Last season’s BYU team could beat you in a lot of ways, but it still had some clear pressure points if it wanted to get back to Arlington in 2026. Through three games, the Cougars have already shown progress in a few of those spots - and the biggest jumps have come in the red zone, on defense once opponents cross the 40, and in the kind of explosive plays that change games in a hurry.
One important caveat: garbage time is out of the equation here. That matters a lot this early in the season, because nearly two of BYU’s three games have qualified. The second halves against Utah Tech and Colorado State are excluded, and BYU’s final drive against Arizona counts as garbage time because the Cougars kneeled instead of going for more points.
Even with that filter in place, the offense’s efficiency stands out. BYU ranks ninth in points per drive, a clear step up from where the Cougars sat last season.
But the deeper look shows the yardage profile is still pretty similar. BYU ranks 23rd in available yards gained this year, and it ranked 25th in the same category last season.
Last year, the Cougars were 27th in yards per drive.
So what’s driving the scoring bump? The red zone.
That was a real problem area a year ago. BYU finished 73rd in red zone touchdown rate last season, and that kept drives from turning into the kind of points that matter most.
This year, the Cougars have been perfect so far on non-garbage time red zone trips. All 11 have ended in touchdowns, which means a 100% red zone touchdown rate - first in the country by default.
There’s probably some schedule effect in that number, but the personnel also makes sense. BYU has one of the nation’s top running backs in LJ Martin, and Bear Bachmeier adds another layer with his legs.
The biggest difference, though, is 6'6 wide receiver Kyler Kasper, who gives the Cougars a size edge most cornerbacks simply can’t match. When BYU needed to punch the ball in against Arizona, Bachmeier went to Kasper.
Bachmeier himself has also looked sharper in the tight spaces near the goal line. That’s not a small thing for a freshman quarterback, because windows shrink fast in the red zone and that’s where young passers usually get squeezed. Another year of experience has clearly helped him there.
On the other side of the ball, BYU has cleaned up something fans might not have realized was a problem last year: getting off the field once opponents got into scoring range. The Cougars ranked 81st in scoring position drives allowed last season, which means opponents were getting to BYU’s 40-yard line or closer too often.
And yet, BYU still finished 35th in points per drive allowed because the defense tightened when it mattered. Opponents reached scoring position, but the Cougars allowed touchdowns only 40% of the time, which ranked 10th in touchdown rate per scoring drive.
This season, that area has improved as well. BYU is 13th in scoring position drives allowed, a sign the defense is doing a better job of forcing stops before things get dangerous. Colorado State saw that after its opening score, as the Rams were held scoreless the rest of the way on non-garbage possessions.
The bigger question is whether that holds up against stronger offenses. Arizona provided both versions of the defense.
In the first half, BYU gave up yards and didn’t clamp down in the red zone. The Wildcats put together several long drives and scored 17 points, while Noah Fifita’s mobility made life miserable for the pass rush and kept the Cougars from finishing stops.
Then the second half flipped completely. BYU shut Arizona out after halftime and pulled away for a 28-17 win.
That’s the version of the defense that would keep the Cougars on track in Big 12 play. If the first-half version is the one that shows up more often, BYU may need to win with offense.
That’s where the explosiveness matters. One national pundit, Bud Elliot, compared BYU to Iowa as a team with good defense and bad offense.
But the numbers don’t back that up. BYU has been better in points per drive on offense than in points per drive allowed over the last two seasons.
The real offensive separation this year has come from explosive plays. BYU ranks seventh nationally in explosive play rate on offense, a major jump from 28th last season. Legend Glasker has given the Cougars a vertical threat they didn’t have before, and that changes how defenses can line up.
Against Arizona, the Wildcats were stacking the box and daring BYU to throw. Bachmeier hit Glasker deep, and that forced Arizona to adjust. Even then, the Wildcats kept nine in the box near the goal line, which opened the door for the easy Bachmeier-to-Kasper touchdown that finished the game.
For BYU, that’s the story so far: better finishing, better field-position defense, and more pop in the passing game. If those trends hold, the Cougars have a real shot to keep building toward another run to Arlington.
In Other News...
BYU Fans May Hate The Only Way To Stop Those Chants
The recurring F-the-Mormons chants at BYU games have become one of those ugly fan behavior problems that keeps resurfacing no matter how many times it is condemned. Apologies and fines have not exactly solved much, and the issue keeps putting both football and basketball events in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, especially when the conversation shifts from the games themselves to how to stop the noise in the stands.
One idea gaining attention is far more aggressive: automatic penalties tied to the offending crowd, the kind of deterrent that would affect the team on the field or court. Former Utah athletic director Chris Hill suggested that approach, arguing for yardage penalties in football or technical fouls in basketball as a way to make the cost immediate and impossible to ignore, a sign of how difficult it has become to police sportsmanship once a chant catches on. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Just Added Serious Hype To BYU's TCU Test
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Nick Saban added another layer to the discussion in a recent interview, saying BYU has been the most impressive Big 12 team hes watched so far this season. He pointed to Bear Bachmeiers sharper passing and the Cougars balanced offense, the kind of endorsement that tends to travel quickly and only raises the stakes for a game like this one. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Got Pulled Into A Big 12 Playoff Fight
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For BYU, the appeal is obvious, but so are the trade-offs. A larger playoff would come with a different scheduling landscape, fewer traditional bowl games, and new questions about cost and the value of the regular season. Analyst Josh Pate has already pushed back on the proposal, warning it could make college footballs finances worse and dull the incentives that make September and October matter, so this fight is far from settled. [Read more 🡒]