tied for the fifth longest in all of college football.

The Cougars enter this game looking to continue their current hot streak against the Mustangs. The Cougars are 4-0 in the all-time series and look to improve that mark to 5-0 in Friday's matchup.

Key Players: SMU

Quarterback Kevin Jennings and Running Back Brashard Smith highlight the offense for the Mustangs.

Jennings has been splitting the reps with Preston Stone to start the year, and actually has played decent in the first two games. Against Nevada (1-1) in the opener, he completed 4-of-5 passes for 54 yards and in the second game against Houston Christian (0-1), he completed 10-of-14 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown. Also in the second game, Jennings carried the ball for 54 yards on 5 carries.

Smith has been getting the bulk of the carries for the Mustangs offense in both games to begin the year. Against Nevada, he had 67 yards on 11 carries and 1 touchdown. Against Houston Christian, he had 108 yards on 9 carries and 2 touchdowns.

Defensive end Isaiah Smith and linebacker Kobe Wilson highlight the defense for the Mustangs.

Smith has had quite an impact on the Mustangs defense to begin the year. He put up the same stat line in both games but was impressive in both, registering 2 tackles but one of those tackles being for a sack.

Wilson has been a workhorse for the Mustangs defense as well. Against Nevada, he put up 6 tackles, while against Houston Christian, he put up 5 tackles. Having 11 tackles in two games, just means he has been working his tail off and will for the entire season.

Key Players: BYU

Quarterback Jake Retzlaff and wide receiver Chase Roberts highlight the offense for the Cougars.

Retzlaff put up a very good performance to start the year for the Cougars. He completed 20-of-30 passes for 348 yards and 3 touchdowns against Southern Illinois (0-1). If the Cougars offense wants to be consistent, they will have to continue to get good performances from Retzlaff.

Roberts also put up a really good performance in the Cougars' opener. He caught 7 passes for 108 yards with his longest reception being for 25 yards. He was Retzlaff's favorite target and should be for the rest of the season.

Defensive end Isaiah Bagnah and defensive tackle John Nelson highlight the defense for the Cougars.

Bagnah and Nelson both put up the same stat line in their opener. They both tallied 1 tackle each and 1 sack each. They both made an impact on the Cougars defensive line and look to continue that throughout the year.

Trends to Watch

The Mustangs have gone 25-4 at home since the 2019 season and look to make that 26-4 when these two teams meet on Friday night. The Cougars are 8-4 in Friday games under head coach Kalani Sitake.