When BYU standout running back LJ Martin rushes for at least 77 yards, the Cougars are unbeatable.
Literally.
During his four-year career in Provo, Martin has rushed for at least 77 yards 18 times. BYU is a perfect 18-0 in those games.
Here's an amazing stat you've probably never seen before:
— Diggin’ Brigham (@DigginBrigham) September 29, 2026
BYU is 18-0 when LJ Martin rushes for at least 77 yards.
That's unbelievable. In LJ we trust! pic.twitter.com/UEwmgMA56N
A truly inconceivable stat
Football is the craziest of all sports when it comes to consistently picking winners. I mean, Western Michigan beat the mighty Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor earlier this year, until the Big Ten officiating crew did their dirty deed.
Finding any individual player stat that translates into a perfect 18-0 team record is nearly impossibly difficult to do. And LJ's perfect record when gaining at least 77 rushing yards hasn't been against cupcakes, either. BYU is an unblemished 14-0 against Power Four programs when LJ exceeds his 77-yard threshold.
Martin's 20 touchdowns on the ground over those 18 undefeated games definitely helped the Cougars.
Four of those victories came by seven points or less -- Arizona, Utah, Oklahoma State, and Arkansas -- and LJ scored five touchdowns in those four games. Without his dominance on the ground, it's unlikely the Cougars go 4-0 in those close contests.
What happens at 76 yards?
The natural question is what happens when LJ Martin rushes for less than 77 yards?
Well, here's another statistical anomaly:
LJ Martin has rushed for 76 yards twice in his BYU career, and the Cougars have lost both games.
In November 2024 LJ ran the ball 15 times for 76 yards in a brutal, season-tanking loss at home against Kansas. Then in last year's Big 12 conference championship loss to Texas Tech, LJ had 19 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown in yet another soul-crushing loss for the Cougars.
Let's hope LJ never rushes for exactly 76 yards again.
LJ Martin's 2026 season thus far
Through three games this year LJ Martin, the Big 12's reigning Offensive Player of the Year, has rushed for 328 yards and three touchdowns, averaging an eye-popping 7.8 yards per carry.
In BYU's first game of the season, a cakewalk against Utah Tech, Martin had just seven carries for 54 yards. In Week 2 the Cougars faced a solid Arizona Wildcats squad in their Big 12 opener and Martin had 20 carries for 98 yards, eclipsing the magical mark of 77 yards in a massive Cougars' victory. In BYU's third game against a solid Colorado State squad, LJ ran wild to the tune of 176 yards and three touchdowns on just 15 carries, averaging 11.7 yards per carry in another BYU blowout win.
As Kalani Sitake's No. 9 BYU Cougars look to stay unbeaten and move to 4-0 on the season this week against TCU, look for LJ Martin to be heavily featured in the offense. Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick knows that when Martin establishes the run early, it opens up the rest of BYU's attack from play action passes, to jet sweeps, to the deep passing game.
Let's just ensure LJ Martin rushes for at least 77 yards this weekend.
If he does, look for BYU to go 19-0 when LJ dominates on the ground.
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