No. 15 BYU spent the first half chasing Arizona, then spent the second half burying it.
The Cougars’ 28-17 win on Saturday came with a sharp split in momentum: Arizona went to the locker room ahead 17-14 and, by the source’s own read, could have had an even bigger cushion. BYU answered with a second half that completely changed the shape of the game, flipping a first-half edge in net success rate from Arizona’s +10% to BYU’s +37% after halftime.
The turnaround started with a long, punishing opening march out of the break. BYU leaned harder on the run than it had in the first half, when it ran the ball only seven times, and that shift paid off on a 75-yard touchdown drive that burned 5:23. LJ Martin carried the ball on three of the first four plays, and once the defense had to respect the ground game, the passing game started to open.
That drive ended with a touchdown throw to 6-foot-6 Kyler Kasper, who has quickly become a red-zone problem for defenses. Kasper was Bachmeier’s favorite target in camp near the goal line, and that has shown up in games. He had 77 receiving yards in four years at Oregon, and he has already gone past that total in just two games at BYU.
BYU’s offense didn’t stay crisp for long. The next two possessions ended in punts as the Cougars lost some rhythm.
But while the offense settled back in, the defense kept Arizona from cashing in. The Wildcats punted on back-to-back second-half drives before mounting the sequence that nearly changed the game again.
Arizona pushed into BYU territory and was closing in on the red zone when Noah Fifita faced 4th & 4 and hit Rodney Gallagher III short of the line to gain. Cannon DeVries and Tommy Prassas stopped him right at the marker. The call was initially ruled a first down, but after review Gallagher III was marked short, and BYU got the ball back with a 21-17 lead instead of watching Arizona seize momentum.
That stop set up the knockout punch.
With Arizona crowding the line to stop the run, BYU found the opening it wanted. On the next series, the Wildcats had every defender within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage on one snap, and the Cougars took the shot.
Legend Glasker slipped behind the defense and Bachmeier hit him in stride for a 61-yard gain, with the ball traveling 57 yards in the air. Two plays later, Bachmeier found Kasper again in the end zone, and BYU had a 28-17 cushion.
From there, the defense finished the job. With Arizona forced to throw and only six minutes left, BYU’s pass rush took over.
Tausili Akana stunted inside for a sack on first down, with Keanu Tanuvasa helping create the lane by drawing the line outward. On the very next play, Akana and Tanuvasa got back into the backfield and dropped Fifita again.
Akana ended with 2.5 sacks and has been BYU’s best pass rusher through two games. On third down, Fifita had to get the ball out quickly, Arizona punted, and BYU closed it out in the four-minute drill. The Cougars didn’t even need more points, kneeling inside the Arizona 10-yard-line to seal it.
In Other News...
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 🡒]
BYU Just Made The Big 12 Race A Lot More Interesting
BYUs first Big 12 test came with plenty of the usual early-season nerves, but the Cougars handled it well enough to leave with a 28-17 win over Arizona and a 2-0 start overall. The result mattered beyond one Saturday night, because it gave BYU an early foothold in conference play and showed this team can survive a game that tightened up before it was over.
The offense had a couple of momentum-swinging plays to lean on, from freshman Legend Glaskers 61-yard reception to Kyler Kasper finding the end zone for the first time in his college career. Even with those flashes, the bigger takeaway was how much the opener seemed to hang on a single sequence late, the kind of moment that can tilt an entire Big 12 race before it really gets going. [Read more 🡒]