BYU losses to Utah (Photo by BYU Athletics)
Offensive stagnation and failing to finish on defense ends the College Football Playoff hopes of BYU
BYU 20, Utah 28
The game started poorly for BYU. Utah went 75 yards on three plays to open the game 7-0. BYU went three-and-out, and Utah drove 63 yards for another touchdown to lead 14-0 almost right off the bat. BYU would have to work to dig themselves out of that hole. Settling for two red zone field goals was not a good way to do that. That would come back to haunt BYU, as would the red zone woes. BYU would finally answer with their passing game after a Utah three-and-out. A 75-yard pass from Bear Bachmeier to Legend Glasker would make it a 14-13 ballgame.
The BYU defense would force a turnover on downs and attack with inside runs and the passing game. LJ Martin would finish off a 58-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run. That would be the high-water mark for BYU on offense for this game and this season.
A few possessions later, Utah would fumble in their own territory. This would give BYU their fourth possession in the red zone. Two plays into the drive, Bear Bachmeier would throw a pick. That would be a pivotal play, as BYU would once again be nervous about passing the ball from there on out. The defense would keep Utah from scoring, and BYU would take a 20-14 lead into the locker room at the half.
Second Half
The Cougs would open the second half with the ball and start moving it before Bachmeier would throw another pick. BYU would turtle up from there on offense. Having back-to-back three-and-outs bracket a Utah touchdown drive that was immensely helped by BYU defensive penalties and missed tackles. Trailing 28-20, BYU would have their most important offensive possession of the season.
12 plays for 65 yards would get BYU to a third-and-goal at the Utah two-yard line. BYU would dial up a good play. Kyler Kasper would get open on a slant route, and Bachmeier would throw his third interception of the game. After his earlier two interceptions were overthrows, Bachmeier threw this one low, and that gave the Utah defender a chance to get the ball, costing BYU the game and their season. Bachmeier would throw a fourth interception into the end zone for good measure with only three seconds left.
Cougars Crumble
The same problems plagued the men from Provo. A defense that can’t finish tackles, particularly when pressuring the quarterback. Self-inflicted wounds in the form of penalties on both offense and defense were there once again. Finally, the offense behaving like they are still a rushing team after LJ Martin got hurt against TCU. Their wins against Iowa State and Notre Dame had them fool themselves into believing that they were correct and didn’t need to change their offense. UCF and Arizona State should have shown them the incorrectness of that notion.
Bear Bachmeier’s struggles in the past three games have only made the coaches more distrustful of leaning on his throwing game, and that distrust has only made mistakes that much more crippling for Bachmeier. The lack of trust made the pressure that much more intense for him and made trusting him that much more difficult for the coaches, and the self-fueling downward spiral would begin. First, the collapse would begin in Orlando, sputter against ASU, and the crumbling would be complete with four interceptions in Salt Lake City.
BYU’s ultimate demise was the once-again poor red zone performance. Five trips into the red zone got BYU only 13 points. You don’t get far trading field goals for touchdowns. Even early in a game. If BYU makes just one of those early red zone trips that resulted in two field goals into a touchdown, the game is completely different, and Bear doesn’t have to do the last thing this offense wants him to.
Up Next, Baylor
Baylor comes to Provo next as BYU will now try to salvage something from this season. The chances for the Big 12 chaos required to get them a rematch with Utah in the Big 12 championship game are almost nonexistent. The mission for BYU now is to once again try to get double-digit wins and a bowl victory. Anything less than 11-2 will make the dollar signs BYU’s stars see offered in the transfer portal look that much larger. Another loss would kill the momentum the team had built up in 2024 and 2025. To that same end, they need to figure out how to finish on defense, especially around the quarter. They need to stop the self-sabotage with their penalties, too. Finally, the offense needs to be more dynamic. After 25 starts, they need to be able to trust their quarterback and have him be capable of making the big-time throws he struggled to make this week.
