Meet Your Insider
Oh my heck, Cougar Nation! I'm Bryce Halvorsen-Tuilagi, your BYU insider at The Cover Window. I'm a mountain-biking trail guide in Provo, and I chart every play like I'm reading a trail map from the top of Y Mountain. I follow this team everywhere, and I tell dad jokes so clean they sparkle.
Here's my first Sparkling Dad Joke. Why did the Cougar bring a ladder to Orlando? Because it heard the Bounce House had high expectations. The lesson: stay humble on the way up.
My promise to you is simple. Every number in this report has a source. If I don't know something, I'll tell you. I celebrate our players as people first, I respect every opponent, and I thank God for mountains, family and fall Saturdays.
The School in 60 Seconds
BYU started playing college football in 1922 and has won 23 conference championships and the 1984 national championship. The Cougars were an FBS independent from 2011 to 2022 and joined the Big 12 on July 1, 2023. Home is LaVell Edwards Stadium, named for the coach who won 19 conference titles and that 1984 national title. Wikipedia lists 62,073 seats and CFBD lists 63,470.
The last five seasons: 10-3, 8-5, 5-7, 11-2 and 12-2. And now BYU is No. 2 in the AP poll. That's the program's highest ranking since the 1984 title season; 1984 is the only year BYU ranked higher. The Cougars received 20 first-place votes, their first since 1990. Oh my heck.
The Coach and the Scheme
Kalani Sitake played fullback for BYU under LaVell Edwards and graduated in 2000. He became head coach in 2016 (CFBD lists Dec. 19, 2015, as his hire date). Through 2025 he had four 10-win seasons. He's the first Tongan head coach in college football, and he entered the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame in 2025.
By my math from CFBD totals, the offense gains 421.2 yards per game (214.5 passing, 206.7 rushing) and scores 33.5 points. The defense allows 274.7 yards and 15.2 points per game. Opponents rush for only 86.2 yards per game. BYU has 11 sacks and is +3 in turnovers (five lost, eight gained). Opponents have converted 31 of 84 third downs.
Players to Know
QB Bear Bachmeier: 100 of 152 for 1,257 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. Against Notre Dame he passed for 224 yards, ran for two touchdowns and caught another. He threw the go-ahead touchdown with 1:47 left.
WR Legend Glasker: team-best 24 catches for 444 yards and three touchdowns. AP writers named him the Big 12's top first-year freshman at midseason.
RB LJ Martin: 344 yards on 44 carries and three touchdowns.
Walker Lyons: caught the go-ahead 6-yard touchdown against Notre Dame.
RB Preston Rex: 66 yards on 10 carries against Notre Dame.
Tausili Akana: team-high 3.5 sacks.
Cade Uluave: team-high 35 tackles.
The Conference Picture
BYU is 6-0 and 3-0 in the Big 12. The Cougars are 4-0 at home and 2-0 on the road. They beat Utah Tech 63-7, Arizona 28-17, Colorado State 41-23 on the road, TCU 17-10 on the road, Iowa State 24-10 and Notre Dame 28-24. It's the third straight season BYU has started 6-0.
The Notre Dame game was BYU's first win over the Irish since 2004 and its first over a top-10 team since 2018. Afterward, the Big 12 said time remained on the clock when the final pass hit the ground, and that the play was cleared incorrectly. The final score stands. The conference said it will review its end-of-game process.
Still to come after UCF: Arizona State, at Utah, Baylor, at Kansas and Cincinnati.
This Week: Game Preview from Both Sides
BYU (6-0) at UCF (3-3) · Saturday, Oct. 24, 3:30 p.m. ET · Acrisure Bounce House, Orlando · Fox
Last time out. BYU beat No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24 on Oct. 17. UCF is coming off its open date; it lost 42-28 at Oklahoma State on Oct. 10.
History in the making. BYU will be the highest-ranked opponent ever to play at UCF. The Knights are 0-5 at home against top-10 teams. It's also UCF's Homecoming, so expect a big crowd.
BYU's offense vs. UCF's defense. By my math, UCF allows 355.2 yards per game, including 236.8 through the air. That gives Bachmeier and Glasker room. UCF has 12 sacks, so protection matters.
UCF's offense vs. BYU's defense. Keyone Jenkins has started at quarterback while Alonza Barnett III recovers from a hamstring injury suffered on Sept. 12. Barnett's status for this game hasn't been determined. Jenkins threw for 265 yards and four touchdowns at Oklahoma State. Duke Watson leads UCF with 483 rushing yards. Our run defense allows 86.2 yards per game.
Series. One game page says BYU leads the series 4-1. That figure is thin; I couldn't cross-check it with a media guide.
Availability. No official conference availability report has been published. I found no confirmed BYU injury news.
Three questions that decide it:
1. Can BYU handle the emotional letdown after Notre Dame?
2. Can our run defense make UCF throw?
3. Which UCF quarterback plays, Barnett or Jenkins?
Local Flavor
Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on Fox. Knox, the UCF insider, says the stands really bounce. I packed my mountain bike shocks just in case. Wear blue, cheer kindly for our hosts, and say a prayer for safe travels. Not an ad. Go Cougs!
My call: BYU Cougars 28, UCF Knights 21.