BYU’s LJ Martin Scores (Photo by BYU Athletics)
#6 BYU 41, Colorado State 23
BYU decided they were going to run the ball in Fort Collins. As they should! Last week against Southern Utah, the Thunderbirds rushed for 206 yards. That hinted that LJ Martin and BYU’s running game might have some success for the Cougars. Boy, did they ever have success early and often against CSU. On the second play from scrimmage, Martin scored his first rushing touchdown of the season from 56 yards out.
CSU would score on their opening possession, but a beautiful pass and catch from Bear Bachmeier to Legend Glasker set BYU up. The 70-yard pass gave BYU first and goal at the two, and BYU would hand it to Martin, who would get his second touchdown of the game. CSU and BYU would exchange punts, and the Cougar defense would make another stop, and LJ Martin would score his third touchdown of the game before the end of the first quarter.
A BYU field goal would make it 24-7, but the Cougars weren’t done. BYU would have another long drive, and this one would be finished off by Legend Glasker. Glasker scored from five yards out and gave BYU a 31-7 lead. A Hunter Clegg interception would make that the score headed into halftime in Fort Collins.
Second Half
BYU would force a Colorado State three-and-out to begin the third quarter. The Cougars would go on an eight-play, 53-yard touchdown drive. Preston Rex would pay off the drive with a five-yard touchdown run. BYU would keep running over Colorado State, but star running back LJ Martin’s night was done. But with 9:29 left in the third quarter, BYU took their foot off the gas.
The Cougars would get on an eight-play, 52-yard drive into the Colorado State Red Zone, but Bear Bachmeier would make his only mistake of the game. He forced a pass to Kyler Kasper into double coverage and threw it behind Kasper, and CSU picked the pass off. BYU would put the brakes on their offense and be outscored 16-3 after Preston Rex’s touchdown.
BYU’s Big Cats
LJ Martin would finish with 176 yards on 15 carries and would score three times in the opening quarter. Martin may have broken the BYU single-game record of 286 rushing yards in a game (set by Jamaal Williams in a 2016 win over Toledo) had he just played maybe even half of the third quarter. The team would still finish the game with 41 carries for 332 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
Style Points Needed (Whether We Like it or Not)
Playing in the Big 12, a conference that is disrespected nationally, means BYU is going to have to do some things they don’t want to do. Things that just aren’t how Kalani Sitake rolls. BYU needs style points. No one likes it, but when you’re doubted how the Big 12 is, you have to pound teams harder than you normally would.
I actually liked that Coach Sitake had the team take a knee when they got first and goal late against Arizona last week. I agree with it. That’s him showing his opponent respect. But in that situation, you have to keep playing. If you put in Treyson Bourget and have him hand it to Preston Rex, that’s what you do to make a 28-17 tight ball game look more decisive with a possible 35-17 final score. Same with Colorado State. A 59-7 victory is so much better than 41-23. Being outscored 16-3 down the stretch doesn’t help in the big picture.
Don’t Depend on Your Opponent to Help You
Colorado State has a lot of talent and could contend for and win the Pac-12 Championship. It’s less likely, but possible, they don’t win again this year. A huge win in a complete game makes BYU look fine no matter how the Rams play down the stretch.
Players Need In-Game Reps
My favorite teams’ coaches like to conserve their stars. To be fair to them, it’s an extremely tough decision, and I can’t blame them for following that route. That said, I disagree with it. Believing that you can turn up the heat and intensity level of play at will is a huge gamble. That was the attitude of the 2025 Ohio State Buckeyes. It also ended up being their epitaph. They conserved themselves so much offensively that in their four biggest games last year they went 2-2, scoring a high of 27 in one of those and never more than 14 in the other three.
The final two were losses in the conference championship (something BYU simply can’t afford) and then in the College Football Playoff. If nothing else, keep running your offense with your second and third string if you’re so nervous about injuries. Because no matter how many snaps a player plays, he’s never more than one away from coming off the bench in an all-important crunch time.
Up Next, TCU
The Cougs will have to stay on the road after their upcoming early bye week. They’ll head to Texas to play TCU in Fort Worth. BYU and TCU will do battle on October 3rd.
