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BYU's Keanu Tanuvasa bats down a pass at the line of scrimmage during Saturday's win over Arizona State. October 31, 2026

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Daily Herald

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BYU tight end Walker Lyons runs down the sideline following a reception during Saturday's win over Arizona State. October 31, 2026

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker recovers a fumble caused by Nusi Taumoepeau during Arizona State's opening possession during Saturday's 27-20. October 31, 2026

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU receiver Kyler Kasper scores a touchdown during Saturday's 27-20 win over Arizona State. October 31, 2026

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier looks for space to run downfield during Saturday's 27-20 win over Arizona State. October 31, 2026

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU running back Sione Moa celebrates his touchdown run during Saturday's win over Arizona State. October 31, 2026

Courtesy BYU Photo

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The BYU football team went into Saturday’s matchup with Arizona State with a lot questions surrounding its overall play and standing as a legitimate contender, and after a fairly unremarkable 27-20 win, those questions largely remain unanswered.

Throughout the course of the game’s 60 minutes of play, the Cougars showed little to no legitimate rushing attack, a continued lack of tackling prowess and an otherwise overall performance that should cause a lot of concern as they head toward next Saturday’s showdown with undefeated Utah.

That’s not to say it was all unremarkable, with the Cougars showing some flashes and certainly enough positive play to eek out the win.

In fact the game started out very well, with blitzing edge defender Nusi Taumoepeau forcing a fumble from Sun Devil freshman quarterback Jake Fette, which was scooped up by Isaiah Glasker during just the third play from scrimmage. Several plays later saw BYU cap off the turnover with an opening touchdown run by running back Sione Moa to lead 7-0 after just five minutes of play.

But things bogged down from there.

As mentioned, the game saw massive struggles in the run game, and considering Moa’s paltry 20 yards gained on eight carries on top of just 47 yards gained by the team on a 1.6 yards per carry average, there’s much to improve on moving forward with LJ Martin’s status still in question.

“We just didn’t have a lot of plays. And Arizona State did a good job at loading the box,” said BYU coach Kalani Sitake. “We just were not able to establish the run game, and that makes it hard for us. We’d like to be more balanced, and keep them on their heels. They did a good job at taking that away from us.”

Not helping matters was Preston Rex being unavailable to play due to injury.

BYU’s lack of any real semblance of a run game left it one-dimensional, as mentioned by Sitake, along with the Sun Devils able to hone in on BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier, who rushed for just 15 yards on his 16 rush attempts.

All the offensive deficiencies aside, the Cougars still found themselves in relatively good shape late in the first half leading 17-3 and driving for what appeared the likely possibility of a touchdown and a commanding 24-7 lead at the break. But a Bachmeier interception that failed to clear Arizona’s underneath coverage with 51 seconds remaining foreclosed the scoring opportunity while making it two weeks in a row where a Cougar interception thrown late in the first half affected the course of play during the second half considerably.

“The one today was a great play. The defender got up and high-pointed the ball,” Sitake said. “It might have been under thrown a little bit, but it was a great defensive play. Let’s not do that anymore.”

BYU’s offensive deficiencies were on full display throughout the third quarter. Consecutive 3-and-outs on the first two offensive possessions contributed heavily in the Cougars running just six plays for a grand total of nine yards during the quarter.

“That third quarter was tough,” Sitake stated. “A lot of plays for our defense… Third down was not good for our offense, and we could not run the ball for some reason. There’s things we need to improve on.”

Meanwhile Fette settled down a bit and was able to lead some productive drives and helped tie the game early in the fourth quarter at 17-17 after a short touchdown pass to tight end Anthony Miller.

Fortunately, for BYU, it picked up the play in the fourth quarter while making some notable plays to forge a 27-17 and stave off the possibility of a Sun Devil win. One key play was a 4th-and-short conversion on BYU’s own 14 yard line with just 5:45 remaining and the Cougars clinging to a 20-17 lead. Bachmeier bowled through the line and just one play later hit streaking freshman receiver for a 53-yard gain which aided considerably in setting up a Sione Moa touchdown run with just 2:02 remaining in the game.

“I think a lot of people were nervous about the fourth-and-one, but the team was all for it. That was a good moment for us,” Sitake said. “There was no hesitation from anyone — offense, defense, special teams and even the sideline. They were all for it, and I can be convinced pretty easily. I’m just glad it worked out … We just felt like they were gaining momentum. They had possession of the clock and kind of wore our defense down a little bit. We felt like we had to keep the ball for a little bit and

give our guys a break and make some adjustments. It just seemed like the right thing to do … Feeling the game and the momentum and trying to get it back. I

felt like it was worth the risk.”

On the defensive side of the football the Cougars did a good job of making Fette uncomfortable while contributing six sacks, but did allow Arizona State freshman Cardae Mack to gallop for 123 yards on just 23 carries.

“We had turnovers and (tackles-for-loss), but they were kind of gashing us on some of the run plays,” Sitake observed. “Their running back is a really good player. He got his yardage. We just had a hard time tackling. We missed a lot of tackles this week. That was concerning … So we’ve got to get things fixed and figured out … We’ll go back to work and try to figure out a way to get these guys more tackles. We had a lot of missed opportunities and sacks.”

Should BYU hope to gain a coveted spot in the College Football Playoff, those issues need to be figured out fast with a game versus undefeated Utah, which dispatched Cincinnati on the road in impressive fashion on Saturday, on tap.

“That game is different every time. No matter what you think is going to happen, it’s a different week,” Sitake said of next Saturday’s matchup. “I’m more focused on trying to get our team to make improvements week-to-week. They’re a great team and undefeated for a reason. It’s not going to be an easy task, but I’m looking forward to the matchup, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”