BYU vs. SMU: How to watch the New Mexico Bowl, pregame storylines and kickoff time

Albuquerque, N.M. • It is the long-awaited end of an era. And once again, it will come to a close in New Mexico.

BYU is bookending its independence years in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday. After that, it will be off to the Big 12. It is a nearly identical scene to 12 years ago, when BYU’s final game in the Mountain West Conference occurred in Albuquerque. That year, it ended in a bowl game win over UTEP.

But for the Cougars to win this game, they will have to overcome a mountain of obstacles. It doesn’t have a full defensive staff. Its starting quarterback, Jaren Hall, is out. And at least eight more opening-day starters will be missed.

BYU is also facing one of the better statistical offenses in the country. SMU is 11th in scoring offense and averages over 470 yards per game.

Because of all that, head coach Kalani Sitake made it fairly clear that BYU’s path to victory must be unconventional.

Graduate assistants and analysts will be put into bigger roles on the defense staff. Many players will be out of position to help compensate for the losses. And, of course, the quarterback situation will be new as well.

It could be either Cade Fennegan or Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters getting the start. Nick Billoups could also play. None have thrown a pass in Provo in their career.

Gameday information

Kickoff time: 5:30 M.T.

Channel: ABC

Broadcast team: Tom Hart (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst), Taylor McGregor (sideline)

Radio: BYUradio SiriusXM 143/BYURadio.org, BYU Radio App/KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM

Radio team: Greg Wrubell (play-by-play), Riley Nelson (analyst), Mitchell Juergens (sideline)

Pregame reading

• It will be the end of an era in more ways than one for BYU today. Not only is the program leaving independence, but it is also losing many of its core players from this roster who have been mainstays the past few years. Wide receiver Brayden Cosper is one of them. The bowl game will be his last, and he reflected on a career he knows some will call a “failure.”

• We mentioned that GAs and analysts will be taking on a bigger role. The last few weeks, they have been running practice and become the de facto coaching staff. More here on what bowl prep looked like amid all the transition.

• If you need to get caught up on how much BYU’s coaching staff has changed since the last game against Stanford, here is a story on what happened and what it all means.

• Mike Leach died suddenly this week from complications of a heart attack. He went to BYU and played on the rugby team before becoming college football’s most unique voice. We spoke with his teammates on the rugby team to explore a little-known chapter in the Pirate’s life.

• New defensive coordinator Jay Hill won’t be coaching this game. But he will be in attendance. We spoke to his former players about what Hill brings to the table and looked into the backstory to his hire.

• Want to talk quarterbacks? Here are the options behind Jaren Hall and what the offense could look like this afternoon.

from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/mQLZwJz