Top Performers From BYU's 41-13 Victory Over Southern Illinois

Casey Lundquist | Sep 1, 2024

BYU wide receiver Jojo Phillips catches a 57-yard touchdown from Jake Retzlaff / BYU Photo

PROVO, UT - On Saturday night, BYU kicked off the season with a convincing 41-13 victory over Southern Illinois. Here were the top individual performances from Saturday night.

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— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) September 1, 2024

1. Jake Retzlaff - QB

BYU QB Jake Retzlaff / BYU Photo

The main headline heading into Saturday night was the BYU quarterback competition. Retzlaff answered the bell, throwing for a career high 348 yards and 3 touchdowns. Retzlaff's arm talent was on full display.

He made a series of throws that exemplified his unique arm talent:

• On the second drive of the game, he effortlessly threw a 57-yard touchdown to Jojo Phillips that traveled 60 yards in the air
• He threw a frozen rope to Mata'ava Ta'ase for a touchdown
• While rolling to his right, he hit Chase Roberts on a deep comeback route with perfect ball placement
• He layered a perfectly-thrown ball over the middle to Parker Kingston for a 36-yard gain

Few quarterbacks in college football can make all of those throws in the same game.

He wasn't perfect - he still has a few things to clean up. But Retzlaff showed why he was named the starting quarterback.

2. Chase Roberts - WR

BYU WR Chase Roberts / BYU Photo

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. Roberts looks like the receiver that can become Retzlaff's safety blanket in the future.

3. Isaiah Bagnah - DE

BYU DE Isaiah Bagnah / BYU Photo

Coming out of Fall camp, the defensive ends were a question mark. Was there someone opposite of Tyler Batty that could create a pass rush? On Saturday, BYU's best pass rusher was defensive end Isaiah Bagnah. Bagnah had a sack and a quarterback pressure. He also had 1.5 tackles for loss. Bagnah was disruptive.

4. Jojo Phillips - WR

BYU wide receiver Jojo Phillips catches a 57-yard touchdown from Jake Retzlaff / BYU Photo

Coming into the season, Aaron Roderick said redshirt freshman Jojo Phillips would play a lot. On Saturday night, Phillips showed why. Phillips effortlessly got open deep down the field for a 57-yard score. BYU lacked a true deep threat last season. Phillips' combination of size and speed make him a prime candidate to be a deep threat for BYU's offense in 2024. Phillips finished the night with 2 receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown.

LET IT FLY @jretz11!!

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— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) September 1, 2024

5. LJ Martin - RB

BYU RB LJ Martin / BYU Photo

LJ Martin's health was a major question mark throughout Fall camp. After some speculation that he could miss the first few games of the season, Martin was healthy enough to play against Southern Illinois. Martin split reps with Hinckley Ropati on Saturday night, but in limited reps, he showed why he is BYU's top running back.

Martin had 67 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown. He also caught a touchdown from Jake Retzlaff.

There's an added level of speed, elusiveness, and home-run ability when Martin is in the backfield.

6. Jack Kelly - LB

In Jack Kelly's first game at BYU, he led BYU in total tackles. Kelly was seemingly always around the ball. He was credited with 5 total tackles including 0.5 tackles for loss. He also had a quarterback hurry. There was one play in particular where Kelly stunted into the backfield and blew up the play.

7. John Nelson - DL

John Nelson was disruptive from the interior defensive line. He had one sack and one TFL. He was credited with three total tackles.

8. Keelan Marion - WR

BYU WR Keelan Marion / BYU Photo

Keelan Marion's first reception of the season was a critical third-down conversion on the first drive of the game. He also had a long 52-yard reception on a deep shot from Jake Retzlaff. Marion did a nice job of adjusting to the throw and coming down with it despite the referee getting in the way. He finished with 3 receptions for 61 yards.