Quarterback: A-

Bear Bachmeier didn’t make any notable mistakes and finished with 16-20 passing for 198 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran the football four times for 30 yards and a touchdown in what was perhaps the only criticism you can hand out to him given that he sat out the entire second half. BYU coach Kalani Sitake commented that he didn’t like that his starting quarterback took the hits that he did against an opponent like Utah Tech, and it’s hard not to agree with Sitake in this regard. Yes, it’s sort of knit-picking here, but it’s a long season, and health is at a premium, lowering Bachmeier’s otherwise relatively flawless performance down a notch. Bachmeier’s backups pretty much just handed the ball off in relief, leaving the overall grade unaffected.

Running back: A

What a showing by BYU’s running backs. Sure, both LJ Martin and Sione Moa finished their outings were fairly pedestrian performances, but Saturday’s win belonged to the young running backs. DeVaughn Eka led the team in rushing with eight carries for 59 yards and a touchdown while showcasing some good and promising skill. Likewise was Journee Tonga’s performance on his two carries for 38 yards and then Preston Rex in his bid to become a more well-rounded back this season. Rex finished with five carries for 38 yards and a touchdown. Overall the group showed to be deep and talented.

Receivers/Tight ends: A

Perhaps no position group performed better overall than the Cougar receivers. Just about everyone got into the act with nine different receivers and tight ends recording receptions. Of course Legend Glasker was the headliner here with his three touchdowns on just five touchdowns, although Jojo Phillips showed well scoring a touchdown and Kyler Kasper looks the part of a favorite target with his four receptions for 42 yards. The downfield blocking was very effective, too, which boosts the group’s overall mark.

Offensive line: B+

You have to factor in the strength of the opponent here and it was disappointing to see the Cougar offensive front yield even the one sack that it did. But overall the run lanes were relatively wide the protection was good throughout. What was particularly beneficial was BYU’s group of young and very promising offensive linemen playing almost the entirety of the second half giving the first group some good rest on the sidelines.

Defensive line: B+

The lack of pressure during passing downs is what’s lowering the overall grade. Sure, the defensive line showed flashes, although the overall pressure wasn’t as intense and consistent as one would anticipate given the strength of the opponent. Even so, the front forced some hurried throws which turned into interceptions and were stout throughout against the run. Much like every position group, next week’s game versus Arizona will show much more how capable this unit proves to be throughout the season.

Linebackers: A-

There weren’t a lot of missed tackles out there, if any at all, and overall the group was solid and saw a lot of rotation throughout. The group made do without the services of Isaiah Glasker who was held out due to precautionary measures and should be a full go next week against the Wildcats. Perhaps the only mark against the group was the lack of big plays being made, but it was nice to see young and exciting talents like Kendall Wall and Braxton Lindsey receiving plenty of work and showing well with the reps they had. Overall the best overall performance was probably that of Wall, who is just a freshman.

Defensive backs: A-

Tre Alexander set the tone early with his interception and the first group received a strong A grade with their work in providing three interceptions while stalemating the Trailblazer’s passing attack. The second unit played most of the second half and did allow some big gains, which prevents the group from an overall A grade. But overall both Alexander and Evan Johnson, who also had an interception, proved solid and very capable throughout.

Special teams: A-

There was that missed field goal, which is an unfortunate blemish to an otherwise very good special teams outing. Cannon DeVries was the standout here, not only returning a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, but proving dangerous and game-breaking on most punt returns. Overall the sophomore defensive back looks fairly capable of providing the type of stellar returns that Parker Kingston did over the past couple of seasons.

Coaching: A

The play-calling seemed to be on point throughout and overall the focus to shut things down and run out the clock for most of the second half is exactly what needed to happen. Overall the game-plan was executed almost perfectly which allowed the coaches to empty the bench and give the more inexperienced players a lot of game time which should provide big dividends in the future.