It took eight minutes and two seconds for BYU football to get on the scoreboard during their week one tune-up game against FCS foe Portland State. Until the game clock reached the four-minute mark, Kalani Sitake's side hadn't breached the scoreboard. Deadlocked 0-0 with Portland State, BYU's offensive drives laid out as follows: punt, fumble.
Far from stressed, but slightly concerned after watching FCS Tarleton State take Army, an irrational but very present thought infiltrated the confines of my subconscious mind -- an intrusive thought broke through my mental defenses.
Four minutes remaining in the first quarter with an empty scorebug at the bottom of the screen. There we watched, as Portland State lined up for a field goal try. From 55+ yards out, the Vikings boldy lined their crosshairs to make the first strike.
But Portland State wouldn't score first. In fact, they wouldn't score at all.
The field goal try met a BYU facemask; it never had a chance. The ball was live and stumbling across the field. Up for grabs, linebacker Jack Kelly scooped and launched, unopposed with a clear runway to the endzone. Anyone who predicted a linebacker to be the Cougars' first points-scorer deserves a Cougar Tail. My treat.
7-0 wouldn't stand for long. A 44-yard burst from LJ Martin set the Cougars on the doorstep of the goal line, and a Chase Roberts out route doubled the total.
14-0 became 21-0 on the following drive, when the Vikings had no answer for the Cougars' run game. And endless tap of chunk gains on the ground courtesy of LJ Martin and Sione Moa's one-two punch. Bear Bachmeier slung a strike to Noah Moeaki for his first passing touchdown as a Cougar.
The following series saw Bear put the Viking defense in the spin cycle. Fake handoff to another as he completed a full 360 on an end-around reverse to Cody Hagen. 56 yards to the house -- no one was catching him with their heads spun around and all.
The flood gates were open. Light descended from the heavens. BYU football was picking up right where they left off, even with a freshman quarterback. He was looking confident. Sharp. Steady. One drive later, Bachmeier would punch in a score with his legs.
Let me level with you, when a QB wears the number 47, don't be surprised when he runs through you on his path to the endzone. This is exactly what happened as he barreled through the defense across the plain. The scoreboard lit up 35-0.
At this point, it was already over. The mantle of the starting quarterback officially descended upon Bear as he planted his foot and cast aside a soaring defender. Lifting off, he soared above the helpless adversary below and broke the plain.
BEAR WITNESS.
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) August 31, 2025
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The offense hadn't skipped a beat, and the defense was as smothering as ever. Will Ferrin drilled a 56-yard field goal after a breezy 25-yarder; but he wasn't really a question mark this year, now was he?
Kalani took his foot off the gas at the halftime mark, as is his M.O. Enter the second unit with quarterback McCae Hillstead. He led a couple of scoring drives, finishing his reps with a 41-yard touchdown scamper from Dominique McKenzie.
For all the preseason anxiety. For all the changeover and uncertainty. For all the question marks surrounding this BYU football team, they sure made a strong first impression. Bear Bachmeier was responsible for as many touchdowns as he was incompletions. LJ Martin was a wrecking ball, who could not be tripped up by arm tackles -- he sprinted through the resistance like a laser beam, eviscerating any would-be tacklers with his thunderous thighs. Seriously, the running game was absolutely unstoppable behind exceptional blocking and powerful rushing.
This is just an FCS tune-up battle, and BYU outmatched their opponent in every aspect of this game. One couldn't ask for a better week one result. But keeping in mind the level of competition, I would advise against putting too much weight on this victory. BYU could breach the top-25 if voters payed attention to this 69-0 romp, but nothing guarantees future wins.
That said, go ahead and get excited over this win. BYU football looked every bit the part of a Big 12 contender in week one. Let's see what they can do moving forward.