Welcome to Memoirs from the Mount, a weekly adventure through the twisting catacombs of my ever-decaying stream of consciousness. From the solitary peak of Mount Fuji to the cascading slopes of Mount Timpanogos, I'm sending a telegram of my perspective on current events surrounding BYU athletics.
Heartbeat slows to a crawl. The metronome trapped in your rib cage settles to a gentle cadence. Environmental noise is erased from your reality, as if the world itself has paused for a brief moment of contemplation. Take a break. Ease up. Nestle in and take this moment to breathe and reassess. For once in your life, drop any cares for the future and simply exist in this moment.
BYU football is taking a bye week. Standing 2-0, all is going according to plan in Kalani Land. There is no turmoil beneath the surface. There is no stress over the uncontrollable. There is no coaching turnover, nor uncertainty on the depth chart. There is no war in Ba Sing Se.
A dominant, questionably-totaled scoreboard against Portland State was the perfect start to the season. Bear Bachmeier was excellent. The offensive line emasculated and overpowered its Portland State adversaries, spreading the defense wide and opening vast chasms for the rushing backs approaching from the backfield. A devastating attack piled touchdowns like hotcakes on the Cougars' FCS foe, and for a brief moment, many sincerely believed that the team wouldn't skip a beat from its Alamo Bowl-topped ice cream sundae of a 2024 campaign -- pure sweetness from top to bottom.
But the following week showed the Cougars' warts. The obscene was revealed, and the offense sputtered and stalled. With his station wagon sat helpless on the side of the highway, Coach Aaron Roderick was forced to dial the number for Triple-A, or rather Double-U, as ol' reliable Will Ferrin strode onto the field to strike field goals through the uprights at an automatic rate. 56-yarder? Layup for number 44. Stone-cold.
But Ferrin's excellence is nothing new. He's been like that for years, and science still struggles to find a logical explanation. The noteworthy aspect of BYU's 27-3 win against the fighting trees (or whatever Stanford's middle school art project of a mascot is) was concerns in offensive success. Too many field goals, not enough touchdowns. I don't know how well you did in math class, but a seven-point drive is worth far more than three-point capper, and not just for peace of mind.
Blame flies across the field like Mike Wazowski in gym class, but narrowing down the defect in BYU's offensive machine is paramount to unlocking the team's full potential. With a defense as stifling as this year's edition (1.5 points allowed per game is nothing to sneeze at, nor is it anything to cough, yawn, hiccup, or any other bodily function toward. Keep those to yourself and far away from the defensive side of the field. That stuff is inarguably offensive in every sense of the word), all the offense has to do is handle business. Outscoring the opponent wins football games 100% of the time -- look it up -- but Jay Hill's side of the field can only dominate for so long before the offense needs to carry some of its own weight.
Still, considering BYU took down a Power Four opponent by 24 points with a true freshman quarterback calling the shots from the backfield, fan response to such a commanding win is a very positive indicator of the state of the program as a whole. This team is no bottom-feeder. Taking down Stanford is to be expected, and the fact that a 24-point differential didn't feel especially satisfying is great.
But now we sit with a bye week. One last breather before the first actual test of the season: a road battle with East Carolina. A program that, while not owning nearly the historical success of the Cougars, owns the head-to-head series with BYU two-to-one and has won the previous two meetings.
BYU's only visit to Greenville was ugly. It was disheartening. It was sickening. The program has since elevated tremendously from that horrific season. This year's visit needs to be decisive to avoid panic in Provo. I believe they have all the tools necessary to win and win big, but nothing is certain without adequate preparation and execution on the field of play.
The Cougars have a chance to redeem themselves with an extra week of preparation; this team's breather couldn't have arrived at a better moment. Handle the Pirates comfortably and the hype train will be back on the rails. Lose or barely escape, and this season will open with a sense of uneasiness entering the Big 12 slate.
A fantastic start is still on the menu for BYU football. The question is whether they have the appetite to stomach it.
Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the Utah Jazz and BYU athletics since 2024.