“I’m looking forward to the weekend, the start of the season and 1-0. I’m looking forward to our next game. After watching the film and evaluating our performance, I see that there are a lot of things we can improve on. We can play better and cleaner, but I’m proud of the way our guys played overall. I’m looking forward to this next step to go on the road and play SMU.”

On Defensive Coordinator Jay Hill’s Health and Role in Week Two
“Jay’s doing a great job. We’re working, getting ready for SMU. This is his defense. I expect him to go back to his defensive coordinator role. I don’t know if he’ll be on the field or in the box.”

About the health of the team
“No season-ending injuries, so that’s good. We have a couple of guys that are injured. It was a physical game. Right now it looks like everyone is on track to play in this game this weekend. Right now we expect everyone to make the trip.”

On improvements the team can make in week two
“On defense, we’ve got to control the quarterback run game. We’re going to see a lot of that, especially this week. Offensively, we’ve got to finish drives and find ways to capitalize on opportunities. On special teams, I felt like we set up some really good returns, but we’ve got to catch the ball to get it going. We know how to solve those types of things and we’re looking forward to starting that today in practice.”

When confronting SMU
“They’ve got an explosive team and they’re the favorites in this game, so this is an opportunity for our guys to step in and find ways to improve and go up against a very impressive SMU team. They’ve got really good athletes. They’ve got some quarterbacks that can play. They’re very active, very athletic and can throw the ball well.”

About SMU Head Coach Rhett Lashlee
“Rhett Lashlee is a good friend of mine. He’s a great coach who knows how to run an offense, call a game, run a program. I think he’s one of the best coaches in college football. He’s done a great job with that program. (At the 2022 New Mexico Bowl) we were able to sit down and have a meal together. I was very impressed with him because I got to be with him and his family. He’s got a brilliant mind when it comes to football.”

On the defensive line’s performance against Southern Illinois
“I thought they got some knockbacks against a veteran offensive line group. We challenged them to be physical and do their job. They did that and I’m proud of our coaches for getting them ready. That’s one game and we’ve got to be consistent week to week and play to play.”

On the linebackers’ performance against Southern Illinois
“There’s still some plays to be made, but overall they’ve done some good things. They’re comfortable in the system, in the scheme. It’s a lot different having those guys who know what they’re doing now. It’s a night and day difference when guys have more time in the system. I liked that we rotated and had fresh bodies. We had Choe (Bryant-Strother), Aisea Moa and Sione Moa playing, Siale Esera as well. That’s a deep position group for us.”

On the growth of wide receiver Chase Roberts
“He’s maturing on offense. He’s understanding it a little bit more every year he’s on offense. I know he’s one position on the roster, but he can do more, he can play the tight end position if we need him.”

On his memories of BYU vs. SMU in the 1980 Holiday Bowl
“I was five years old when the game happened. I don’t remember much about it, but I remember watching the highlights when I was eight years old. I was the kind of kid who watched replays of games all the time. It was cool to see that SMU team with guys like Eric Dickerson. And then you see guys like Kyle Whittingham and Jim McMahon for BYU. There’s some cool parts of that game, like Jim McMahon not wanting to punt and keeping the offense out. I grew up hearing those stories as a kid and then, as a BYU player, I got to ask LaVell (Edwards) about it.”