Exhale. BYU just lived through a weekend in Provo that will be hard to top, with College Gameday in town and a field storm after the final Notre Dame pass fell incomplete. Now comes the hard part: turning the page.
The Cougars head to Orlando as the new No. 2 team in the country, and UCF gets the privilege of hosting the highest-ranked opponent in program history. That puts a giant target on BYU’s back, especially after such an emotional win.
The challenge is avoiding the kind of slip-up that happens when the celebration lingers too long. Oklahoma did it after upsetting No.
1 Texas, then lost to Kentucky at home the following week.
BYU has six regular-season games left, starting with a trip to the “Bounce House,” and the message is clear: the Notre Dame win was huge, but it was only the halfway point. If the Cougars want the season to keep building past November 28 against Cincinnati, they have to handle the business in front of them.
The first order of business is simple enough. No more fake punts in your own territory. Please never do that again, Kalani.
There’s also plenty for BYU to clean up from the Notre Dame game itself. The special teams issues have piled up fast, with three muffed punts in the last two games between two returners.
Cannon DeVries added to the mess with a muff near midfield in the third quarter, and it nearly swung the game after BYU had built a 21-10 halftime lead. At some point, the Cougars either have to solve the problem or pull the returner off the field altogether.
The offense also went quiet at the same time. BYU managed just 39 total yards and no points in the third quarter.
After taking that 21-10 lead, the Cougars produced only 71 total yards over their next four drives and didn’t score again until under six minutes remained. That kind of stretch can’t become a habit.
UCF’s best path to an upset is on the ground. The Knights average 162 rushing yards per game and 5.0 yards per carry, which puts them inside the top 40 nationally in that category.
Duke Watson has been a key piece, ranking seventh in the Big 12 with 483 rushing yards and sixth in yards per carry at 6.9. With Alonza Barnett III likely out because of injury, UCF has leaned heavily on the run and has struggled through the air, sitting 106th in passing yards per game, mostly with Keyone Jenkins at quarterback.
BYU handled a strong Notre Dame run game well enough to feel good about its front. Keanu Tanuvasa turned in what might have been his best game as a Cougar, and Cade Uluave was everywhere. UCF won’t present the same level of challenge on the ground, but the Cougars still need to stay locked in.
The flip side is that BYU should be able to create room for its own run game. The Cougars ran for more than 100 yards against Notre Dame without LJ Martin and Sione Moa, and Moa looks set to return after missing time since the Utah Tech game.
Preston Rex also made the most of his chances against the Irish, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. UCF’s front is not Notre Dame’s, but it still ranks 26th in rushing yards allowed per attempt.
Tackett Curtis brings strength against the run, and Jeffson Lafontant has 5.5 tackles for loss, so BYU can’t expect easy yards.
There should also be opportunities through the air. UCF ranks 105th in passing yards allowed per game, and while the Knights have done a decent job keeping explosive plays in check, BYU has the kind of receivers who can stress them anyway. Legend Glasker has four catches this season on targets thrown 20 or more yards downfield, and 6-foot-6 Kyler Kasper gives the Cougars another way to win contested throws against a smaller UCF secondary.
In Other News...
BYU Suddenly Has A Backfield Question That Could Shape Everything
Bear Bachmeiers week of national recognition and Cade Uluaves conference honor after the win over Notre Dame put a bright spotlight on BYU, but the Cougars also came out of that game with a more practical question hanging over the offense. With LJ Martin and Sione Moa both slowed by injuries, backup runners Preston Rex and Journee Tonga were forced into bigger roles, and they answered with enough impact to keep the offense moving in one of the biggest wins of the season.
Now the attention shifts to what comes next in the backfield, especially with BYU continuing to assess Moas readiness after a history of injury. Kalani Sitake praised the growth and contributions of the running backs, but the Cougars still have to sort out how much depth they truly have and how they want to use it as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Fans Will Want To See Where Bear Bachmeier Ranks Now
Week 7 in the Big 12 offered another useful snapshot of the quarterback landscape, and for BYU fans, it is the kind of week that naturally shifts the conversation toward where Bear Bachmeier fits among the leagues best. The latest review of conference passers pulled together recent performances, matchup context and team stakes before setting up a fresh top-eight ranking entering Week 8, giving a clear sense of how much movement there has been at the position.
For BYU, the interest is not just in where Bachmeier lands, but in what the ranking says about the Cougars place in the Big 12 conversation overall. With another round of league games on deck, the quarterback pecking order remains fluid, and the next update could look very different depending on who keeps playing at a high level and who seizes the biggest stage in Week 8. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Is Suddenly Right In The Middle Of The No. 1 Fight
A wild weekend in college football shook up the top of the rankings, and BYU suddenly finds itself right in the middle of the No. 1 conversation. Miami moved to the top spot after Georgias loss to Auburn, but the picture is anything but settled, with the AP poll, ESPNs algorithm and plenty of outside voices all pointing in different directions as the season turns toward its next big test.
The Cougars were right there in the debate, finishing with 20 first-place votes in the AP poll as the sports usual hierarchy started to wobble. Brian Kelly, speaking as a college football analyst and former coach, voiced confidence in Kirby Smart even after the upset, another sign that there is no clean consensus at the top and no shortage of contenders waiting for the chaos to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]