No. 15 BYU’s second-half surge against Arizona wasn’t just about the scoreboard. It was another reminder that this roster keeps finding new answers, and only two weeks into the season, a fresh group of playmakers is already taking shape.
The most explosive name on Saturday was Tausili Akana. The former four-star prospect and Texas transfer had the kind of breakout game that can change how a defense looks going forward, collecting 2.5 of BYU’s three sacks against Arizona.
He closed the door late in the fourth quarter with back-to-back sacks that helped seal the win. If Akana becomes a steady pass-rush weapon for Kelly Poppinga, that edge group could be headed somewhere bigger in 2026.
BYU also got a deep-shot threat in Legend Glasker. Arizona only threw at him four times, but Glasker still managed to make one of the game’s most important plays, slipping behind the defense for a 61-yard gain that helped the Cougars separate in the second half.
He’s given BYU something it didn’t really have a year ago: a receiver who can consistently stretch the field. Through two games, Glasker leads the team in receiving, and he finished Saturday with three catches for 74 yards.
In the red zone, Kyler Kasper has quickly become the matchup problem BYU hoped he would be. Bear Bachmeier leaned on him in camp, and that chemistry has carried over into games.
At 6-foot-6, Kasper is simply too big for a single corner to handle, and Arizona found that out the hard way. He caught two touchdowns, using his size to box out defenders on both scoring plays as Bachmeier delivered the ball for six.
With Arizona stacking nine players in the box, the Kasper-Bachmeier connection made the Wildcats pay.
The defense had its own early turning point after Arizona opened with a 75-yard touchdown drive and was threatening to build a two-score lead. Kelly Poppinga sent pressure, Isaiah Glasker hit Noah Fifita, and Fifita’s hurried throw ended up in the hands of Uluave for an interception.
Uluave finished with six tackles and also recovered a near fumble that was ruled an incompletion. He was already a playmaker at Cal, and he has settled in quickly in Provo with his instincts and knack for finding the ball.
Cannon DeVries has been one of the early surprises, too. He led BYU with nine total tackles and added a pass breakup, including the tackle that stopped an Arizona receiver just short of the line to gain on a critical fourth-quarter turnover on downs.
He was also the defender who broke up the pass on that near-fumble sequence with a heavy hit. DeVries has even been making smart decisions as a punt returner when lanes aren’t there, and in his second year with the program, he’s becoming a real factor.
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 🡒]
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 🡒]