Instant takeaways from No. 14 BYU’s blowout win over Utah Tech
Sep 5, 2026, 9:22 PM | Updated: 9:23 pm
PROVO – For the 10th time in 11 years, BYU football opens a season at 1-0.
The Cougars cruised to an easy 63-7 victory over the Utah Tech Trailblazers on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 64,077 fans, the fifth time since last year that a BYU home game had more than 64,000 fans.
Here are some takeaways from BYU’s season-opening victory over the Trailblazers, who fall to 0-2 on the season.
Legend Glasker lived up to all of the preseason hype
True freshman wide receiver Legend Glasker earned a lot of buzz in the offseason. He was the talk of spring ball and had an impactful fall camp.
That carried over into his debut game as a BYU Cougar on Saturday night.
Three of Glasker’s first four touches resulted in touchdowns.
It was one of the best debuts by a true freshman in BYU history. Brought up memories of Luke Staley’s two-touchdown debut as a freshman against Washington in 1999.
In the press box, media members were comparing Glasker to former Cal and NFL star DeSean Jackson.
Cannon DeVries erased any concerns in the return game
The departure of Parker Kingston left a glaring void in the return game for BYU in 2026.
Those concerns appear to be erased, as Cannon DeVries had a huge game, including a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the third quarter.
The former Weber High star was electric in high school in the return game. He looked to be at the position he was born to play.
While also making an impact as a punt and kick returner, DeVries also lined up in the NICKEL spot in Kelly Poppinga’s defense.
Strong debut for Kelly Poppinga’s defense
BYU defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga had a strong debut as the defensive playcaller.
The former BYU linebacker called the defense from the sideline, and it played out like many BYU defensive performances in recent years. Few sacks, but a lot of takeaways, and keeping the Utah Tech out of the end zone for a majority of the game.
On the first defensive snap of the game, BYU starting cornerback Therrian Alexander III picked off Utah Tech QB CJ Tiller.
BYU did allow one touchdown to the Trailblazers, who were blanked last week against Montana State, but that was primarily against BYU’s third- and fourth-team defenders.
Raider Damuni’s injury was unfortunate
Late in the second quarter, starting BYU safety Raider Damuni suffered what appeared to be a left leg injury. He couldn’t put any pressure on his leg and had to be helped by trainers to the medical tent; after a brief visit, he needed assistance up the tunnel to the locker room.
Depending on the severity of the injury, BYU either turns to Tommy Prassas or Kennan Pula if Damuni is out for an extended period.
The difference between a team with competitive NIL vs. no NIL
Earlier in the week on the KSL Sports Zone, Utah Tech head coach Lance Anderson said that his program does not participate in Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals. Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada.
That shows you the gap between a program that isn’t participating in NIL and one like BYU, which is competitive in Revenue Share and NIL.
Before the game was kicked off, that large of a gap was good enough for at least 40 points. It’s becoming more challenging for FCS programs to be compete with Power Four programs with the gap in resources. But when you have a program that isn’t committing any NIL, you saw what that leads to on Saturday night against a P4 team.
The Trailblazers will receive $450,000 from BYU for Saturday night’s game.
BYU’s reserve running backs showed nice flashes
When the roster was being constructed in the winter, there were questions about the depth at running back behind reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year LJ Martin.
BYU didn’t appear to be worried, as they didn’t turn to the portal. Instead, they opted for retention and provided opportunities to freshmen ball carriers.
The early returns would say that was the right move.
Sione Moa looks to be back to full strength in his first home game at LES since last September against Stanford. Moa carried the ball six times for 22 yards on Saturday.
After Moa, Preston Rex was the RB3. The former safety switched to running back last year, where he was learning the position and looked out of place as a gadget player. Now he’s found his stride at running back and had a touchdown run.
Following Rex was true freshman Journee Tonga as RB4. The 5-foot-8 ball carrier out of Leuzinger High School in California committed to BYU last January and earned praise from BYU OC Aaron Roderick for his play in fall camp.
He showed excellent burst on a 34-yard run, followed by a four-yard touchdown run.
Then after that, true freshman DeVaughn Eka from Lehi High School got the workload late in the third and into the fourth quarter, where he scored a touchdown, bulldozing his way into the end zone.
To highlight how good of a night it was for BYU on the ground, it was the only time in 30 years that they had five different players score a rushing touchdown. BYU QB Bear Bachmeier also found the end zone on Saturday night, the 12th touchdown of his career.
Next up for the Cougars is a home matchup against the Arizona Wildcats next Saturday, September 12, at 1:30 p.m. on FOX and KSL NewsRadio.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL 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.
