Cougars, Hogs Collide for Second Straight Year

Razorbacks look to romp over BYU from start in best non-conference matchup of year

Author:
Daniel Shi
Publish date:
Sep 16, 2023 6:52 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A week after the Hogs were left wondering just how good they are, their toughest examination yet rolls into town from Provo, Utah. Both teams have yet to get into the tough part of their respective schedules.

BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis now has 10,466 career passing yards across five seasons after wins over Sam Houston State and Southern Utah to begin the year. The graduate transfer has finally found a home under head coach Kelani Sitake after previous stops at USC and Pittsburgh.

Defensive coordinator Jay Hill also comes in with a revamped and aggressive unit that has only allowed one touchdown all season. The Cougars will be looking for payback after a 52-35 defeat at home last year.

The Razorbacks come in with an impressive defense of their own. The defense has had a pick-six in both games so far, the most recent one a pick-six by linebacker Antonio Grier which jumpstarted a week two 28-6 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes.

Quarterback KJ Jefferson showed off his versatility in carrying the offense in different ways in both games. He showed off his arm in the season opener, going 18-for-23 with three touchdowns. Last week, he carried the ball 13 times for 48 yards to account for over a quarter of the team's total yards against Kent State.

The two teams' seasons cross paths in Razorback Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m. The game is streamed live on ESPN2 and fuboTV.