BYU finds offense in 41-16 win over Southern Utah

PROVO — It took a game (and then some) longer than many expected, but the Cougars cracked their neck and found their offense Saturday afternoon.

Kedon Slovis connected on four touchdown passes and ran for another, and BYU piled up 394 yards of offense en route to a 41-16 win over FCS foe Southern Utah in front of an announced crowd of 60,834 fans at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

After a slow first quarter that included his first interception at BYU, Slovis completed 22-of-32 passes for 348 yards, eclipsing the 300-yard mark for only the third time since he transferred away from USC prior to spending the 2022 season at Pitt. The fifth-year senior had touchdown strikes to Chase Roberts (six catches, 84 yards), Darius Lassiter (five catches, 73 yards), Isaac Rex (four catches, 112 yards) and Keanu Hill (three catches, 41 yards).

"If we give him time to throw, then he can do it," BYU coach Kalani Sitake said of Slovis. "The sad part about when he got hit and got the pick, I know where he was going with the ball, and I think it would've been a big-time play for us.

"When we keep him upright, he's really good. And now he's gaining confidence running the ball. … We've got to find ways on offense to complement what he can do, and not just rely on his arm. That means we need to run the ball more effectively."

Rex's touchdown catch gave him 22 on his career, tied for the most by a tight end in BYU program history.

Freshman tailback LJ Martin finished with 27 yards on six carries, leading the Cougars (2-0) in rushing for the second straight game, and also adding a 5-yard reception. Deion Smith added 16 yards on seven carries, including his first touchdown since transferring from Colorado.

Southern Utah quarterback Justin Miller threw for 235 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and Zach Mitchell caught seven passes for 135 yards.

Isaiah Wooden added 87 yards and a touchdown through the air for the Thunderbirds (0-2), and Targhee Lambson had 32 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

"Any time you put up 41, that's a lot of points," Rex said. "We played really well; there is still room for improvement. We could've played even better … but we definitely took a step forward. It was a big confidence booster."

Southern Utah struck first, capping a nine-play, 52-yard drive in the first quarter with Tyler Graham's 29-yard field goal to go up 3-0 midway through the opening stanza.

Slovis also had an interception — his first of the year — to Quadi Lockett-Smith in the quarter. But the Pitt transfer rebounded with a nine-play, 85-yard drive that included three tosses to Isaac Rex for 47 yards en route to the 6-3 lead.

Rex's 20-yard touchdown was the 22nd of his collegiate career, tying Gordon Hudson for the most in BYU history by a tight end.

"I would be lying if I didn't say it meant a lot," Rex said. "I grew up being a huge BYU fan … looking up to Dennis Pitta, my dad, even Gordon Hudson. It's been a dream of mine, and to get a record like that is really cool for me. I don't take it lightly. I realize this is a team sport, and I try to do my job every single play. But to have a stat in the record books is really cool, and I can't deny that."

Oregon transfer linebacker Harrison Taggart, the former Corner Canyon standout, forced a pivotal play on special teams with a blocked punt — adding his name to the special-teams standouts that included punter Ryan Rehkow, who averaged 45 yards over five punts, and Marcus McKenzie, the hit-stick freshman gunner.

Martin's 17-yard run then set up Slovis' eight-yard scoring strike to a wide-open Hill, doubling the Cougars' advantage to 13-3 to open the second quarter.

Slovis added a 42-yard score to Darius Lassiter with 5:47 left in the half, and Deion Smith cashed in Kamden Garrett's first interception at BYU with a 2-yard scoring dive that promptly followed Rex's career-long 65-yard catch-and-run to lift the Cougars to a 27-3 halftime lead.

"That was probably one of the best throws I've ever seen in my time here," Rex said of the catch-and-run. "There were three guys, and Kedon put it in the perfect spot. For me, personally, it was one of the best throws I've seen. It was very tight."

BYU's defense, which did not allow a touchdown until Justin Miller hit Isaiah Wooden over the top for a 33-yard score four minutes into the half, allowed 101 yards of offense before the break, including just 31 on the ground.

Slovis added his third rushing touchdown of the year from six yards out to cap a seven-play, 72-yard drive as BYU ended the third quarter up 34-10.

McKenzie set up another score, Slovis' 39-yard strike to Chase Roberts, by forcing and recovering a muffed punt at the 39-yard line with 9:49 remaining.

Lambson, the former Timpview standout playing less than 10 miles from his alma mater, capped an eight-play, 75-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown with 5:15 left for the Thunderbirds to cap the scoring.

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