Instant Takeaways After No. 11 BYU Football Downs Cincinnati

CINCINNATI – BYU football took down the Cincinnati Bearcats at Nippert Stadium.

Instant takeaways from BYU’s 26-14 win that improves the Cougars’ record to 10-1 overall on the season.

LJ Martin is healthy and ready for a Big 12 Championship push

For the first time since the Utah game on October 18, LJ Martin looks back to his usual self.

The star running back, who suffered a shoulder injury against Iowa State on October 25, had not reached the century mark since that win over rival Utah a month ago.

Against Cincinnati, Martin overwhelmed the Bearcats with his physical running style.

Martin was moving the pile, showing off stiff arms. The Bearcats had no answer for Martin.

The Canutillo, Texas, native continues to become a threat in the receiving game as well.

Martin is the best running back in the Big 12 when he’s healthy. His performance on Saturday night looked like a guy who’s healthy and ready for the final push towards chasing a Big 12 Championship.

Impressive play by Tayvion Beasley and Isaiah Glasker to force a fumble

During the fourth quarter, with 11:25 remaining and BYU leading 20-7, Cincinnati had the ball in BYU territory.

San Diego State transfer Tayvion Beasley came up with a nice tackle on Cincinnati wide receiver Cyrus Allen. Before Allen came down to the turf, he fumbled the ball. Officials thought he was down and Cincy was getting ready for the next snap.

Meanwhile, linebacker Isaiah Glasker made a heady play and scooped it up to play through.

That smart play by Glasker led to a review, and after a second look, it was clear that Beasley’s tackle on Allen caused the Cincinnati receiver to fumble. BYU took over possession and drained another 3 minutes of clock before punting the ball away.

BYU’s defense shut down the Cincinnati ground attack

When Cincinnati jumped out to a 7-1 start, the Bearcats were thriving on the ground with Evan Pryor, Tawee Walker, and quarterback Brendan Sorsby.

Pryor returned to the lineup on Saturday after missing the past two games to injury, but it didn’t ignite a spark for a ground attack that hasn’t been as efficient in recent weeks.

BYU’s defense completely shut them down. Through three quarters, Cincinnati only had the ball for 14 minutes, and during that brief time of possession, the Bearcats only had 69 rushing yards.

Third-down defense for BYU was elite

For the second consecutive week, BYU’s defense held its opponent to only convert one third down in its first 10 attempts.

Against TCU a week ago, the Horned Frogs only converted one of their 10 attempts. On Saturday night, Cincinnati only converted one of its first 10 third-down attempts.

To only allow 10% conversion on 20 attempts, impressive stuff from Jay Hill’s defense.

Now, where they would like to see improvement

Tanner Wall always comes up with a big play

BYU senior safety Tanner Wall picked off Brendan Sorsby to open the third quarter. It was Wall’s fourth interception of the season.

The difficulty of the pick won’t rank highly compared to some of Wall’s acrobatic picks he’s had in his BYU career, as Sorsby sailed it, and Wall was there to make the easy grab.

However, it was a momentum-deflating spot for Cincinnati. BYU’s offense then took the ball from its own 34-yard line and put together an 11-play drive to build a two-possession lead.

It’s not glamorous, but it’s the complementary football that has made BYU the winningest program in the Big 12 since 2024.

Chase Roberts injury

During the second quarter, BYU’s medical tent went up on the sideline. Star wide receiver Chase Roberts was in the tent being looked at by trainers. He didn’t return to the game.

It’s a significant loss for BYU. We will see the timetable for how long he will be out.

With next week being against 5-6 UCF at home, does BYU decide to rest Roberts in preparation for a potential Big 12 Championship Game? They have to beat UCF to punch their ticket, but it’s worth considering.

During the first half, after exiting the medical tent, Roberts appeared to be walking gingerly on the sideline. Then in the second half, he was on the sideline in street clothes.

Special Teams lapses

Cincinnati, for a moment, got back into the game after a big 57-yard punt return by Manny Covey. The Sam Vander Haar punt rolled and popped up to Covey, who took it for a big gain, and the Bearcats took over on the BYU 33-yard line.

Two plays later, Brendan Sorsby connected with wide receiver Cyrus Allen for his 11th touchdown reception of the season.

It was another lapse for a BYU special teams unit that hasn’t played clean in November.

However, BYU’s lapses on special teams pale compared to Cincinnati’s.

Cincinnati kicker Stephen Rusnak entered the game 12-of-13 on field goal attempts. He had missed only one field goal since last season. Fast forward to Nippert at Night, Rusnak missed three field goals near the same hashmark.

The misses were deflating for Cincinnati. But their special teams woes didn’t stop there.

After Cincinnati’s defense forced BYU’s offense into a three-and-out on a punt, Cincinnati’s Marqavious Saboor was in the neutral zone and called for an offsides penalty, extending BYU’s drive.

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.

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