No. 14 BYU Opens Season with 63-7 Win over Utah Tech

PROVO, Utah – No. 14 BYU defeated the Utah Tech Trailblazers 63-7 Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium, earning a commanding victory to start the 2026 season.

“We had five penalties tonight, and I didn’t like them," said Kalani Sitake, BYU head coach. "We need to be more disciplined as a team in all three phases. Thought the guys had opportunities to make plays, and I am really proud of the young guys that did it. Very proud of the defensive and offensive lines tonight as well. I was proud of the way Kelly Poppinga called the defense tonight and what Aaron Roderick did on the other end as well. I’m also proud of Justin Ena as well. All three phases definitely can do some good things. I was sad to see us unable to get the shutout for Kelly Poppinga, but that’s ok. That drive from Utah Tech gave us plenty of good learning moments for our guys that’ll have huge payouts for us in the future. I’m proud of this team and the way the guys played and the energy that we had. So thanks to all the fans for the energy and that they stayed here till the very end. The ROC was here the whole entire time, which impressed a lot of our players that came from the portal and other places. They couldn't believe the support that the fans have for the team and the energy. They made lots of noise, and we need them next week and all year long. They’ve been very consistent with their support and the love for the team. I hope they know that the team recognizes it, and I speak for all of them on that. Just want to say thank you to all the fans for their support.”

Leading the BYU offense, quarterback Bear Bachmeier threw for 198 yards on 16 completions. Included in his 80-percent completion percentage to nine different targets, the sophomore tossed three touchdowns to begin his second season in Provo. In addition to his performance through the air, Bachmeier rushed four times for 30 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown. Two other quarterbacks, Treyson Bourget and Enoch Watson, made appearances after halftime in Saturday night’s matchup.

For the first time in the last 30 seasons, tonight’s matchup saw five different BYU players notch a rushing touchdown in Legend Glasker, Devaughn Eka, Preston Rex, Journee Tonga and Bachmeier. The Cougars ended the night with 308 rushing yards, with 11 different players contributing on the ground. Starting was senior running back LJ Martin, who finished the game with 54 yards on seven carries. BYU also saw a kickoff returned for a touchdown after cornerback Cannon DeVries went end zone-to-end zone to start the second half.

True freshman Glasker made his mark on the field, scoring three touchdowns. With 65 receiving yards, the Lehi, Utah, native caught two touchdowns on three catches. Glasker also earned a rushing touchdown off a jet sweep in the first quarter and ended the night with 16 rushing yards. Two other true freshmen, Eka and Tonga, each scored rushing touchdowns in the second half.

In his debut as defensive coordinator, Kelly Poppinga’s defense totaled 45 tackles on the night, led by Jarinn Kalama, Matthias Leach and Kendal Wall, who all notched four. Additionally, three different players recorded an interception in Leach, Therrian Alexander III and Evan Johnson. Tausili Akana also recovered a fumble to cap off BYU’s defensive stand.

Under the direction of head coach Kalani Sitake, the Cougars are now 10-1 in season openers and 5-1 in season openers at home. This is the second-straight season that BYU has scored over 60 points in its first game.

1st Quarter

BYU opened the 2026 season by winning the coin toss and deferring to receive the ball at the start of the second half. Kicker Brody Laga booted the ball through the back of the end zone, giving Utah Tech the ball at the 25.

The Cougar defense could not have started much better, with cornerback Alexander III diving and intercepting an overthrown ball on the first play of scrimmage.

Following the pick, BYU’s offense began its first possession of the season with a six-yard checkdown pass to Kyler Kasper on the first play of the possession at the Utah Tech 32-yard line. After runs from Bachmeier and Martin, the Cougars found the end zone on a Glasker nine-yard jet sweep. With Matthias Dunn’s successful extra point, the Cougars went up 7-0 in just under two minutes of play.

After a Trailblazer three-and-out, Bachmeier and the rest of the Cougar offense would take the field at their own 18 and begin the drive with a 13-yard inside run from Martin. The ground game continued before Bachmeier found tight end Walker Lyons for an 18-yard catch. After additional reps from Martin and Moa, Bachmeier would toss a screen pass to receiver Jojo Phillips, who ran over a Utah Tech defender and crossed the goal line, capping a 13-play, 82-yard drive to extend the lead to 14-0 with the help of Dunn’s extra point.

Utah Tech would open its drive with a 19-yard rush from running back Ace Chapman. The burst of momentum was short lived, however, with BYU forcing a punt just three plays later and the Cougars back on offense deep in their own territory.

