Keanu Tanuvasa Records First Sack As BYU Cougar
Sep 6, 2025, 9:31 PM | Updated: 10:05 pm
BYU football DT Keanu Tanuvasa records his first sack as a Cougar after bringing down Stanford QB Ben Gulbranson. (Photo courtesy BYU Photo/Jon McBride)
(Photo courtesy BYU Photo/Jon McBride)
PROVO, Utah – Keanu Tanuvasa was a lightning rod for attention after transferring from Utah to BYU following the 2024 season. Tanuvasa showed why he was such a sought-after transfer portal option with his first sack as a Cougar.
BYU is hosting the Stanford Cardinal at LaVell Edwards Stadium for the second time in program history on Saturday, September 6.
BYU vs. Stanford: Live Updates, Analysis, And More From Provo
Keanu Tanuvasa's first sack as a BYU Cougar. pic.twitter.com/kbr9SvQdFo
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) September 7, 2025
Tanuvasa’s first QB takedown in Cougar blue came on 3rd-&-11 for the Cardinals, forcing Stanford to punt on 4th down.
Tanuvasa has five career sacks. He made one tackle against Portland State in his BYU debut.
The Cougar offense has struggled with inconsistency against Stanford. Despite a dominating performance by the defense, BYU only has one touchdown with a failed two-point conversion. Two field goals and a safety account for BYU’s 14-0 lead.
About BYU’s Keanu Tanuvasa
Tanuvasa was a two-time all-league pick while prepping at Mission Viejo High School in California.
He finished with 40 tackles as a senior, including 12 tackles for a loss and five sacks.
Tanuvasa signed with the Utah Utes out of high school and redshirted in 2022.
He started all 13 games in 2023, earning CFN Freshman All-America honorable mention after accounting for 27 tackles, six tackles for a loss, and two sacks.
The 6’4, 300-pound behemoth earned All-Big 12 Conference honorable mention with Utah in 2024 despite injuries limiting him to seven games. Tanuvasa recorded 17 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, and four pass breakups.
BYU Cougars 2025 Schedule (1-0, 0-0)
- Portland State Vikings @ BYU Cougars | 69-0
- Saturday, September 6 – Stanford Cardinal @ BYU Cougars | Kickoff 8:15 p.m. MT
- BYE
- Saturday, September 20 – BYU Cougars @ East Carolina Pirates | Kickoff TBA
- Saturday, September 27 – BYU Cougars @ Colorado Buffaloes | Kickoff 8:15 p.m. MT
- Friday, October 3 – West Virginia Mountaineers @ BYU Cougars | Kickoff 8:30 p.m. MT
- Saturday, October 11 – BYU Cougars @ Arizona Wildcats | Kickoff TBA
- Saturday, October 18 – Utah Utes @ BYU Cougars | Kickoff TBA
- Saturday, October 25 – BYU Cougars @ Iowa State Cyclones | Kickoff TBA
- BYE
- Saturday, November 8 – BYU Cougars @ Texas Tech Red Raiders | Kickoff TBA
- Saturday, November 15 – TCU Horned Frogs @ BYU Cougars | Kickoff TBA
- Saturday, November 22 – BYU Cougars @ Cincinnati Bearcats | Kickoff TBA
- Saturday, November 29 – UCF Knights @ BYU Cougars | Kickoff TBA
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Find BYU’s entire 2025 football schedule here.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
Follow the BYU Cougars with KSL Sports here.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
