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Iowa State tacklers try to stop BYU receiver Legend Glasker in a Big 12 football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah, on Friday, October 9, 2026.

Marcia Harris, Special to the Herald

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Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Here’s what’s going on inside Darnell’s head as we have reached monsoon season in Utah.

When did we move to the tropics? I can’t remember a more rainy fall in recent memory. Isn’t this supposed to be the desert?

I didn’t have to shovel my driveway one time last winter but I’m sure that streak is going to end in a couple of weeks.

Now it’s time for Perfectly Rational Overreactions (PROs) from BYU’s 24-10 victory against Iowa State.

PRO No. 1: Kalani Sitake has to stop treating fourth downs like he’s playing EA Sports College Football.

Going for it on fourth down t makes more sense when you have LJ Martin available and in some games, points should not be passed up, but generally I’m OK with Sitake’s aggressive approach to fourth and short. What’s more concerning is that BYU couldn’t execute on the three fourth downs against Iowa State. The first one (from inside the 5-yard line) I felt like Legend Glasker may have not driven his defender off enough to create the proper angle for the throw from Bear Bachmeier. The second failure (near midfield) is probably probably more on the offensive line than Journee Tonga because there was nowhere to go. The third failure (again inside the 5) seemed to be holding or pass interference on Iowa State on the pass to Walker Lyons but apparently that isn’t a thing anymore.

Players love when their coach has the confidence in them to go for it on fourth down and I think Sitake will continue to roll the dice. Although he did send out the field goal unit VERY quickly on fourth-and-5 from the ISU 20 in the fourth quarter.

PRO No. 2: Tiger Bachmeier should never return punts again.

It was definitely a bad night for Tiger. Unless coaches have changed their instructions, you NEVER field a punt inside the 5-yard line and Bachmeier did it twice, then muffed a fair catch in the second half that seemed to suck the life out of the stadium. It gave Iowa State all the momentum in the game. Returning punts is a tough gig but there’s a different between being aggressive and being reckless. Bachmeier totally crossed that line on Friday.

With Cannon DeVries still out (but likely available for Notre Dame), Bachmeier seemed like the best alternative against Iowa State but he’s probably earned himself some bench time after that performance.

PRO No. 3: The BYU running game will never be the same without LJ Martin.

What’s interesting is that Bear Bachmeier went over 100 yards rushing but on just nine attempts, so it wasn’t as if Aaron Roderick was overusing his star quarterback in the run game. Preston Rex, Journee Tonga and Devaughn Eka combined to rush 17 times for 54 yards (3.1 yards per carry), and that’s not great. But they didn’t turn the ball over and Tonga’s block in pass pro gave Bachmeier enough time for the long bomb to Legend Glasker, so there were some bright spots. There is a concern in short yardage and goal-line situations. What will BYU do against Notre Dame? Maybe it’s time for a specialty formation with one of the bigger running backs (Logan Payne at 210 pounds, Lucky Finau at 220 or Micah Beckstead at 238) for short-yardage situations. Or lets bring in linebacker Cade Uluave, I’m just throwing out ideas here, people.

And finally, PRO No. 4: Bear Bachmeier is going to have to throw for 300 yards and run for 100 more every game for BYU to keep winning.

Get used to it. Bachmeier was terrific throwing the ball on Friday and broke off some big runs. If it wasn’t fully his team before, it is now. The Cougars are going to be directly tied to how well Bachmeier performs even more going forward with Martin out three to four weeks. I thought he spread the ball around well and got the tight ends involved early. His receivers got going in the second half and made some plays. I wrote a feature for the Iowa State game based on the premise that while Bachmeier is really good, he hadn’t shown much improvement. The statistics in the first four games last year pretty much matched his production in the first four games this year. He showed on Friday he’s capable of doing special things moving forward.

Who Carried the Boats and the Logs?

No question it was Bear Bachmeier. His numbers were pretty stunning: 22 of 30 passing for 329 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions along with nine carries for 109 yards for a total of 438 yards of offense. I was even more impressed with his decision making and confidence in his throws. Except for one throw behind Kyler Kasper that likely would have gone for a long touchdown, Bachmeier was pretty much on target all night.

Thanks, Karen

We had the Bucee’s experience when we were in Fort Collins a couple of weeks ago for the BYU-Colorado State game and spent way too much money getting gifts for family. So I was headed to the restroom (girls on the left, boys on the right) and a women came walking out. Since I was approaching from the left of the store, I stepped aside (to the left) to let her pass. She stopped to tell me, “That’s the women’s restroom,” like I was some senile old person or something heading to the wrong restroom. Geez, you try to be nice to someone …

Get off my lawn

I’ve reached the age where I’m paying more for everything and I don’t like it.

To be honest, I reached that age a few years ago but it really seems to have come to a head. In my mind, $40 should still be plenty to fill my gas tank, $10 should be enough to get a burger, fries and drink at any fast food establishment, $50 should fill up my shopping cart at the grocery store and a haircut should be way less than $20.

But we all know that isn’t the case anymore.

I know I’m old and expecting to pay what I paid when I was way younger is unrealistic.

It still makes me grumpy and I’m generally a happy person.

It also reminds me of this quote: “Being an adult is eating the crust not because you like it, but because you paid for it.”

Pure joy

Covering the Park City at Timpanogos football game on Thursday reminded me of why I love high school sports. The T-Wolves pulled off a 24-23 overtime victory in dramatic fashion. The students rushed the field, Timpanogos coach Nolan Nielsen got a Gatorade ice bucket bath and the players celebrated like they’d won the Super Bowl.

Park City was the No. 12 RPI team in 4A going into the game and Timpanogos was No. 21 (16 teams makes the state playoffs this year), so neither program is likely to win a championship. But don’t bother telling that to the athletes, the coaches or the fans. High school sports is mostly still the purest form of competition and I’m there for it.

Finally, there is this: A different version of you exists in the minds of every single person who knows you.

Think about it.

It’s Notre Dame week. Be the best version of yourself, be kind to all and prepare for the biggest game in the history of BYU football.

I say that as someone who attended the BYU-Miami game in 1990.

Prove me wrong.