Starting from its own nine-yard line, BYU’s offense endured a three-and-out of its own, and punter Fuller Shurtz pinned the Trailblazers at their own 31 with a 54-yard punt. On third down, Utah Tech quarterback CJ Tiller fumbled a wide snap, and defensive end Akana recovered at the 30-yard line, sending BYU’s offense out to start its fourth drive of the first quarter. The first quarter would close on a four-yard gain from Martin and the Cougars up 14-0.

2nd Quarter

Bachmeier opened the second quarter with a screen pass to Glasker, who shifted his way through the Trailblazer defense for a 26-yard touchdown, marking the freshman’s second touchdown of the game. 

BYU continued its hot streak on defense, forcing another Utah Tech turnover as Johnson picked off Tiller’s pass on the third play of their drive.

Back on offense, the Cougars connected on three consecutive chunk plays before running back  Rex found the end zone, bouncing outside for a nine-yard score and increasing the BYU advantage 28-0 following Dunn’s extra point.

Another quick defensive stop gave the Cougars the ball at their own 39, and Glasker opened the drive with a jet sweep outside. On the subsequent play, Bachmeier delivered the ball to tight end Roger Saleapaga II, hitting the Oregon transfer off a cross-body throw on the run for 17 yards. Glasker then marched into the end zone for his third touchdown of the game, catching a 33-yard pass in the middle of the field. Dunn put the ball through the uprights, giving the Cougars a 35-0 lead with 7:47 left in the second quarter. The last time a BYU player scored three touchdowns in a half was wide receiver/tight end Keanu Hill, who had three receiving touchdowns against Utah Tech in 2022. 

Utah Tech’s punting crew made its way back onto the field after a short drive. Returning the punt, cornerback DeVries found a seam and made his way to the Trailblazer 30-yard line, totaling 46 yards on the return. An unproductive stint from the BYU offense put Dunn out for his first field goal attempt of the game, which floated left and missed from 47 yards away.

BYU’s offense took the field with 2:45 left in the half. After a sack, Bachmeier optioned to Rex, who ran for 20 yards and issued in the two-minute timeout. Phillips recorded a second reception for a first down, and the running game continued before the Cougars took their first timeout of the half. On first-and-10, Bachmeier evaded a sack and scrambled for a 13-yard touchdown run. Another successful extra point courtesy of Dunn moved the margin to 42-0 with 34 seconds remaining.

The visiting Trailblazers concluded the half with a short run up the middle. BYU ended the first half of play with 358 yards of offense in the first half to Utah Tech’s 52, while the defense forced three turnovers and allowed no points.

3rd Quarter

BYU opened the second half with DeVries returning the kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. Laga extended BYU’s lead to 49-0 with his extra point. It was the first BYU kick return for a touchdown since Talan Alfrey in 2024.

A Utah Tech three-and-out followed, as linebacker Siale Esera capped off the defensive effort with a sack on third down. A fair catch from Tiger Bachmeier began the Cougars’ first offensive drive of the half at the Utah Tech 45. With a commanding lead, offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick pushed Bourget onto the field to lead the offense. On the first play, Bourget battled through tackles and scrambled for 17 yards. Running back Tonga ran for 34 yards on the following play and finished the drive with a four-yard touchdown on the ground, BYU’s lead reaching 56-0 after Laga’s extra point.

The visiting offense crossed into BYU territory on its next drive, following a 23-yard toss from quarterback Bronson Barben. Utah Tech’s offense continued with short gains on the Cougar side of the field, converting a fourth-and-one on a quarterback sneak. After 16 plays, which lasted nearly eight minutes, BYU gave up its first score of the game, moving the score 56-7.

Running back Eka made his first appearance of the game on the next drive, rushing several times on a run-heavy scheme. Bourget then delivered a 15-yard pass to Jared Esplin on the final play of the third quarter, retaining the 56-7 Cougar lead.

4th Quarter

The Cougars saw another true freshman get a touch in the fourth, Terrance Saryon getting the call on the first play of the quarter. On second-and-goal, Eka powered through multiple Trailblazers and extended the ball over the goal line. Following Laga’s extra point, BYU’s lead jumped to 63-7.

After another long Utah Tech drive, spanning 14 plays and seven-and-a-half minutes, safety Leach picked off Barben in the red zone and returned the ball to the BYU 18. The Cougar offense, led by quarterback Watson, took over with 6:33 left in the game and began the drive with a rush from Saryon. Running backs Logan Payne and Charlie Miska made appearances on the drive as BYU began to bleed out the clock. Converting a third-and-one off a run from Payne, the Cougars knelt out the remaining time, securing their first win of the season 63-7.

Up Next

BYU hosts the Arizona Wildcats on Sep. 12 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in its first Big 12 matchup of the season, with kickoff set for 1:30 p.m. MDT. Watch the live broadcast on FOX or listen to live play-by-play with Greg Wrubell on the call for BYU Radio.