BYU left with a road win over TCU, but the kind of win that tends to stir up more nerves than celebration. The Cougars are 4-0, and they got it done with toughness and defense, yet the questions around this team are only getting louder with Notre Dame coming to Provo in 12 days and Iowa State up next on Friday.
The biggest concern starts on offense. BYU has not moved the ball consistently, and the injury pileup around key players makes the whole thing look shakier by the day.
The excuses about “wet footballs” and “rainy, damp weather” don’t hold much water, especially with TCU operating in the same conditions without the same problems throwing downfield. BYU’s early approach against the Horned Frogs was odd, too, with perimeter throws showing up before much of LJ Martin and the run game, and now Martin is out at least for the time being.
That leaves a lot on the shoulders of a passing game that has not held up its end of the bargain. The receivers looked like a possible strength through the first three games, but they were not much of a factor Saturday.
If their production is tied that heavily to Martin and the ground game, the margin for error gets thin in a hurry. The offensive line did not help matters either, piling up penalties and missing assignments.
Kalani Sitake pointed to possible disconcerting signals from the TCU defense that led to the procedure penalties, but the bottom line was ugly: BYU managed one good drive in a 60-minute game.
Bear Bachmeier is also under the microscope after a couple of rough outings. His quarterback rating over the last two games was 56.2 and 44.6, and he has looked unsure at times about what he is seeing in coverage.
The accuracy that was talked up in fall camp has not consistently shown up. He absolutely mattered in the win, though, and no one should forget the final drive.
He’s a gamer. But the broader trend does not show the leap many were hoping for.
His first four games as a freshman and his first four games this season were remarkably similar across most categories, which makes the recent dip more frustrating, not less.
Put it all together and the bigger picture gets even murkier. BYU is No. 8 in the Associated Press poll after climbing two spots this week, but the ranking feels a lot less important than the reality on the field.
The Cougars have a Top 10 defense, but not a Top 10 offense. That’s the heart of the issue.
How far can that formula carry them? And do they really look like a team ready to win the Big 12 Conference?
There are still eight regular-season games left, plus whatever comes after that, and plenty still needs to be answered.
There were bright spots inside all the chaos. On offense, freshman Journee Tonga and Preston Rex stepped in at running back, while Bott Mulitalo and Siosiua Latu-Finau handled tackle duty and got the job done despite some rough moments.
On defense, linebackers Jake Clifton and Braxton Lindsey and defensive end Kendal Wall all made key plays. If the injuries linger, those are the kinds of players who will be asked to do more and more.
Across town, BYU women’s volleyball keeps rolling. Rob Neilson inherited a major challenge when he took over for Heather Olmstead, and the early returns are hard to ignore.
The Cougars are 11-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12 after sweeping No. 19 Kansas on the road Friday, even without returning All-American middle blocker Brielle Kemavor, who is still recovering from offseason surgery.
Neilson has already made several sharp moves, including shifting to a 6-2 with setters Alex Bower and Kaylie Kofe, moving Elli Mortensen from back row passer to outside hitter, using freshman Brooke Hardy in the middle, and adding KJ Burgess from the transfer portal. Burgess is now the nation’s No. 1 blocker.
There was also a nice nod to the past on Friday at Orem High, where the school honored its 1996 football team at halftime against Pleasant Grove. Former head coach Paul Clark was there, and he left behind one of the better quotes a young reporter could hope to get after Orem lost a first-round playoff game at home. When asked what went wrong, Clark said, “It was breakdown from the head coach all the way to the water boy.”
And then there’s the ongoing battle with reality at high school games: whatever happened to $2 hot dogs and $1 drinks? Now it’s food trucks and $15 for three chicken fingers and cold fries.
One last thing: “room amnesia” is real. Walking into a room with purpose, then freezing because you forgot why you went there? A brutal little mystery of modern life.
In Other News...
BYU Won At TCU But A Bigger Concern Just Took Over
BYU left Fort Worth with a win, but the bigger takeaway from the 17-10 victory at TCU was how hard the Cougars had to work for every yard. The offense never really found its rhythm, finishing with just 216 yards while dealing with injuries to key players, and for long stretches it was the defense that kept BYU in control.
Bear Bachmeiers late touchdown run supplied the margin, but the performance also raised a broader question about how close this team is to the level it expected to reach before the season. A road win in the Big 12 is never easy, yet BYU will likely need a cleaner showing on offense if it wants to keep pace with those preseason expectations. [Read more 🡒]
Sonny Dykes Said What BYU Keeps Doing Is A Real Problem
TCU came away from its 17-10 loss to BYU with plenty to feel good about on defense, but not nearly enough on the scoreboard. The Horned Frogs held the Cougars to 17 points and just 62 passing yards, yet still dropped to 0-2 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2013 because the offense could only manage one touchdown.
Sonny Dykes pointed to the obvious issue afterward: the Horned Frogs have to be better on offense if they want to get out of the early hole. He also gave BYU credit for the way Bear Bachmeier helped move the ball on the ground, another reminder that the Cougars keep finding ways to stress opponents even when the passing game is limited. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Gritty TCU Win Changed The Ceiling Debate
BYUs rain-soaked win at TCU did more than add another road victory to the ledger. It offered a reminder of how much the Cougars can lean on defense and discipline when the conditions get ugly, and it came in Fort Worth, where they had not won since 2006. With several players banged up along the way, BYU still found a way to keep the Horned Frogs from settling in, thanks in part to a defense that made life difficult up front and a game plan that stayed patient even when the offense never looked especially clean.
Bear Bachmeiers passing day was not the sort that changes anyones mind on its own, but BYU did not need fireworks to leave Texas with a result that mattered. The four sacks were a big part of the story, and so was the willingness to stick with a conservative approach in a game where field position and toughness mattered more than style points. For a team that has spent part of the season fighting the ceiling debate, this was the kind of win that forces a more serious conversation about how high the Cougars can climb. [Read more 🡒]