BYU was the underdog, trailing by 12.5 points, but played strong defense throughout the night in its 18-15 win over SMU in Dallas.

On a night where BYU’s offense lost the ball and couldn’t get much done on the field, BYU held the Mustangs to 261 yards, forced 3 turnovers and held SMU to 3-16 on third down. BYU forced two turnovers from SMU in the redzone, and the last one was perhaps the biggest of the night. After Jake Retzlaff intercepted a ball in the fourth quarter, giving SMU the ball inside the BYU 5-yard line, BYU forced a fumble two plays later, preserving BYU’s 15-12 lead.

While the defense shined throughout the night, BYU’s offense showed many of the same weaknesses it did last year with Jake Retzlaff. After a quick 7-0 lead, BYU’s offense was uncoordinated the rest of the night after LJ Martin left the game with an ankle injury. Jake Retzlaff threw two ill-advised interceptions and had a fumble, and BYU was just 2-for-13 on third down. However, BYU outgained SMU 336 to 261 yards and made a few more key plays on offense. BYU converted a fourth-and-1 down the middle of the field with 4 minutes left when Miles Davis carried the ball 37 yards to set up the game-winning field goal.

BYU remains on the road next week when they travel to Laramie to play Wyoming next Saturday night.