Iowa State’s offense never found a rhythm Friday night, and that proved to be the difference in a road loss to No. 8 BYU.
The Cyclones arrived in Provo coming off a big Week 5 win and looking for an upset in a rare Friday night matchup. Instead, BYU set the tone immediately. On the opening possession, Bear Bachmeier used his legs to help power a 75-yard touchdown drive, finished off by a Journee Tonga score.
Iowa State did answer with some points early. After a couple of punts, Kyle Konrardy drilled a field goal to trim the margin to 7-3. But the Cyclones could not build on that momentum, and the BYU defense kept forcing Iowa State into empty trips.
The Cougars also had chances to extend the lead with field goals, but they chose to keep pushing on fourth down. That aggression backfired twice in the first half, with BYU failing to convert on a fourth-and-four and then getting stopped again later in the second quarter.
Even so, BYU’s big-play ability eventually broke through. Bachmeier connected with Roger Saleapaga on a 63-yard gain, and the Cougars later cashed in with a touchdown pass to Kyler Kasper.
Iowa State’s offense stayed stuck in neutral after halftime. The Cyclones could not generate much of anything, which gave BYU more opportunities to take control. The Cougars kept going for touchdowns rather than settling for field goals, and again came up short on a third-quarter fourth-down attempt.
That only delayed the inevitable. With Iowa State still unable to move the ball, BYU hit another explosive play when Legend Glasker hauled in a 75-yard touchdown catch to put the game out of reach.
The Cyclones, who had scored 45 points the week before, finally showed a little life in the fourth quarter when Christian Greenlaw found the end zone. But by then, the damage was already done.
The final stretch offered Iowa State a reminder that it could hang around with a highly ranked opponent, but the offensive performance was not nearly enough to turn that into a win. The Cyclones now head into a Week 7 bye.
In Other News...
BYU's Biggest Offensive Concern Didn't Go Away In The Iowa State Win
BYU got a much-needed Big 12 win over Iowa State, and Bear Bachmeier was a big reason why. The quarterback accounted for 329 passing yards and two touchdowns while adding 109 yards on the ground, helping carry an offense that played without injured running back LJ Martin and had to lean more heavily on its quarterback than it likely wanted to.
Kalani Sitake had plenty to like about the result, but the broader issue did not disappear just because the Cougars handled Iowa State 24-10. The running game beyond Martin still needs help, and the way BYU had to patch together production in his absence only sharpened the concern about whether enough other backs are ready to take pressure off Bachmeier as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Got The Breakout It Needed Before Notre Dame
BYU got the kind of win that can steady a season and sharpen the conversation around what comes next, beating Iowa State 21-10 while playing without its top offensive player, LJ Martin. The Cougars still found enough balance to control the game, leaning on a productive day from sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier and a passing attack that featured tight ends Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga II.
Bachmeier finished with 329 passing yards, a touchdown and a career-high 109 rushing yards, the sort of dual-threat effort that can change how opponents prepare for BYU in the weeks ahead. With Notre Dame still looming, the timing of the breakout matters just as much as the result, because the Cougars needed proof they could generate offense even when the game plan loses a centerpiece. [Read more 🡒]
BYU's Win Exposed Two Risky Problems Kalani Sitake Can't Ignore
BYUs 24-10 win over Iowa State came with the kind of mixed signals coaches usually spend the next week sorting through. Kalani Sitake got the result he wanted, but the game also put a spotlight on some choices and tendencies that deserve a hard look, from the aggressiveness of the fourth-down calls to how the offense functioned without LJ Martin. Bear Bachmeier still gave the Cougars enough at quarterback to control the game, but the win also made clear that the margin for error can shrink quickly when the run game isnt fully intact.
Tiger Bachmeiers work on punt returns added another layer to the discussion, giving BYU useful field position and a spark in a game that was often defined by possession and patience. The bigger question now is how Sitake wants to balance all of that moving forward, especially if he continues to lean into high-leverage decisions while trying to stabilize an offense that looked better in some areas than others. The win counted in the standings, but it also left behind a few coaching puzzles that wont go away on their own. [Read more 🡒]