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SMU defensive tackle Anthony Booker Jr. (10) is congratulated by defensive tackle Kori Roberson Jr. after scoring a touchdown on a fumble recovery during game against Houston Baptist on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Dallas. | Brandon Wade, Associated Press
DALLAS — Some of the most memorable, and improbable, wins in Kalani Sitake’s nine-year tenure at BYU have come in the month of September.
Since Sitake replaced Bronco Mendenhall in 2016, BYU has upset the likes of Arizona (twice), Wisconsin, Tennessee, USC, Utah, Baylor and Arkansas in September as an underdog, sometimes a touchdown-plus underdog.
Don’t look now, but BYU is a hefty 10.5-point underdog Friday night against also-undefeated SMU here in Big D, although the Cougars are 4-0 all-time against the Mustangs. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. MDT at intimate, 32,000-seat Gerald J. Ford Stadium, and the nonconference matchup will be televised by ESPN2.
Can BYU rekindle some past September magic? Or will SMU’s home-field advantage, explosive offense and momentum from a standout season in 2023 propel it past a BYU team that hasn’t won a college football road game in nearly a year?
Even Sitake knows the task at hand is daunting; Southern Methodist (2-0) has won nine straight home games, and scored an average of 53.9 points per game in those mostly lopsided affairs.
“I know they are a really explosive team, and are favored in this game,” Sitake said Monday. “This is an opportunity for our guys to get in there and figure out ways to get better, and improve.”
But can they win? Most analysts aren’t giving them much of a chance. ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) gives BYU only a 21% chance of emerging victorious. That’s lower than the Cougars’ current chances of beating No. 11 Utah on Nov. 9 in Salt Lake City (23.1%).
The Cougars’ lowest chance of winning,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/double-digit-underdog-cougars-pull-030000805.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2024-09-06 03:00:00
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