No. 14 BYU vs. Utah Tech: Game day preview plus score prediction
Sep 5, 2026, 12:01 AM
PROVO – BYU vs. Utah Tech isn’t a glamorous matchup. But it’s the return of Cougar football. And that’s reason enough to get folks fired up.
What else helps the excitement is the potential of this year’s BYU team.
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BYU enters the 2026 season at No. 14 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. It’s the second-best preseason ranking in program history, behind only 1985, when they started that season at No. 10 as the reigning National Champions.
Expectations are high for BYU this season.
The same goes for tonight’s point total by BYU. People expect a high number from a BYU team matched up against a Trailblazer squad that was shut out last week by FCS No. 1 Montana State in their season opener.
It’s the second meeting all-time between the two programs from the Beehive State.
BYU defeated the FCS Trailblazers in 2022 by a score of 52-26.
No. 14 BYU vs. Utah Tech
Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium
Kickoff: 6 p.m. (MDT)
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM) — Coverage begins at Noon with Cougar Sports Saturday
Three game day thoughts
1. 252 days
It’s been 252 days since the last BYU football game, when the Cougars had a come-from-behind victory against nationally ranked Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Despite the excitement around this year’s team, the offseason was long. Especially since this season starts later, in September.
2. Game number one for Kelly Poppinga as BYU defensive coordinator
Jay Hill is off to Michigan. Kalani Sitake then elevates Kelly Poppinga from defensive end coach to lead the defense.
Sitake never wavered and always saw Poppinga as next in line as coordinator when Hill eventually left.
Poppinga will call a multiple defense with multiple fronts to keep defenses guessing. With the personnel that he inherited, along with some key additions such as Cal linebacker transfer Cade Uluave, Poppinga has the team to throw a lot of exotic looks at opponents.
Poppinga chuckled this week when asked again whether he would be in the press box or on the field as a defensive playcaller. Last season, he was down on the sideline with the special teams and defensive end units. Poppinga noted he could bounce back and forth between the press box and the field.
The former BYU linebacker brings a collision of eras to the 2026 BYU defense. He built his foundation under former BYU and current Utah State head coach Bronco Mendenhall, then became an expert on the Kyle Whittingham-Kalani Sitake-Gary Andersen-Jay Hill-Morgan Scalley defense that has worked for decades.
3. Utah Tech has some size in the trenches
The Trailblazers seem to have better talent than their season-opening 54-0 loss to No. 1 Montana State suggests. Utah Tech has solid size in the trenches for an FCS program.
Among the notables is defensive end Brandon Jackson, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound prospect out of Dallas, Texas. The Trailblazers also have Fasitootai Sagapolu at nose guard, who checks in at 6-foot-2, 305 pounds.
Utah Tech is no stranger to having big linemen. Years ago, they had current BYU nose tackle Justin Kirkland along their defensive front.
Along the offensive line, Utah Tech averages 300 pounds. So it will be a good test for BYU’s trenches on Saturday night.
The countdown has started…
Utah Tech at BYU
🗓️ Sep 5th
⏰ 6:00PM MT
🏟️ LaVell Edward’s Stadium
📺ESPN+#UtahTechIsHere | #BigSkyFB pic.twitter.com/g7SIsPRdMT— Utah Tech Football (@UtahTech_Fball) September 5, 2026
Two BYU vs Utah Tech questions
1. How many snaps will star safety Faletau Satuala play?
Faletau Satuala spent a bulk of the summer working his way back from a right foot injury he suffered. He missed the first three weeks of fall camp before returning to action in the final week.
The star junior is going to play, according to coaches, but how many snaps?
A total of two defensive drives should probably be enough to get him back in a rhythm of playing before next week’s important conference matchup against Arizona.
BYU star Faletau Satuala is back in action.
Kalani Sitake noted they have had to hold back Satuala to make sure he's ready for the season. As far as week one against Utah Tech goes, Sitake said, "He'll be ready to go, though." pic.twitter.com/mPsC3h5d7d
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) August 25, 2026
2. When will BYU be able to call off the starters?
Any extra rest that BYU can give to its starters in this game would be valuable with Arizona looming next week. Arizona plays later tonight, then has to travel to Provo next week. If BYU can get their starters out before the third quarter or earlier, it would give stars like Bear Bachmeier and LJ Martin extra rest to heal.
It would also give reserves valuable snaps.
We’d call that a game within the game to watch.
One score prediction for BYU vs Utah Tech
Four of the five highest-scoring games in BYU football history totaled 70 points. They last scored that amount in 2015 against FCS Wagner. After a week when Utah Tech allowed 54 to a highly ranked FCS team on their home field, BYU can do better.
This matchup will take on a similar feel to last year’s season opener against another Big Sky program, Portland State. In that one, BYU scored 69 points in a shutout victory to open the year. In this one, we will call for the Trailblazers to score one touchdown on a broken play, but BYU puts together 70 points in the blowout win.
Score prediction: BYU 70, Utah Tech 6
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.
