3 positives and 3 paralyzing negatives from BYU's win over Iowa State

Following up on an arduous win over TCU, BYU football approached this game against Iowa State with a lot to prove on the offensive side of the ball. And they didn't exactly silence the naysayers with a 24-point output against a 3-3 ISU side.

A win is a win, and the fact that I come away uneasy after seeing this team win in convincing fashion (14 points, +306 yards gained) over a Big 12 opponent is one of the reasons why this team is ranked 8th overall.

This is a very good team. A team that won by double digits, dominated the box score, and never relinquished control of the game -- and I'm still left wanting more. There's a very talented opponent approaching over the horizon, and this 24-10 victory over Iowa State was BYU's final slash at the whetstone.

So here's what they did well, and a few points of emphasis for the remaining season.

3 Positives vs. Iowa State

Poppinga's defense stole the show

Lost in the shuffle of another baffing offensive outing was the fact that BYU's defense was sensational from start to finish.

The only touchdown allowed was thanks in large part to a short field (courtesy of some suspect special teams play, more on that later); otherwise, the Cougars held their guests to just 3 points on 200 total yards of offense.

BYU forced 6 3-and-outs and kept the Cyclones out of contention, even when the offense failed to create separation (14-3 with just over a minute left in the 3rd quarter).

All that without forcing a single turnover, this defense faced their foe straight-up and didn't flinch. Keep in mind, Iowa State is coming off a road trip to Morgantown in which they scored 45 points in regulation.

The offense moved the football terrifically

Only four of BYU's 9 drives saw the Cougars push for fewer than 50 yards, and for the first time seemingly all season (save for the fourth quarter agaisnt Arizona), Aaron Roderick's offense proved capable of sustaining long, time-consuming drives.

That's a great sign for a team missing its top three running backs. Even better for a team stuck in the mud (literally) against TCU a week ago. As a team, BYU outgained their visitors by 306 yards.

Bachmeier passed for over 300 yards one week after heaving just 62.

Legend Glasker was on the receiving end (get it?) of 99 of those yards, including this beautiful third-quarter dime that saw the freshman speedster slip behind the secondary.

Bear Bachmeier is a one-man offense

438 yards of offense, 0 turnovers: the Bear Bachmeier Story.

He's the third BYU quarterback in history to throw for over 300 yards and rush for over 100 yards in a single game. I hope you didn't let the anomaly in Fort Worth strike your memory of why number 47 is throwing passes in Provo, because Bear was on a mission in this game.

He scored two touchdowns, threw zero interceptions, and once again allowed his clutch gene to take over in the late game, clutching the football as he slipped ahead for a 39-yard run on the team's final drive. And if you like efficiency, his 22/30 completion rate should give you what you need.

Not bad for a "full back".

3 Negatives vs. Iowa State

Bear Bachmeier is a one-man offense

Wait a minute, wasn't this a positive a few paragraphs ago? Yeah, it was!

As great as it is to have a talented, versatile, and dependable gunslinger in the backfield, Bear had to call his own number far too many times in LJ Martin's absence.

He led all rushers in both yards and attempts, rushing nine times for 109 yards. Journee Tonga, who previously held the highest yards-per-carry rate on the team, posted just 19 yards on 8 runs -- an uncomfortable 2.4 yards per carry. No other runner picked up more than 21 yards.

Bachmeier clearly showed some physical discomfort after taking a beating on Friday night. I don't want to see what happens if he reaches a breaking point. The offensive line protected Bear very well tonight (0 sacks allowed is cause for celebration!), but they can't do anything for their quarterback once he escapes the pocket.

Easy there, Tiger

Tiger Bachmeier is done fielding punts. Or at least he should be.

My soul nearly escaped my body when he opted not only to field a punt that sailed inside the 5-yard line; it waved goodbye to my horror-stricken husk when he bobbled the reception to the 1-yard hash.

My lifeless body dissolved to ash when he muffed the following Iowa State punt, giving the Cyclones great field position and, eventually, their only end zone trip of the night. In Cannon DeVries' absence, Bachmeier flashed some real promise as a returner early. But a fundamental error followed by the cardinal sin of special teams may be the death knoll for this Bachmeier brother.

I love Tiger and want him to stay involved as much as possible, but his confidence is rattled -- give him some time away from the spotlight.

Aggressive does not mean good

I don't care if the box score disagrees -- a turnover on downs is still a turnover.

And Kalani Sitake's insistence on keeping the offense on the field cut three drives short, and likely took 6 points off the board, given Matthias Dunn's consistency thus far.

The Cougars went 0-for-3 in this one on fourth down; twice whiffing at the doorstep of the end zone. Most painful of all, Sitake elected to roll the dice on fourth-and-short after an Iowa State penalty gave the Cougars the option of taking the points -- Dunn had drilled the field goal try despite the offsides call.

In a game like this, where the result was never really in question, BYU can afford to be a bit reckless with their decision-making. But when every point matters (see: next weekend vs Notre Dame), I'd rather Sitake takes the free points and trusts his defense.

30-10 looks better than 24-10, if we believe optics matter to the CFP selection committee.

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