BYU’s 41-23 win over Colorado State came with the kind of individual performances that make a grades breakdown easy to enjoy. Saturday night was full of standouts, and when the PFF numbers came in - with a minimum of 15 snaps - the Cougars had stars on both sides of the ball.
The headliners were hard to miss. Legend Glasker finished as BYU’s highest-graded offensive player, while Isaiah Glasker led the defense. The Glasker family made a serious impact, and Legend’s rise has become one of the more striking developments on the roster.
It’s getting tougher by the week to explain just how unusual this is for a true freshman. Legend Glasker isn’t just flashing; he’s producing at a level that has him among the best freshmen receivers in the country, and, according to the advanced data referenced by Joe Wheat, one of the best wide receivers nationally.
He gives BYU something it didn’t really have last season: a real deep threat. In that area, he’s been even more dangerous than Chase Roberts or Parker Kingston.
Against Colorado State, Glasker averaged 26.2 yards per catch and added 16.6 yards after the catch per reception. In only his third game, he’s already looking like the Cougars’ top target.
BYU’s offensive line also turned in a brutal night for Colorado State. Bruce Mitchell, working at center, set the tone up front and didn’t allow a quarterback pressure.
As a unit, the Cougars gave up only one pressure all game while opening holes in the run game. That kind of control is about as dominant as it gets.
There were other bright spots in the passing game, too. Keayen Nead stepped into a larger role with Roger Saleapaga out and handled it well.
He’s long been valued for his blocking, and he also added a catch. Walker Lyons kept building his own case, finishing with two receptions for 40 yards and making his presence felt in the run game as well.
He’s been a little quieter than expected, but the signs are there that he’s becoming one of BYU’s better pass-catchers.
Then there was Bott Mulitalo, who continues to force the issue for more snaps. The true freshman was on the field for just 16 plays as a reserve, yet he came away as the highest-graded player on the entire team. Every time he’s played, he’s graded well, and Saturday was no different.
On defense, Isaiah Glasker did the heavy lifting. He was the only BYU player to register more than one quarterback pressure, and he also posted a pair of defensive stops. That kind of disruption stood out in a game where the Cougars were otherwise in control.
The rushing performance from Martin was every bit as eye-catching. He ran for 176 yards on just 15 carries and averaged 8.9 yards per carry after contact. The grading system still didn’t give him quite the same number you might expect, but the film was clear: he was flat-out unstoppable and looked like the preseason Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Not every grade was glowing, though the lowest marks mostly came from the defensive side and were more about learning moments than anything else. True freshman Braxton Lindsey took a hit to his grade after an unnecessary roughing the passer penalty and a missed tackle. Kini Fonohema missed two of his three tackle chances, and Justin Kirkland also had a missed tackle that pulled his number down.
Saturday was a dominant BYU win, but the grades show more than just a scoreboard story. They point to a freshman receiver changing the offense, a line controlling the game, and a defense with room to clean up a few details even after a convincing victory.
In Other News...
BYU Fans Just Got A Break For A Rare TCU Game Day
BYUs matchup with TCU on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, comes with an unusually fan-friendly twist for Cougar followers who also keep tabs on the church calendar. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. MDT, with the game slated for ESPN or ESPN2 and radio coverage on KSL NewsRadio, giving fans plenty of ways to follow along.
The timing lands on the Saturday of the Semiannual General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and this year the schedule lines up in a way that avoids the usual conflict. With no Saturday evening session anymore, BYU supporters wont have to choose between conference and the game, a small but welcome break for a program whose fan base often has to juggle both. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Suddenly Has Company In A Big 12 Rankings Fight
BYUs rise to No. 9 after beating Colorado State was part of a strong early-season showing for the Big 12, which now has four teams in the latest AP Top 25. Texas Tech, Utah and Houston stayed in the rankings as well, giving the league three teams in the Top 15 and another at No. 25 heading out of Week 3. For a conference trying to build depth at the top, that kind of spread matters as much as any one headline result.
West Virginia is the team adding a little more pressure to the mix after upsetting No. 25 Virginia and drawing significant votes of its own. The Mountaineers are still just short of the rankings, but they are close enough to make the conference picture even tighter. For BYU, its a reminder that the margin for staying among the Big 12s elite may be about to get a lot thinner. [Read more 🡒]
AJ Dybantsa Is Still Showing BYU Fans What Matters Most
AJ Dybantsa is already settling into life as a Washington Wizards rookie, but he is also making it clear that his time at BYU still matters. The former Cougars standout has started taking online classes to work toward finishing his degree in a timeline of about three to three-and-a-half years, all while juggling the demands of a pro basketball schedule and keeping up a strong academic record.
For BYU fans, it is another reminder that Dybantsas story is about more than where he was drafted or where he will make his NBA debut on Oct. 21. Being taken No. 1 overall by Washington put him on one of basketballs biggest stages, but he is still doing the quieter work that reflects what he values most, and that part of his journey may end up meaning just as much back in Provo. [Read more 🡒]