Five Takeaways from BYU's Dominant Win Over Portland State

Before the game, we made five bold predictions that BYU would need to accomplish for us to feel reasonably confident for this season. BYU hit nearly all of them in the first half.

We predicted BYU would finish +250 in yards: BYU was+315 in the first half.

We predicted BYU would have over 7.5 yards per play: BYU averaged 12.2 in the first half.

We predicted BYU would cover the 43.5 point spread: BYU led 49-0 at the half.

You get the picture. BYU surpassed our expectations so thoroughly it's hard to parcel through how good BYU is, but we at least know BYU isn’t bad. We all remember what a bad BYU team looks like vs a bad Portland State team and this wasn’t in the same galaxy.

2. Bear Bachmeier doesn’t know he’s a true freshman

The sample size was far too small to truly evaluate Bear Bachmeier, but the early returns are certainly promising. Bachmeier finished 7/11 (64.5%), for 97 yards, and 5 total touchdowns in one half of play, the most total touchdowns by a BYU true freshman QB in their debut. Bachmeier’s ball placement early was a little shaky, which will hopefully improve with more reps, but he did get better as the game went along. After starting 2/5 for 9 yards, he went 5/6 for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns the rest of the way. My only regret is that BYU didn’t let him get more reps as a passer in the second half.

What impressed me most about Bachmeier wasn’t his play, but his mentality, which was far beyond his years. Bachmeier was poised in the pocket, dove head first into defenders, and did not miss a single read all game even if he missed the throw early on. Most of all, he made the layups, which generally speaking are mostly mental. Of all the players on this team, he is understandably the player we know the least about, but 5 total touchdowns with 7 total completions is a good start.

3. BYU’s trench play could not have been better

More than anything, the final score was most indicative of how much better BYU’s lines were than the team they were playing. BYU’s 77.1 PFF run blocking grade was nearly 10 points higher than their grade against SIU last season and the highest of any game in the last 3 seasons. BYU’s 468 rushing yards at 9.8 yards per carry is BYU’s best in 12 years.

In pass protection, BYU’s offensive line did not allow a single QB pressure while all of BYU’s starters received a pass block grade of 78 or higher. LT Isaiah Jatta finished as BYU’s 2nd highest-graded player with 83.8 grade. That’s great news for the future of Bear Bachmeier’s development.

On the flip side, PSU QB’s were under constant pressure, with BYU generating 16 hurries on only 23 drop backs. The best news is that BYU generated that pressure while only blitzing 8 times. DT Keanu Tanuvasa had 4 of those 16 pressures on only 11 pass rush snaps. Lastly, BYU gave up -5 rushing yards. Is that good?

4. LJ Martin found another gear this offseason

As good as BYU’s offensive line play was, Martin was better. Martin finished with a career high 131 yards in one half of play with a staggering 14.38 yards per carry AFTER contact. Not only was LJ physically superior to every Portland State defender, he looked faster, with 71% of his yards coming on breakaways. Martin had 4 runs of 10+ yards on 8 total carries and 8 missed tackles forced. You can say it was against Portland State all you want, Martin looked like a different species of player than everyone else on the field.

5. The youth movement at BYU is now

It's not a stretch to say that the up-and-coming crop of young talent at BYU is better than it's been in the last 25 years. Of BYU's top 12 graded players according to PFF, 6 were sophomores or younger. If you can think of a big play not made by LJ Martin or Jack Kelly, odds are, it was made by an underclassmen. Sophomore Cody Hagen and Freshman Dominique Mckenzie each flashed track speed on 40+ yard TD runs. Bear Bachmeier had 5 total touchdowns in one half. True freshman Hunter Clegg had 2 pressures on 7 pash rush attempts. Sophomore Tre Alexander was BYU's highest-graded CB in coverage, allowing 1 catch on 3 targets for -1 yard. We could go on. Blowouts are fun in general, but they are especially fun because fans get an extended glimpse at what the future of the program can be, and if Saturday was any indication, it is BRIGHT.

More BYU Football Coverage