10 Highest-Graded Players from BYU Football's Win Over Southern Illinois

Casey Lundquist | Sep 1, 2024

BYU QB Jake Retzlaff / BYU Photo

On Saturday night, BYU beat one of the top FCS programs, Southern Illinois, in convincing fashion 41-13. Here are the 10 highest-graded players according to Pro Football Focus (minimum of 10 snaps played).

1. Jake Retzlaff 89.5

No surprise here. Our postgame player of the game showed really well against the Salukis. He wasn't perfect, but he made some really high-level throws. PFF credited him with three big-time throws. A big-time throw is defined as "a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window." He also had zero turnover-worthy throws which boosted his grade a lot.

Retzlaff had 16 total first downs against the Salukis. On third and fourth down, Retzlaff was really good.

In 2023, Retzlaff's average grade was 48.3. This was his best individual grade by a wide margin.

2. Blake Mangelson - 79.6

Blake Mangelson made the move from defensive end to defensive tackle during the offseason. It appears that move has already started to pay off. Mangelson was the highest-graded defender, totaling a team-high four quarterback pressures and he was credited with on stop. A stop is defined as a "tackle that constitutes a 'failure' for the offense."

3. Chase Roberts - 77.7

BYU's leading wide receiver in the box score also had the best PFF grade. Chase Roberts was Jake Retzlaff's top target on Saturday night. Roberts had a game-high 7 receptions for 108 yards. He had multiple chain-moving receptions, including two contested catches on two fourth down conversions on the first drive. Roberts also made a nice diving catch in the second half.

4. Luke To'omalatai - 77.1

The first newcomer on the list. Defensive tackle Luke To'omalatai played only 14 total snaps for the BYU defense, but PFF liked what they saw in those limited reps. To'omalatai had the best run defense grade.

5. Caleb Etienne - 75.7

Left tackle was a major question mark going into Saturday night. Former Oklahoma State left tackle Caleb Etienne, who struggled last season as BYU's right tackle, was named the starter early on in camp. PFF gave him the best grade among the offensive linemen. 75.7 is a better grade than any grade he received in 2023.

Etienne had the best run-blocking grade on the offensive line.

6. Isaiah Bagnah 74.3

Isaiah Bagnah had two quarterback pressures (including one sack) and he also had a TFL. PFF rewarded his disruptive performance with a solid grade.

7. Jojo Phillips - 72.8

Redshirt freshman Jojo Phillips had 2 receptions for 70 yards, including a 57-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

8. Jakob Robinson - 72.8

Senior cornerback and captain Jakob Robinson had the best grade in the secondary. He was only targeted one time and the lone time he was targeted, he had an interception.

9. Cody Hagen - 72.3

True freshman Cody Hagen played 13 total snaps making him eligible for our list. Only three of those snaps were called passing plays since he was primarily inserted at the end of the game. Still, Hagen had one reception for 11 yards, his first catch in a BYU uniform.

10. Tyler Batty - 71.8

Senior defensive end Tyler Batty rounds out our top 10. Batty had one quarterback pressure against the Salukis. Most notably, he played only 52% of the snaps on defense. It seems like BYU kept him off the field when they could to keep him healthy for the upcoming slate of games.