Quarterback: B+

Bear Bachmeier appeared headed for a subpar grade until he settled in, adjusted and performed at a high level throughout the second half. Overall the freshman put up his best numbers of the season, going 18-25 through the air for 246 yards and a touchdown. He also managed another 32 yards and a touchdown on the ground while carrying the football just five times. Bachmeier again showed marked improvements throughout the course of the game, which is a positive course of action, generally.

Running back: B

LJ Martin ran for over 100 yards for a third straight game, gaining 101 yards officially off of just 14 carries for an impressive 7.2 yards per carry effort. The junior standout did get bogged down for much of the second half, but busted through for a long 41-yard score toward the end of the game. Sione Moa, on the other hand, probably had his best game of the season. Sure, he only gained 28 yards on seven carries, but he showed a burst and physicality that defined him last season, but had been scarcely seen so far this year.

Wide Receivers/tight ends: C+

Cody Hagen wasn’t much of a factor and there were again too many dropped passes to give this group high marks. Boosting the overall grade considerably was the work of tight end Carsen Ryan, who rose to be Bachmeier’s chief target throughout most of the game. The senior Utah transfer caught four passes for 63 yards and a touchdown and sort of jump-started Bachmeier’s strong finish while on the receiving end of several easy throws. It was also nice to see Parker Kingston get more involved after subpar performances through the first two games this season.

Offensive line: C-

Way too many penalties and not enough push in providing a consistent running attack leads to relatively low marks across the board. The run-blocking was great at the start, but sort of bogged down thereafter. Sure, a lot of that was due to ECU stacking the box, hoping to take advantage of what initially looked to be a struggling BYU passing arsenal, but even so, you’d expect more domination at the point of attack than we saw on Saturday.

Defensive line: B

The Cougar defensive front was good, but not necessarily great during Saturday’s game. The front gave up more than 100 yards rushing for the first time this season and the defensive ends were rarely seen mounting effective pass rushes off the edge. Logan Lutui was again the standout for the group, logging seven total tackles in what has become a normal performance for BYU’s leading tackler so far this season.

Linebackers: B+

Both Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker were again outstanding in their play in coverage, filling gaps and making standout plays off the edge. Siale Esera was solid in the middle, providing five tackles while holding ECU pretty much in check throughout. The group did allow a few too many yards rushing, which lowers the grade, but were otherwise solid in limiting the Pirates to just a single touchdown on the evening.

Defensive backs: A

You know that guy who does all the work on a group project in college and allows everyone else to receive the highest of marks? That was very much Evan Johnson in Saturday’s win. Johnson basically changed the course of the game with his pick-6 scored toward the end of the first half. The junior corner provided other standout coverages and plays made on the bar, with the rest of his group proving relatively solid around him. Raider Damuni had what may be considered his best game of his career and led the team with eight total tackles.

Special Teams: B+

The special teams allowed a long kickoff return to open up the game, but was otherwise relatively flawless in its overall execution. Punts were downed inside the five yardline again, with Marcus McKenzie reasserting himself as a standout gunner in punt coverage. Will Ferrin did what he does and Sam Vander Haar again proved to be one of the more underrated players on the entire team. BYU didn’t provide much in the return game, which would have vaulted the overall grade to a solid A-, but overall it was another very strong performance for all special teams units.

Coaching: A

The game prep, the game time adjustments and overall play-calling were top notch for this game. The defense set the tone early, mixing coverages and making plays, allowing the offense, which struggled initially, to ultimately find its groove. Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick again made great in-game adjustments, allowing Bachmeier to operate more effectively and finished very strong. From my perspective, this was the best overall performance from the Cougar coaching staff, all factors considered.