BYU Photo
BYU Football is coming off a huge week one win against Portland State. They set records for both games and seasons. The Cougars came out and got the job done, stayed healthy, and also set the tone for the rest of the year. They no longer will just fight for a win, but will throw up style points now, which is nice to see. Also no matter whether it’s the number ones or twos, they can play ball and fight until the final whistle blows. This week, the Cougars will stay at home and take on Stanford.
Know the Foe
The Stanford Cardinals call Stanford, California, home. They suit up every week in the ACC, where they travel great distances for sports events. The Cardinals finished the 2024 season at 3-9, and it was their first season in the ACC. They return to Provo for the first time since 2003, and they do this looking back to the last matchup in 2022. That year, the Cougars won 35-26 in California. The Cougars will come out on top this week and continue the energy from last week.
Gameday Headlines
BYU is back in the rankings, sort of the popping in at 26 after the week they had. Last week, we saw the biggest shutout in school history. Bear Bachmeier set his own records by joining Ty Detmer as the only other freshman to be responsible for five touchdowns in a single game. He was also named Big 12 Freshman of the week, which he so rightfully earned. The BYU defense basically posted more than one shutout, and it wasn’t just points; they also only allowed 1.16 yards in that game.
Keys To Success
These keys are what I believe to be successful for the Cougars to win this game and set the tone for the whole season.
Cause Turnovers
This is a key to any Cougar win and a big one if that. The defense needs to be on top of that ball any time it hits the ground. Stanford does not make very many mistakes, and when they do, they is quick to fix them. They proved that turnovers can flip the field and keep Stanford’s offense off the field, which would be best this week. The Cougars would also fare better if they got more than one turnover and also put a score on the board in the process for the offense.
Control Both Sides of the Line
The Cougars did really well with this last week, and it set the tone for the entire game. This needs to happen again this week. BYU will win this game regardless of how well this happens, but if they can do this every down, they will win big time. To win any game as a Power 5 team nowadays, winning at the line is everything, and BYU has done exceptionally well at that.
Limit Penalties
The final key to this game being a complete success is limiting penalties. BYU did this great last week with only five, but those pile up fast, so to aim for none would be great. These five penalties accounted for 46 yards, and that didn’t cost them any points against an FCS team. Those yards would be a huge swing for any Power 5 school, though, so to avoid that would be essential.
