BYU 1-on-1: Cougars make trip to the Front Range to play Colorado State
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- BYU running back LJ Martin (4) carries the ball against Arizona in a college football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026.
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- BYU defensive end Bodie Schoonover (48) tackles Arizona’s Kedrick Reescano in a college football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026.
Daily Herald sports writers Darnell Dickson and Brandon Gurney debate and pontificate on the hot BYU sports topics of the week.
1. What was the key play in BYU’s football win against Arizona?
DICKSON: I’m going to pick the fourth down stop of Arizona in the fourth quarter. The Cougars couldn’t get off the field in the first half but the defense found its footing in the second. Still, Noah Fifita moved the Wildcats into scoring territory down 21-17 with about eight minutes to play. A field goal there would have put more pressure on BYU but Arizona coach Brent Brennan decided to go for it. Tommy Prassass arrived at the receiver first but Cannon DeVries — all 6-foot, 184 pounds of him — came flying in like a rocket to keep Rodney Gallagher III from reaching the first down. At least, that was the end result. Officials originally gave the Wildcats the first down but replays clearly showed he was short. That play was part of an impressive finish for BYU, which drove down to score, forced a three-and-out and then ran out the final five minutes with the ground game.
GURNEY: Darnell took the obvious one, but that’s fine. It allows me to be more clever, so I’m going with the Cade Uluave interception toward the end of the first quarter which resulted in a BYU touchdown just two plays later. If you’ll recall, BYU’s defense looked sort of hapless, unable to defend much of anything Arizona and its excellent quarterback Noah Fifita threw its way. Without the interception and resulting touchdown, things could have gotten out-of-hand before the halftime period, making the comeback effort all the more difficult. Uluave’s interception and the resulting touchdown made the game far more manageable for the comeback and deserves a lot of recognition here.
2. Was Kalani Sitake correct in kneeling the final two plays at the Arizona 3-yard line?
GURNEY: Yes. It’s who Kalani is and it’s not going to change, and it’s actually a good look for BYU. Sure, you can argue metrics and how it ultimately impacts BYU’s resume at the end of the year, and I get that. I’m also not smart enough to really diagnose just how much of an impact an 18-point win would have opposed to an 11-point win when the committee is weighing its at-large invites. But I’d wager that it doesn’t matter much, and I’ll stand by that assertion. So yeah, it’s absolutely the right move for Kalani to run out the clock because that’s who he is, and it’s a good look for what BYU wants to represent regardless of what minute metric may come into play at the close of the season.
DICKSON: My theory is that the CFP committee is going to latch on to whatever factoid supports their biased opinion, so if its not victory margin (or loss margin) it’ll be something else to keep BYU or any other non-blue blood out of the playoffs. It makes me wonder, though: Last year, BYU lost twice to Texas Tech by scores of 29-7 in the regular season and 34-7 in the Big 12 Championship Game. But what if the Red Raiders started playing prevent with the lead and the Cougars scored a couple of cheap touchdowns to make the score look closer? What if those scores ended up 29-21 and 34-21? Would the CFP have changed its mind? Not likely. Just like Sitake, BYU needs to focus on winning every game and taking the decision out of the hands of the committee. That’s the only way in.
3. Do you give the “Save College Sports Act” much chance of being approved?
DICKSON: It’s complicated, for sure. I believe there needs to be guard rails for college sports to protect itself, but the greed and corruption runs deep. Everyone is pretty much just looking out for themselves. From what I’ve seen, the Act favors the status quo, not the athletes, and that could create some issues down the road. If you remember, back in 2021 the NCAA basically slapped its hands like a blackjack dealer and said, “I’m out” when it came to NIL. We see where that has gotten us. I can’t imagine either side will be happy when the Act passes and those new rules need to be enforced. I’m afraid we’ll just be headed back to court where we’ve been stuck all summer.
GURNEY: I do, actually, which is saying something given the almost complete dysfunction of our current congress. The measure is a rare one that enjoys bipartisan support and already was cleared for a procedural vote, and by a wide margin, which certainly seems to mean it’s likely to go through. President Trump also said that he intends on signing the bill.
I just have to wonder if it will actually work as intended, and to that question I certainly have some doubts. The fact that it had to come to this is sort of ridiculous, but that’s what college football has become in this crazy day of NIL and everything else.
4. How do you see the BYU at Colorado State football game playing out on Saturday?
GURNEY: It certainly appears to be a high-scoring game when considering the offensive arsenal both teams will present come Saturday. Sure, CSU ran and threw all over Southern Utah, but wasn’t too impressive the week prior versus Wyoming, although the Rams still managed to score 35 points. BYU will absolutely pose the sternest defensive test yet for Colorado State, and it will be interesting to see how each unit stacks up.
Get ready for a big game from LJ Martin with Colorado State entering the game with some apparent deficiencies in defending the run. I’d be shocked if Martin didn’t gallop for over 100 yards, and probably well over that total. Sure, Colorado State bringing in former BYU passing guru Matt Mitchell to its staff after last season could make things interesting although I think that factor is probably being a bit overrated. I think BYU wins this 41-21.
DICKSON: I’m actually pretty excited to have the Cougars and Rams playing against each other after a long break. Regional rivalries are a victim of conference realignment and all the chaos in college sports and getting two old WAC and MWC foes back together is my groove right now. I agree with Gurney that BYU will attempt to establish Martin and the run game, but I also know that CSU knows that and will likely bring eight or nine players to the line of scrimmage to slow him down. I see Bear Bachmeier throwing for more than 300 yards on about 18-20 completions to take advantage of one-on-one coverage. I can’t imagine BYU scores less than 38 points or that Colorado State scores more than 20, so there you go.
5. The BYU women’s soccer team lost leading scorer Ellie Walbruch to a knee injury and then got spanked 4-0 by Utah State last week. Can they recover?
DICKSON: To be honest, the Cougars were having trouble scoring even when Walbruch was in the lineup. They managed just eight goals in seven games and never had more than two in a single game. BYU is good building from the back, through the midfield or down the sidelines but they’ve got no finishers. That last push to put pressure on the opponent in the scoring area is missing. The defense has been stellar up until the debacle in Logan, where they simply looked overmatched by the Aggies speed. Now, Big 12 play starts and this team is reeling after the double whammy of Walbruch’s injury and getting embarrassed by USU. In more than 30 years of coaching, Jennifer Rockwood has seen it all and she’ll have to dig deep in her final season to figure out a way to get the Cougars back on track.
GURNEY: Walbruch demanded a ton of attention in the one game I covered this year, and it’s apparent that other Cougar players aren’t as open to operate effectively now with Walbruch out of the lineup. The result was nothing short of stunning versus Utah State, with or without BYU’s star player out there, and it’s hard to think that’s what BYU is going to be for the rest of the season. Even so, the loss of Walbruch hurts a lot, and it’s going to be the cause of some major adjustments on BYU’s end. I think overall the Cougars will prove to be competitive in Big 12 Conference play, but as far as being a serious contender in the postseason? I really can’t see it with no Ellie Walbruch.
