BYU announces football game with Southern Illinois

PROVO, Utah — Brigham Young University and Southern Illinois University today announced the two schools have agreed to play a football game on Aug. 31, 2024, at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah.

In addition, BYU and Utah Tech announced the Cougars and Trailblazers have moved their previously announced game in Provo from Nov. 16, 2024 to Sept. 5, 2026. BYU and Utah Tech will meet for the first time this season when the Trailblazers from the Western Athletic Conference come to Provo to play the Cougars on Nov. 19.

BYU will face Southern Illinois for the first time in football when the Salukis travel from Carbondale, Illinois, to Provo for the 2024 season opener in LaVell Edwards Stadium.  

Members of the Missouri Valley Conference, Southern Illinois is coming off back-to-back FCS Playoff appearances, advancing to the Round of 8 in spring of 2021 and Round of 16 last fall. One of only five FCS programs to advance to Round of 16 the last two seasons, the Solukis have produced three-straight winning seasons for first time since 2007-09 and been ranked 27 weeks in the FCS Top 25.

Earning a ranked as high as No. 3, Southern Illinois boasts program victories over the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 ranked teams at the FCS level and this fall added a 31-24 FBS Power 5 triumph at Northwestern. That road victory was the program's second over a Big Ten team, including a 2006 win at Indiana when head coach Nick Hill was the team's quarterback. Under Hill's leadership, Southern Illinois now ranks among the elite programs in FCS football in his seventh year at the helm. 

Founded in 1875, BYU officially began playing college football in 1922 and has been one of the most successful programs in the country over the last half century. Only seven FBS programs have achieved more wins than BYU’s 433 victories over the past 50 seasons. BYU has competed as an FBS independent program since 2011 and will join the Big 12 Conference in 2023.

Prior to independence, BYU won 23 conference titles as a member of the Mountain West and WAC. BYU head coach Kalani Sitake is in his seventh season leading the Cougars, who are coming off back-to-back top-20 seasons. Currently ranked No. 19, BYU has been ranked during 34 of the last 37 weeks, the seventh most weekly appearances in national polls during the past three seasons.