Can BYU take its 1-0 record to SMU and beat the Mustangs?

Kalani Sitake will take his 1-0 BYU Cougars to Dallas for a showdown with SMU on Friday with a few more answers than he had a week ago.
The five-game losing streak is behind him and Big 12 play remains on the horizon, but this SMU game looms big for the Cougars and they need all the momentum they can muster.
While the 41-13 victory over FCS Southern Illinois showcased elements of Sitake’s team that needed tending to after last year’s five-win season, there remains work to do.
SMU is fresh off a 59-7 win over Houston Christian and held on to beat Nevada 29-24 the previous week. The Mustangs have had two games to work out kinks. The Cougars have just one under their belts.
Errors in special teams play, some dropped passes and a struggle to contain QB DJ Williams runs out of the pocket will be at the top of the whiteboard come Monday morning, but both the offense and defense had plenty to be pleased with on a night the entire team had defensive coordinator Jay Hill in their prayers after the popular coach suffered a heart attack and had stents placed in arteries in separate procedures.
BYU’s defense was basically two plays from pitching a shutout. One was a missed call on a dropped pass that led to a touchdown, and the other was allowing Williams to sprint for a long touchdown. 
Otherwise, coverage was solid, the run defense was effective, tackling was crisp and so was the pursuit.
Offensively, Jake Retzlaff’s performance was the best of his career by far and ranked among the best on the Big 12 quarterback weekend board.
Retzlaff and company should have completed three other scoring drives, one of which never materialized on a controversial reviewed catch and fumble in the second half that could have set BYU up deep in SIU territory.
This was Retzlaff’s first 300-plus yard and 3 touchdown game since he played junior college ball in California.
The Cougars did a little flex with their receiver depth with 10 different receivers and backs catching passes. BYU was expected to and did ride its run game and got solid performances by running backs LJ Martin (13 carries for 67 yards) Hinckley Ropati (13 for 57) and Miles Davis (5 for 24). 
If the Cougars do it by committee, it might prove a healthy move come Big 12 play.
“All of us were able to catch, run, block and be physical,” said Martin of the running backs, “and even the receivers and tight ends, you saw them catch and block, you saw the versatility throughout the game. That’s what the offense requires and that’s what the coaches preach to us, to be complete players.”
The Big 12 went 14-2 over the weekend with Houston and West Virginia losing to UNLV and Penn State, respectively. Arizona’s defense struggled to contain Bronco Mendenhall’s run game until a late fourth-quarter explosion by the Wildcat offense against New Mexico.
Texas Tech defeated Abilene Christian 52-51 in overtime, and Colorado had its hands full with North Dakota State, edging the FCS team 31-26.
The three biggest BYU takeaways from the weekend: they might be better than predicted, they had no turnovers (obtaining two from SIU) and Jake Kelly, the Weber State transfer, is the real deal, leading BYU in tackles.
John Nelson registered BYU’s only sack on one of the best and elusive QBs the defense will face this season.
ESPN has BYU trending upwards while Houston, Cincinnati, Texas Tech, Baylor, Iowa State and West Virginia are trending negatively.
Coming out of its only FCS game of the season, BYU ranks ninth in fewest penalty yards, No. 3 in time of possession, No. 18 in team pass efficiency, 23rd in passing offense, 17th in team pass efficiency defense and 27th in total offense.
Bottom line: Retzlaff had his best game as a Cougar. It is expected he’ll be better next week in Dallas with receiver Darius Lassiter back.
The result of BYU’s trip to SMU is critical to the Cougars’ goal of making it to a bowl game. BYU is a double-digit (11-point) underdog to the Mustangs in Dallas.
Friday night will give significantly more answers about the Cougars than last Saturday’s win. Two big trends will need to continue — no turnovers and almost no penalties.