It's still unclear why BYU struggled so much against TCU this past weekend, but we may be in for another painful evening against Iowa State if injuries to All-American candidates LJ Martin and Isaiah Glasker played a part.
Perhaps the stormy weather played a major factor -- Bear Bachmeier noted the lack of grip that comes with a wet football.
Perhaps with a slate of major injuries afflicting the starting unit, Aaron Roderick opted to play it safe and avoid the peril of a turnover -- the Cougars kept the TCU faithful's impact to a minimum despite the narrow margin of victory.
It could be that BYU simply isn't as good as advertised this season, or that the injuries to Martin, Glasker, Gentry, Damuni, DeVries, and more was too great an obstacle to vault without consequence.
We'll have a clearer image by this weekend, when the Cyclones storm into LaVell Edwards Stadium for a Friday night under the lights, because Martin and Glasker have both been listed as doubtful to play. Glasker wasn't even listed on the latest depth chart.
Kalani Sitake said that RB LJ Martin and LB Isaiah Glasker are "doubtful" to play against Iowa State on Friday night. He said evaluations on both players' injuries are ongoing.
— Jay Drew (@drewjay) October 5, 2026
Isaiah Glasker isn’t on the BYU depth chart. LJ Martin is on it. Also Cannon DeVries is still is listed as starting nickel.
— Jarom Jordan (@jaromjordan) October 5, 2026
Martin is a crucial loss for a team that relies so heavily on the run. Even without Martin, BYU threw for just over 60 yards in Fort Worth -- a number that even Uncle Rico probably could have reached in his prime. And without Sione Moa, the second-string back who was injured in Week 1, we'll likely see plenty from Preston Rex and Journee Tonga out of the backfield.
The defense will be without its leader in Glasker, though they fared well without him last weekend, holding the Horned Frogs to just 10 points in his absence.
Whether these two are cleared to play by Friday or not, I'm very comfortable having them sit out this weekend with Notre Dame looming on the following Saturday. Iowa State is a quality Big 12 opponent, of course, having nearly taken down Iowa in Week 2 and coming fresh off a 45-42 win over West Virginia in Morgantown.
But this team needs to be right for a matchup that could hold the keys to an at-large berth to the College Football Playoff. In a 3 vs. 8 matchup, Provo will host a contender for the national championship in a "prove it" clash in the prime time slot. The CFP selection committee cannot watch every college football game all season long, but I guarantee they'll have their eyes glued to that game if the Cougars can keep it competitive.
So with all due respect to Iowa State in this rebuilding season, BYU has bigger fish to fry; don't risk Martin and Glasker's health any further before the Fighting Irish arrive.
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