No, neither Portland State nor Stanford will be doing much for the remainder of the season relative to expectations coupled with what we saw both teams present on the field of play, thereby necessarily qualifying both of BYU’s margin of victory. But that’s not to eliminate certain things we’ve seen from the Cougars that should provide optimism moving forward to their much tougher schedule, beginning with this coming Saturday’s first road game game at East Carolina.

There’s a lot to like, relatively.

So here’s a look into five specific things I’ve liked without jumping to obvious team aspects that were well-assumed at the start of the season. No, I won’t be taking time to point out that both Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker are phenomenal, or even that LJ Martin has reached another tier with his running ability. Those things were well-assumed, or at least should have been, among other team dynamics.

Also, the qualification of playing porous competition has already been addressed. So, when you read the following five things I like, apply the refrain ‘But-Portland-State-and-Stanford’ with every thought provided by yours truly.

1. Bear Bachmeier’s in-game improvement

Often is the occasion when a team’s offensive coordinator will formulate an call sheet that greatly benefits an inexperienced quarterback before an opposing defense adjusts and makes things tougher. Without a lot of film, opposing defenses often adjust quite a bit after the initial offensive possessions, forcing the inexperienced quarterback to make adjustments that ultimately bog down offensive production.

What’s interesting about Bachmeier, at least from my perspective, is that it’s been the exact opposite. No, Bachmeier didn’t set the field on fire, or anything close to it in either of BYU’s wins, but he did settle in, adjust and ultimately finish both games better than he started.

And that’s a very positive development from my perspective.

First, it shows BYU’s Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick is ahead of the adjustment game, or at least on par with what Bachmeier has been presented by opposing defenses. But more importantly, it shows Bachmeier is coachable, smart and should continue to provide marked improvements with every snap he takes under center.

2. Jatta and Gentry

I made the comment on twitter prior to the start of the season that I believed BYU would present improved offensive tackle play this season and experienced a lot of pushback from fans reminding me of how good Caleb Etienne and Brayden Keim showed last year. True, BYU enjoyed solid tackle play throughout the 2024 season, but based on what I saw from Jatta toward the end of last season, coupled with what I saw from both Jatta and Gentry during open practice sessions, I was comfortable making that assessment.

Sure, there’s a lot of football left to be played, but both Jatta and Gentry are grading out very high with the biggest improvements coming with their run-blocking abilities. Yes, I’ve liked what I’ve seen from both players quite a bit and the ability to field not one, but two good offensive tackles can go a long way on the offensive side of the football.

3. Carsen Ryan

I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for a player who presents himself confidently and eloquently during interviews. I’ve interviewed a lot of players during my time covering BYU football, and from my experience, those players who present themselves most confidently when answering questions often translates to how they present themselves on the football field.

Ryan thoroughly impressed me with his candor, intelligence and mindset throughout fall practices and it’s no surprise that it’s translating onto the football field. The Utah transfer has proved very good in his blocking assignments and should be afforded a lot of targets for the remainder of the season, providing BYU with a lot of production from the tight end position.

4. The defensive front

BYU Coach Kalani Sitake knows coach-speak. What do I mean by that? Well, he’s perfected the art of using a lot of words while revealing very little actual information about his team, often to the frustration of those working to transcribe and use his quotes in their articles.

But sometimes Sitake provides quite a bit of information, and it often comes when he points out certain players or position groups without much prompting during interview sessions, and certainly with the demeanor he does as much.

It’s been very apparent, at least to this reporter, that Sitake loves talking about his defensive front, and specifically regarding the impact of defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa along with his young and exciting group of defensive ends.

Sitake provided one of his better quotes this past week when asked to assess his young studs at defensive end, which includes names like Hunter Clegg, Tausili Akana, Viliami Po’uha and Bodie Schoonover, among several others.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun and those guys are a special group,” Sitake summed up regarding of his defensive ends.

So yeah, I’ve liked what I’ve seen from BYU’s defensive front, but more importantly, Sitake, who knows abundantly more about defense than I ever will, perks up considerably whenever asked to comment on what he’s been seeing.

5. Sam Vander Haar

I’ll keep this one short; Sam Vander Haar is very good and I believe we’re not talking about his impact on BYU’s special teams enough. Two of my favorite plays in BYU’s 27-3 win over Stanford was the native Aussie punter pinning the Cardinal twice inside its own five-yard line with punts that checked up like they were golf balls being hit into the green off of Scottie Scheffler’s lob wedge.

That’s a weapon, and not many punters can do it effectively, let alone consistently.