Instant BYU Football Takeaways From Rivalry Win Over No. 23 Utah
Oct 18, 2025, 10:03 PM | Updated: Oct 19, 2025, 10:27 pm
PROVO, Utah – BYU football stays undefeated in the 2025 season after defeating rival and nationally-ranked Utah at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
The Cougars took down the Utes, to improve to 7-0 this season.
Here are some instant takeaways from BYU’s 24-21 win over the Utes.
7-0. pic.twitter.com/hyWyjfycQC
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) October 19, 2025
Three wins in a row over Utah for the first time since 1992
Kalani Sitake’s BYU teams have always shown well in rivalry games against Utah. That was the case once again on Saturday night as BYU was viewed as the underdog against the Utes, despite being the undefeated team.
The victory puts BYU in a place they haven’t been in for a while against the Utes, three consecutive victories in the rivalry. You have to go back to 1989-1992 to find the last three-game win streak by BYU in this rivalry.
Since BYU received the official invitation from the Big 12 in 2021, the Cougars have been undefeated against the Utes.
The stardom of Bear Bachmeier takes off
Bear Bachmeier’s 22-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter is going to be an all-time moment in this rivalry. It’s also noteworthy that the national star power of Bear is about to take off like a rocket.
BYU fans have seen many great quarterbacks over the years. In the 21st century, many have had their share of struggles against Utah.
Bear, a true freshman out of Murrietta, California, was never fazed by the stage of the high-stakes rivalry matchup.
When BYU found themselves down 14-10, Bachmeier didn’t flinch.
BEAR’D HIS TEETH
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/uhfOKKh13W
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) October 19, 2025
Instead, he led BYU on a touchdown drive, completing a challenging pass under pressure. He stepped up in the pocket, moved to his right, and found Carsen Ryan for a first down pickup.
It was a memorable performance for a player who will be talked about more nationally for his play, rather than solely for his unique name.
LJ Martin was a steady force
The junior running back eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark once again.
From the opening offensive snap that was an option pitch from Bachmeier to Martin, the Canutillo, Texas, native was running with great pace and physicality.
The workload is going to be extensive every week for Martin, but if he holds up, he’s good enough every week to put together 100-yard performances.
He consistently moved up the field to get positive yards.
LJ Martin in BYU’s 24-21 win over rival Utah
• 26 carries
• 122 rushing yards
• 4.7 ypc pic.twitter.com/GJrcpVCMVU— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) October 19, 2025
Tanner Wall is Mr. Reliable for BYU football
Senior captain Tanner Wall dreamed of playing for BYU. He joined the program as a walk-on wide receiver. Then, years into his career, he made the switch from offense to defense, anchoring a spot at safety. Since he emerged at safety in 2023, he has been a reliable force on the backend of the defense, and he’s always making plays.
With BYU up 17-14, Wall’s interception on Utah quarterback Devon Dampier and 9:24 to go in the fourth quarter, it was a moment where the momentum tide was clearly turning for the Cougars.
BYU’s defense bends at times, but didn’t break
BYU forced Utah into three turnover on downs.
The Utes were aggressive on offense, and BYU’s defense made them pay.
Mory Bamba got a nice open field tackle in the fourth quarter to stop the Utes inside the red zone.
Evan Johnson was in coverage on a pass from Dampier intended for Tobias Merriweather to force a second turnover on downs.
The third turnover on downs was courtesy of former Utah defensive tackle and current BYU captain Keanu Tanuvasa on a pass deflection.
There will be things Jay Hill is clearly going to want to fix, as Utah put up a lot of yards in this game. But ultimately, his group tightened up when they needed to.
OH MY GOODNESS WHAT A HIT TO BREAK UP THE CATCH 😳😳@BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/DHsPalS4Bg
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 19, 2025
Clock management is an area to improve
For the second consecutive week, BYU had some issues with its tempo on offense.
In the win at Arizona, during the fourth quarter, while down two scores, BYU moved at a methodical pace, eventually resulting in a field goal, but seven minutes went off the clock. It worked out for BYU, but it put the defense in a spot where they needed to get a three-and-out.
On Saturday, BYU’s offense moved at a methodical pace again near the end of the first half with no timeouts remaining. They continued to run the ball with under a minute to go.
Ultimately, Bear Bachmeier, realizing they had no timeouts, spiked the ball on third down to set up a 26-yard field goal for Will Ferrin to give BYU a 10-7 lead into the halftime locker room. Points were once again scored, but it would be better to have a touchdown. The one positive is that they killed the clock so that Utah wouldn’t have time to sustain a drive.
Still, it’s an area to monitor going forward, focusing on the tempo and pace of play in spots where it seems there needs to be more urgency.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
