BYU’s offense is making a strong early case that it can be much more than a solid unit in 2026.
That matters because the Cougars know exactly what it looked like when things fell apart against Texas Tech in 2025. BYU managed just 14 points across two games against a Texas Tech defense that controlled the matchup. If the Cougars want to win the Big 12, they have to be a lot better on that side of the ball than they were a year ago.
The first three games have offered a promising answer. BYU sits 28th in total offense and 18th in scoring offense, which is a decent start on its own.
But the deeper numbers paint a more exciting picture. Even with a small sample and no elite defense on the schedule yet, the Cougars have stacked up against teams across the Power Four in a way that suggests real upside.
Take away garbage time - the kneeldowns and the drives that came after the game was already out of reach - and BYU jumps to first nationally in offensive success rate. That’s the kind of stat that tells you an offense is staying ahead of the chains and consistently doing what it needs to do.
The Cougars have paired that with real explosiveness, too, which is the combination every elite offense is chasing. It’s why BYU also sits second in the country in yards per play.
The red zone numbers are even cleaner. In 11 non-garbage red zone trips, BYU has scored 11 touchdowns.
No field goals. No wasted chances.
And those scores haven’t required the Cougars to lean on fourth-down conversions to get the job done, either. They’ve been able to run and throw their way into the end zone, and that’s a big reason they’ve been the best red zone offense in the nation.
The balance has been a big part of it. That wasn’t always true in 2025, but this version of BYU has been sharp on the ground and through the air. The Cougars rank first nationally in rushing success rate and eighth in passing success rate, giving Aaron Roderick more answers if they run into a defense that can take away one phase of the game.
The drive chart also says a lot about how hard this offense has been to disrupt. BYU has 24 non-garbage offensive drives, and only nine of them didn’t end in touchdowns.
Those nine drives included seven punts, one missed field goal and one made field goal. Even more telling, seven of those nine non-touchdown drives included at least one offensive penalty.
In other words, the best way to slow BYU down so far has been for BYU to beat itself.
That’s also the most fixable issue on the list. Penalties are something the Cougars can clean up, and there’s already a reminder of what that looks like.
In BYU’s first FBS game in 2025 against Stanford, multiple touchdown drives were derailed by flags before the offense eventually settled down and played much cleaner football. If that kind of jump happens again in 2026, the ceiling rises even more.
The personnel pieces are backing up the numbers. LJ Martin entered the season as one of the top running backs in college football, and while he has only played one full game, he has lived up to the billing when available.
Bear Bachmeier has been the most efficient quarterback in the Big 12 when it comes to generating explosive plays, and his explosive play rate ranks fifth nationally. At receiver, Legend Glasker has already looked like a freshman phenom, with only two wideouts in the country earning better grades than him in week three.
BYU has also gotten strong work from Walker Lyons, who ranks sixth nationally in PFF receiving grade among tight ends with at least five targets.
The offensive line may be the biggest reason for the optimism. It has been the most impressive unit so far, posting the best run-blocking grade in college football per PFF and ranking 18th in pass blocking. When the line is controlling the line of scrimmage like that, the rest of the offense can keep humming.
In Other News...
AJ Dybantsas NBA Hype Just Gave BYU Fans Another Reason To Watch
AJ Dybantsa is already drawing attention before his first NBA regular-season game, and that should sound familiar to BYU fans who watched him take over as a freshman. ESPN slotted the Washington Wizards rookie at No. 78 on its preseason top 100 list, the highest ranking among first-year players, after he led the nation in scoring in his lone season in Provo.
The projection says plenty about how quickly Dybantsa has moved from college standout to pro name to know, with expectations for a strong all-around rookie season. His NBA debut is set for Oct. 21 against the Milwaukee Bucks, giving Cougars fans another reason to keep one eye on the next chapter of a player who already left a big imprint in BYU colors. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs LJ Martin Is Starting To Build Real NFL Draft Buzz
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For BYU, it is a useful sign that Martins work is showing up beyond the conference and into national draft conversations this early. The next couple of seasons will shape how far that momentum goes, but being mentioned by Brugler already puts Martin in a group of prospects whose stock is worth monitoring closely as the draft cycle starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
LJ Martin Is Giving BYU The Backfield Difference-Maker It Needed
LJ Martins emergence has given BYUs offense a different kind of edge, and his latest outing against Colorado State only reinforced that. After powering the Cougars to a win, Martin earned honorable mention for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week, a nod that reflects both production and the kind of all-around reputation the award is built to honor.
Martin needed barely more than two quarters to leave his mark, carrying 15 times for 176 yards and three touchdowns. For a BYU team looking for a dependable backfield difference-maker, that kind of burst matters, and it also hints at how much more dangerous the Cougars can be when he gets rolling early. [Read more 🡒]