Top Three Takeaways From BYU’s 38-24 Win Over West Virginia

Week six is upon us in Big 12 country, and what better way to kick off a great weekend of football than some action on Friday night? West Virginia headed to west to take on a top 25 BYU team.

It was a nice appetizer to prepare ourselves for Saturday. Between all the excitement and surprises, here are my three takeaways from Friday night in Provo.

West Virginia isn’t Ready

I feel like I say this almost every week now but it’s true. This 2025 West Virginia team is not ready to compete in the Big 12. Ever since their win over Pittsburgh a few weeks ago, the Mountaineers have been blown out by Kansas and Utah over the last two games.

The sad thing is that it’s just not one thing, it’s everything. Their defense has given up a ton of yards and that trend continued in the first half against BYU. The Cougars had over 300 yards of offense in the first half. While their rush defense was better on Friday night, their secondary got torched on multiple occasions and it cost them.

While the offense did finally manage to score points, it’s hard to feel confident with Khalil Wilkins at quarterback. He’s not a very good passer and he turns the ball over. Plus, they rely on his legs so much and he just keeps taking hit after hit. I know Nicco Marchiol is hurt but they need to figure out how to get some of their other players involved offensively.

BYU Aired It Out

A typical BYU team would run the football, control the clock and play great defense. While there is nothing wrong with that, it was nice to see this offense air it out on Friday night.

Freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier had a career-high 351 passing yards against West Virginia. His previous high was 246 two weeks ago when BYU played East Carolina. Bear’s favorite targets on the night were Parker Kingston and Chase Roberts who combined for 272 receiving yards and a score.

By no means am I expecting Bear to do this every game but it’s nice to know that he is capable of throwing the football like that. Of course, he will have to eliminate some mistakes but it brings a whole new dimension to this offense that BYU hasn’t had in the last couple of years.

BYU is a Big 12 Title Contender

For the second year in a row, I have doubted BYU and I am ready to admit that I was wrong about the Cougars. I put way too much stocking into losing Jake Retzlaff and Bear Bachmeier is just as good if not better.

The offense has plenty of weapons between LJ Martin at running back as well as Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston at receiver. On top of that, their offense line has been outstanding this season as well.

When you combine that with a solid defense, what’s not to like about this BYU team? They are tough, physical, and can play with anyone in the Big 12. The Cougars are now 5-0 for the second straight season and it wouldn’t shock me to see this team end up in Arlington come December.