After a tough opening weekend, the Big 12 Conference needed to bounce back and week two will provide plenty of opportunities for the conference to make a statement. One of those statement games was in Dallas as BYU went on the road to battle SMU.
In the end, the Cougars prevailed to get the weekend’s first win. Here are three takeaways from BYU’s 18-15 victory over SMU.
BYU’s Defense Dominated
As you can tell by the final score of this game, defense played a big factor. Every time I thought SMU’s offense found its rhythm, I was wrong because every time, BYU completely shut them down. The Cougars’ defense put a chokehold on the Mustangs’ offense and never let go. BYU allowed just 261 total yards and only gave up three third-down attempts out of sixteen tries.
BYU’s defense was so good that the kept SMU out of the endzone for four quarters. The Mustangs got into the redzone three times in the second half and only came away with three points to show for it. Whether it was getting key stops or turnovers, the Cougars found a way to get off the field when it mattered most. The biggest key for them was their defensive line. They were able to get pressure without having to bring extra blitzers and it gave SMU’s offense all sorts of problems. To sum it all up, the reason BYU won this football game was because of their outstanding defensive play.
The Offense is Still a Work in Progress
While BYU’s defense dominated, the offense was shaky for most of the night. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff struggled as he completed a little over 50% of his passes and turned the ball over three times. Thankfully, they were able to run the ball decently, as they averaged almost four yards per carry. Plus, it really helps when the defense puts your offense in some great spots. I know BYU ended up winning this game, but I would not consider this an outstanding offensive performance. If the Cougars are going to be contenders in the Big 12, then they will need to be more consistent on that side of the ball.
Welcome to the Power Four SMU
I would like to take this moment to officially welcome SMU to the Power Four. After playing Nevada and Houston Christian in their first two games, the Mustangs finally got a taste of their first Power Four opponent. A lot of the national media spent the entire summer comparing the Big 12 and the ACC. Well, ACC, you are now 0-2 against the Big 12 Conference, and the team picked to finish thirteenth in the Big 12 just beat a team picked to finish seventh in your conference at home.
Let’s be real here. The only reason SMU is in a power conference is that they paid a lot of money to be here. You can have all the money in the world, but at the end of the day, that doesn’t change the fact that they are a below-average program. I guess there truly are some things money can’t buy.
