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BYU's Raider Damuni (3) and Isaiah Glasker take down a Colorado ball carrier in a Big 12 football game at Folsom Field in Boulder on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders, right, hugs BYU head coach Kalani Sitake after a Big 12 football game in Boulder, Colo., on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Here’s what’s going on inside Darnell’s head after watching BYU football escape Colorado with a three-point win.

My wife, over the years, has gotten way too anxious during BYU athletic events.

Which is interesting, because she’s a very competitive person, a high-level senior volleyball player and former high school coach.

There are times she can’t bear to watch and goes upstairs instead. Sometimes, she wants to know the result BEFORE she watches it so she doesn’t have to stress during the viewing.

I literally have been instructed to speak in a robot voice: “Do-you-want-to-know-what-happened-in-the-game?” if she didn’t watch it because she says she can tell by the tone of my voice who won.

The point is, I’m sure most BYU fans would rather watch a blowout than a game like Saturday’s narrow win at Colorado.

But I would say this: A close, come-from-behind win is exactly what the Cougars needed to grow in 2025.

You realize that when Colorado drove down the field and scored on its first drive, it was the first time all season BYU had been behind in a game?

When the Cougars trailed Colorado 14-0, the players and the coaching staff really had to come together and dig deep to get back into the game. And they did exactly that, outscoring the Buffaloes 24-7 the rest of the way. The offense found a way to put together three scoring drives (one late in the first half) and the defense got the stop it needed on Isaiah Glasker’s late interception.

After the game, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake told ESPN, “There was some adversity tonight. Our program needed this right now.”

So how does it help?

It gives Sitake a chance to let freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier know he believes in him by going for it on fourth down and goal in a critical moment, resulting in a touchdown pass to Chase Roberts.

It gives the defensive coaching staff a chance to make significant changes to the defensive game plan to combat a bunch of looks from Colorado it never showed on film. It gave the defensive players an chance to embrace those changes, trust the process and go to work.

It gave the offense a chance to test itself against that poor start, to refocus and find some way to move the ball.

It gave Sitake the chance to show the defense he trusted them to shut down CU on the final drive, even though they struggled early in the game.

It probably gave plenty of BYU fans heartache and anxiety, but that’s pretty much par for the course with any fan base.

It also gives the coaches staff some key talking points for practice this week that the players will definitely pay attention to, don’t you think?

The Cougars are 4-0 and all of their goals are still in sight. At the end of the day, having to struggle for a victory at Colorado is worth 10 times a 69-0 victory against a lower-division team.

Now it’s time for Perfectly Rational Overreactions (PROs).

PRO No. 1: Freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier proved he is the future for BYU football.

BYU put on a lot on Bachmeier’s shoulders in this game. Not only did he complete 70% of 27 passes but he had to create his own running attack since Colorado’s run blitzes were slowing down LJ Martin. It was basically “Bear throws, Bear throws, Bear runs, Bear runs,” and repeat. I can’t recall a young player at BYU in a similar situation at any position. Bachmeier’s passing numbers aren’t flashy, but the numbers that count are: The Cougars are 4-0 and he has produced 10 touchdowns and zero turnovers in those four games. That’s pretty amazing for a true freshman.

PRO No. 2: Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick needs to retire the double pass play.

That double pass involving Parker Kingston has worked pretty spectacularly, before. But this year, Kingston has thrown into double coverage at least three times. I would prefer your trick plays get somebody wide open, but maybe that’s just me. It does seem that defenses are not fooled on the quick pass to Kingston anymore. The proper timing of “specials” is an art, not a science. Certainly, you can call Roderick brilliant for breaking out the “Tornado Reverse” with Cody Hagen that worked for a 32-yard touchdown.

PRO No. 3: The BYU defense wasn’t prepared for Colorado’s offense.

It certainly seemed that way to start, didn’t it? The Cougars looked confused, slow and frustrated early on. BYU looked pretty inept in those first two drives that resulted in a 14-0 deficit. But you have to credit the BYU defensive coaches for making changes and the players for adjusting. Colorado gained 137 yards on those two scoring drives. The rest of the game, the Buffs totaled 154 yards and went “Punt-Punt-Downs-Punt-TD-Punt-Punt-Int.” BYU held Colorado under 300 yards (291) and came up with the big interception at the end.

Whatever they’re playing defensive coordinator Jay Hill, double it.

And finally, PRO No. 4: BYU is a frontrunner for the Big 12 title.

Yeah, sure, OK. An undefeated Cougar team is keeping pace with Texas Tech and Iowa State at the top of the league. This is a team with flaws that needs to keep improving. On Saturday, there was a lot of complementary football going on, especially after the big start from Colorado. The offense began to pick up big yardage, the defense adjusted its game plan and special teams came up big late. Sitake’s decision to punt instead of going for a long field goal with two minutes left worked perfectly. Punter Sam Vander Haar dropped his punt inside the 5-yard line and BYU’s coverage team had it smothered. Whatever this team is, they found a way to win and that counts for something.

Who Carried the Boats and the Logs?

It’s got to be Bachmeier. He threw for 179 yards (70% completions) and two touchdowns, rushing for 98 yards on 15 carries (had to take a loss to run clock and a kneel down to end the game) and still no turnovers, though there was a scary moment in the fourth quarter when he lost the ball and LJ Martin pounced on it. Bachmeier is proving the coaches made the right call to hand him the reins.

The death of rivalries

There were seven games between Big 12 opponents this week. Baylor and Oklahoma State met for the 44th time but the other six games and 12 teams (Arizona at Iowa State, BYU at Colorado, TCU at Arizona State, Utah at West Virginia, UCF at Kansas State and Cincinnati at Kansas) had met a combined 28 times.

I get teased for being old school when it comes to college football, but I miss real rivalries. Yes, even BYU-Wyoming and BYU-Utah State.

And BYU-Utah belongs in November. I will never not die on that hill.

Strut your stuff

I was driving to the BYU women’s volleyball match on Thursday and stopped at the signal light where University Avenue crosses University Parkway in Provo. I spotted one of the fire dancers that performs at BYU football games standing on the sidewalk, in costume either coming from or going to rehearsal. This guy did his routine (sans fire) on his way through the crosswalk, dancing and spinning his heart out.

Totally boss move.

Young at heart

RotoWire.com released a story this week that looked at the estimated ages of football rosters in the Big 12. Guess what? BYU wasn’t the oldest team. That’s UCF at 20.47 average years. BYU was tied for eighth oldest at 19.73.

That’s all for now, but for this: I know many of my friends, neighbors and fellow saints are grieving this weekend. The death of President Russell M. Nelson and the cowardly attack on the LDS church in Michigan has left us all with heartache. I have no words to comfort you but I write about sports so we feel some brotherhood. You’re not alone. Hug your families and have a blessed week.