BYU football opens the season at 2-0, as was the preseason expectation for many. Portland State was a cakewalk -- a 69-point shutout win in which the green-and-white-clad visitors could have been mistaken for Provo High School -- but with such an unopposed victory, it was difficult to glean much about the true identity of Kalani Sitake's football team.
Now, after taking down Stanford, an ACC opponent, at home, some positives from the previous week have been legitimized. On the other side of that coin, unfortunately, some disconcerting negative tendencies have risen to the surface to give fans a little cause for pause.
It was a controlling 27-3 win in which the Cougars led throughout -- the result was never in doubt -- but this block of marble still has far too many rough edges to be admitted into any self-respecting art museum.
Most importantly of all, we're slowly learning about this football team in a relatively straightforward non-conference schedule. If BYU wants to win against stronger opponents, they'll need to lean on their strengths and erase their weaknesses. After taking in the Stanford result, I've taken the liberty of organizing some key takeaways.
5 key takeaways from BYU vs Stanford
The defense is suffocating
Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker are the heartbeat of the best scoring defense in the nation through two games. Jay Hill's unit hasn't allowed a single trip to the endzone, and in this one, Stanford hardly even crossed midfield for the majority of the contest. 3 points is all after two games: that's elite, no matter who's on the opposite sideline.
The team forced 3 turnovers, allowed only 19 total rushing yards, and afforded just 142 yards of passing. From the defensive line to the linebackers to the secondary, BYU seems to bother the opposing quarterbacks on a play-to-play basis. Smothering. Vicious. Brutal. I haven't even mentioned the two-point safety they cashed in during the second quarter.
Shedeur Sanders admitted that he couldn't tell what the defense was doing as his Buffaloes were assaulted on the field of play in the Alamo Bowl. That same defense lives and breathes in Provo.
Bear Bachmeier is solid
BYU's offense only broke the plain of the goal line twice in this game, but I wouldn't pin that on Bear. The freshman QB threw for 175 yards on a 17-of-27 completion ratio, and impressed the ESPN broadcast by hitting recievers through some incredibly tight windows.
His passes have touch and accuracy behind them, and though his deep ball could use a bit of fine-tuning (he missed on a couple long bombs in this one), he converts on the routing passes with little variance. Stepping up in the pocket, carefully and deliberately awaiting the right moment to deliver a throw, Bear was not the issue with the offense.
LJ Martin is everything we could ask for
A back who is powerful, quick, and spacially aware? That's the whole package, and that's what LJ Martin delivered for the second game of the season.
On 18 carries, he broke the 100-yard mark for the second time in as many tries, and broke loose for a team-leading 47-yard burst. His superhuman legs carry number four past the first line of the defense, and was absolutely robbed of a pile-pushing touchdown near the game's conclusion.
If he stays healthy this year, his one-two punch with Sione Moa should have fans salivating.
Will Ferrin: Special Teams Perfection
Reliability: some define it through repeated confirmation, trust, or track record. I define reliability with only two words: Will Ferrin.
He knocked through his 22nd-consecutive field goal without a miss in this game, adding to a BYU school record he had already set. He should be at the top of any All-American kicking lists at this early point in the season. Ferrin's been perfect while also knocking through a school-record 56 yarder last weekend. He is cold as ice.
Red Zone Efficiency
This was bad, bad, bad in this game. The Cougars marched within the 20-yard-line far too many times to only come away with 27 points on the night. Coach Sitake was credited on the broadcast with saying they should have scored 28 by halftime, the Cougs failed to reach that sum after a full 60 had passed.
It all comes down to crippling errors. Self-inflicted wounds that kept the scoreboard unnaturally dry. Dropped passes by several wide-outs, including typically sure-handed Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston -- who was a repeat offender, untimely penalties, and flat-out failure to convert. Will Ferrin was much more busy during this game than he should have been, and against better teams than Stanford, field goals alone won't get the job done.