BYU’s offensive struggles were offset by incredible defense and a safety.
BYU Football has finished two whole weeks of football. This week’s game wasn’t pretty, but BYU found a way. The Cougars’ offense wasn’t the best, but the defense was red hot. The Cougars forced three Stanford turnovers, had a few sacks, and held the Cardinal to just three points.
The biggest moment for me was the safety. Late in the second quarter, Stanford had the ball inside their own five. BYU got a tackle for loss at the half-yard line on first down. On second down, Stanford quarterback Ben Gulbranson faced pressure on second down and checked down to his running back. He was swarmed and tackled inside his own end zone. BYU got two points off of this, and it made up for an earlier unsuccessful two-point conversion on BYU’s first touchdown.
BYU only scored two touchdowns, but Will Ferrin was 4/4 on field goals, and the safety added two crucial points. BYU’s defense held the Stanford offense to less than 200 total yards on offense, and less than 20 rushing yards. BYU’s offense, on the other hand, was not as hot. They only scored 14 points and struggled with penalties and poor play calls
Three takeaways from BYU’s win over Stanford.
- The offense needs some work: BYU’s offense had a rough night. The Cougars looked off, and penalties mixed with subpar play calling cost the Cougars points
- BYU’s defense is even better than last year: BYU had a good defense last season, and it has only gotten better. Keeping a team under 200 total yards is no easy feat, but it was done tonight by this Cougar defense, led by Isaiah Glasker.
- Kick and punt returns could be bigger than last year: BYU had a great kick return from Tiger Bachmier, Bear’s older brother. BYU could be set for another big special teams year, with both Kingston and Tiger proving to be threats to opposing kick and punt units.
BYU had a rough go at it today. But still, a win is a win, and BYU has a lot of positives to take away from this game. The Cougars have a bye week before heading to East Carolina. This is a great chance to work on some of the issues and get ready for Big 12 play. The Cougars are in control of their own destiny and have a chance to do something truly special.
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- BYU Player Spotlight: Isaiah Glasker, Linebacker
