Takeaways From BYU Football’s Big 12 Road Win At Colorado
Sep 28, 2025, 1:39 AM
Brigham Young University Cougars wide receiver Cody Hagen (5) runs into the end zone for a touchdown during the second half of the game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo., on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. (Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News)
(Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News)
BOULDER, Colo. – BYU football took down the Colorado Buffaloes 24-21 at Folsom Field. The win improves BYU’s overall record to 4-0 on the season and 1-0 in Big 12 play.
Here are some takeaways from the victory.
What a night for Bear Bachmeier pic.twitter.com/a5sOyztOtT
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) September 28, 2025
Bear Bachmeier is a tough quarterback
The true freshman signal-caller is as tough as they come.
Every challenge that has been thrown his way, he has passed with flying colors. The latest was winning a Big 12 game on the road.
On a night where BYU’s running back unit was thin, Bachmeier ran the ball 15 times for 98 yards. Kalani Sitake, in the postgame press conference, said that Bachmeier could have run the ball 40 times if that’s what it took to get a win.
That’s Bachmeier; he will do whatever it takes to get the victory.
Bachmeier was tough all night, bouncing off Colorado defenders to get yardage. Perhaps his most crucial run was on 3rd & 17 in the third quarter; Bachmeier rushed for 16 yards to put BYU in a fourth-and-manageable situation to pick up the fourth down.
Through four games, the 19-year-old freshman has led the Cougars to an undefeated start, and he has yet to throw an interception in the process.
Bachmeier finished with 179 passing yards, and he completed 19 of his 27 attempts.
He continues to shine as BYU’s starting quarterback.
Isaiah Glasker continues to be a star
With the game on the line, BYU up by three, Colorado on the move and looking to get into scoring position to tie the game or win it at the end of regulation, junior linebacker Isaiah Glasker had other plans.
Isaiah Glasker. He called game. pic.twitter.com/vmYQtgBMie
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) September 28, 2025
Glasker picked off Kaidon Salter to salt away BYU’s 24-21 win over the Buffs.
The former wide receiver, turned safety, then linebacker, finished the night with four tackles, one tackle for loss, and one interception.
Glasker held off on hitting the Deion Sanders celebration, as he did last year in the Alamo Bowl. Still, it will be an interception that is remembered for a while.
Close call for LJ Martin
When LJ Martin left the game briefly at the end of the third quarter to be attended to by trainer Brett Mortensen, it was a hold-your-breath moment for BYU fans.
Martin is critical to the success of BYU football this season. The Cougars go as far as Martin is going to take them.
On Saturday night, Martin finished with 15 carries for 58 yards, a pedestrian night compared to the big numbers he was putting up in non-conference play.
Colorado made a concerted effort to limit Martin’s home run plays, and they did a good job of that. The junior ball carrier’s longest run was only 16 yards.
Martin will have bigger games in the future.
While Sione Moa continues to recover from an injury, it’s critical for Martin to remain healthy. The moment in the third quarter was a brief scare for the Cougars.
BYU’s defense adjusted on the fly
Colorado offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur rattled BYU’s defense to begin the game. BYU coach Kalani Sitake noted that Colorado threw some new looks at the Cougars.
Maybe BYU was feeling a little too good about the way things went so easily in the first three games. The good news is that the defense stepped up and was able to win a game after facing adversity by making adjustments in the game.
The closing speed of Jack Kelly was on display to make Colorado QB Kaidon Salter think twice about taking off to run in the second half. In the first half, Salter was running with ease against BYU’s defense.
It was a strong showing once again from BYU’s coaching staff, they eventually put the defense, in a spot to take over the game.
Cody Hagen has elite speed
BYU wide receiver Cody Hagen popped off a 32-yard run that ended up being the game-winner for the Cougars.
It was a similar play call to the one BYU ran for Hagen on a touchdown call against Portland State to open the season.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) September 28, 2025
Hagen’s playmaking ability shone through as the Cougars trailed to open the fourth quarter.
In the absence of Jojo Phillips, Hagen is stepping up his game to make an impact for BYU.
Poor starts are becoming a common occurrence for BYU football
BYU stumbled out of the gates against Colorado. Buffs quarterback Kaidon Salter couldn’t be stopped to open the game. BYU looked shell-shocked to see a quarterback who could take off and run.
The offense wasn’t any better to begin the game. It was another slow start for BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier and the offense.
Colorado clearly had a game plan devised to try to get revenge on BYU for that poor performance in the Alamo Bowl. They came out and were ready, attacking with Salter on the ground, two running backs, including wide receiver-turned-running back Dre’lon Miller.
However, after the initial onslaught from the Buffs, BYU settled in and started to play its game.
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.
