No. 15 BYU opened Big 12 play by leaning on its defense, and the Cougars turned a fast start from Arizona into a 28-17 win Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita struck first in the rematch, but BYU answered quickly and then took control after halftime. The Cougars shut out the Wildcats in the second half, with back-to-back sacks from Tausili Akana and Keanu Tanuvasa helping seal the finish.
Bear Bachmeier threw for 217 yards, with all but 18 of those coming after the first quarter. He also ran for 37 yards and a 6-yard touchdown.
Kyler Kasper was his top target, catching four passes for 51 yards and two scores. LJ Martin added 98 yards on 20 carries.
Fifita finished 23-of-31 for 230 yards, a touchdown and an interception for Arizona, which fell to 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12.
The Wildcats came out sharp. Fifita completed 6-of-7 passes for 52 yards on Arizona’s opening drive before finishing it himself on an 11-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
BYU responded after a three-play opening possession when Cade Uluave capitalized on Isaiah Glasker’s pressure and picked off Fifita near the Arizona 9-yard line. Two plays later, Bachmeier scored on a 6-yard run to tie it.
Arizona’s defense made life difficult early, holding BYU to 38 yards on six plays in the first quarter. But the Cougars found their rhythm in the second. Bachmeier connected with Reggie Frischknecht on a busted coverage to finish an eight-play, 75-yard drive and give BYU a 14-10 lead.
Fifita kept Arizona moving in the first half, throwing for 141 of the Wildcats’ 237 first-half yards. He capped a 16-yard touchdown pass to Shane King that sent Arizona into halftime up 17-14.
The second half belonged to BYU. Bachmeier led a 9-play, 75-yard opening drive out of the break, ending with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Kasper to put the Cougars back in front. Arizona managed just 39 yards on its first two possessions of the half as BYU carried a 4-point edge into the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats made one last push to start the final period. Fifita guided an eight-play, 58-yard drive, highlighted by a 34-yard completion to Cole Rusk that moved Arizona into the red zone. But his 3-yard throw to Rodney Gallagher III on fourth down came up inches short of the line to gain after video review.
BYU made Arizona pay immediately. Bachmeier hit Legend Glasker for 61 yards two plays later, setting up Kasper’s second touchdown with 6:10 left. From there, the Cougars closed it out with the kind of second-half defense that flipped the game and sent them to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
In Other News...
BYU Showed Something Different In The Second Half At Arizona
Down at halftime in Tucson, No. 15 BYU came out of the break looking like a different team and finished with a 28-17 win over Arizona. The Cougars leaned on a strong rushing drive to open the second half, got meaningful production from players such as Kyler Kasper and Tausili Akana, and began to tilt the game with a steadier, more physical approach after the intermission.
Arizona still had a chance to flip the pressure back onto BYU before the Cougars defense shut the door with a key fourth-down stop. From there, BYUs pass rush started to squeeze the Wildcats late, and the Cougars spent the final stretch controlling the flow instead of chasing it, a meaningful shift for a team that had to answer a few questions after the break. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Keeps Winning Big Games Even When The Start Looks Familiar
For a while, it looked a lot like one of those nights when BYU would have to grind through familiar frustration before finding its footing. The Cougars still came away with a Big 12 win over Arizona, and the familiar part of the story was how much the game changed after halftime. Kelly Poppingas defense settled in and Aaron Rodericks offense found better answers after a slow start, giving BYU the kind of second-half control that has started to define these bigger nights.
Tommy Prassas also ended up in the middle of the decisive sequence late, when a key fourth-quarter tackle helped seal the result. It was another reminder that BYU keeps finding a way in these matchups, even when the opening stretch suggests the game might go another direction. The win was Kalani Sitakes sixth straight over Arizona, which says plenty about how often the Cougars have been the team making the right adjustments when these teams meet. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Arizona Win Put A Promising New Core On Display
BYUs win over Arizona offered a useful snapshot of how the Cougars are starting to piece together a new-look core on both sides of the ball. The second-half surge was powered by a defense that kept tightening the screws, with Tausili Akana making his presence felt, Uluave and Cannon DeVries adding key support, and the offense finding enough balance to pull away. It was the kind of performance that suggests the roster is settling into a clearer identity early in the season.
The more interesting part for BYU is how many different names are starting to matter in meaningful spots. Isaiah Glasker emerged as a steady target in the passing game, and Kyler Kaspers scoring impact showed how quickly the receiving group can tilt a game when it gets rolling. Akanas production up front only adds to the sense that this team may have more emerging pieces than expected, which makes the next stretch of games worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]