Everything you need to know about BYU vs. Sam Houston

BYU’s first game as a Big 12 member is here.

The Cougars open up at home against a newly-minted FBS program from Texas. Sam Houston is making the jump from the FCS level, where it won a national title back in 2020.

With a new offensive coordinator, a number of redshirted players and an unknown quarterback situation, Sam Houston comes to Provo with a bevy of question marks. It means this week will be a challenge in preparation and adjustments as the Cougars start the 2023 campaign.

How to watch BYU vs. Sam Houston

Kickoff time: 8:15 p.m.

TV: FS1

TV Crew: Alex Faust, Petros Papadakis

Radio: BYU radio SiriusXM 143/ BYURadio.org / BYU Radio App/ KSL 1160 AM,102.7 FM

Line: BYU is a 19.5-point favorite

Weather: Cloudy with a small chance of rain, around 73 degrees at kickoff

Keys to the game

1. Figuring out who Sam Houston is

Sam Houston comes into this game with a unique strategy. It redshirted many of its key players last year in order to have them available for its first FBS season.

Ife Adeyi (WR), Jevon Leon (DE) and Jax Sherrard (TE) were among nearly 20 players who sat out most of last season. It means that Sam Houston is likely better than the 5-4 record it put on tape in 2022.

With that, BYU can’t simply watch film of what the Bearkats did last year. It has to look back to 2021 when it went 11-1; and 2020 when it went 10-0 and won the FCS national title.

To make matters more complicated, Sam Houston has a new offensive coordinator who last called plays at Virginia Tech two years ago. So BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill has been splitting his time watching everything from Va. Tech to the old Sam Houston.

“They have an offensive-minded head coach [too] who has had very good offenses in the past,” Hill said. “So are they going to do more of what the offensive coordinator did when he was at Va Tech? Are they going to do more of what the head coach likes to do in years past? How does that fit with the offensive personnel that they have?”

2. Kedon Slovis getting comfortable

BYU’s new quarterback comes in with all the pedigree you could want. He will surpass 10,000 career passing yards in his first game in Provo.

But offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick would still like to get the former USC and Pitt signal caller comfortable in his first game with the program. That includes figuring out how to use all the weapons around him.

BYU’s offense will have more talent this year, but also new faces. At receiver, it brought in Darius Lassiter and Keelan Marion. At running back it added Aidan Robbins and Deion Smith (not to mention freshman LJ Martin). It was something BYU had to do and should work. But putting up points in Week 1 would boost the confidence.

3. Safety help

BYU’s defense is already down Micah Harper and Talan Alfrey after fall camp injuries. It leaves a hole at safety, a critical position in Hill’s new defense.

It will be safety by committee in Week 1. Hill is just looking for somebody to step up.

Will it be Ethan Slade, who will get the start? Or will it be someone else? Plenty of players will get their shot.

Headlines

• Can Kedon Slovis get back to his freshman form? BYU’s QB shares his own story of what went wrong at USC

• Kedon Slovis once thought Provo was weird, but BYU’s new quarterback says he’s found a home there

• BYU coach Kalani Sitake is scrapping the Cougars’ confusing substitution pattern

• 5 takeaways from BYU’s first depth chart: Freshmen, QB intrigue and third options in the secondary

• OC Aaron Roderick says BYU ‘upgraded at every position’ on offense

• BYU’s Caleb Etienne heard the criticism. He’s ready to respond to OSU coach Mike Gundy.

• BYU safety Talan Alfrey says he was a step slow last year. Now, the Cougars need him healthy more than ever.

• BYU safety Micah Harper tears ACL, out for the season

Quotable

Hill on Sam Houston’s redshirt strategy:

“I don’t know exactly what that looks like. I’ve been a head coach. Kalani has been a head coach. Do you really want to hold back all your best players and just give away a season? I don’t think that was necessarily the case last year.”