Evan Johnson lives for big games, and Saturday’s BYU-Cincinnati showdown (6 p.m. MST, Fox) is the biggest so far — not only because it’s the next one on the schedule, but also because it’s a game that can put BYU in the Big 12 championship game.
“Those games are just the things you have dreamed about as a kid,” the BYU junior cornerback told the “BYU Sports Nation Game Day” pregame show. “When you get those opportunities to show that you prepared and you go out there and let it loose — those are the best moments in your life.”
A win for BYU Saturday, coupled with losses by Arizona State and Houston, will ensure the Cougars of a date in the conference title game on Dec. 6 in Arlington, Texas. Another clinching scenario for BYU this weekend includes a victory over the Bearcats, a Utah win and an Arizona State loss.
The first ingredient in both cases is beating the Bearcats on the road, and the magnitude of the moment isn’t lost on Johnson, a 6-foot-0 junior from Monterey, California.
“I think the key is really just to go out and play our game and not worry too much about what (Cincinnati) is doing,” he said. “I think if we do our technique, our defensive responsibility, all that little stuff, then we will succeed on the field. So, I feel like it really comes down to us making plays and changing the game.”
Playmakers
On the heels of holding TCU to a season-low 13 points and 183 yards passing, the No. 11 Cougars top the Big 12 in scoring defense (17.8), red-zone defense and interceptions (14).
“Our team is very confident. We trust that those guys to our left or to our right have been preparing just as much as we have. We trust those guys with everything we have,” Johnson said. “So, when you know that you can trust those guys on the field that much, it’s easy to go out and play and give it your all because you know they are doing the same for me, why can’t I do the same for them? I have to do the same for them.”
In the last two seasons, the BYU defense has had 36 interceptions, including 14 so far in 2025.
“It just says that we are a team that gets the ball. We create turnovers. We want to change the game,” he said. “We want to do all those little things, and I feel like when you have playmakers like we do on our team, you’re going to see that.”
Johnson made program history when he grabbed two interceptions on back-to-back plays earlier this season at East Carolina. With BYU leading 6-3, the business major picked off Katin Houser in the end zone to prevent a Pirates touchdown. On ECU’s next play, following a BYU punt, Johnson intercepted Houser again and returned it 4 yards for a touchdown to give BYU a 13-3 halftime lead.
“As a defensive player, you’re not supposed to score,” Johnson said. “So when you get those opportunities, it’s something you dream for.”
True blue
Playing football at BYU is an opportunity Johnson never saw coming, but when cornerbacks coach Genaro Gilford showed up, things changed.
“It means everything. When Coach G came and recruited me, you know, I’m a kid with no offers, just a bunch of interest,” Johnson said. “So, when I have someone put that trust in me as a young 17-year-old, I have to give everything back to this program. It’s just part of me now.”
Johnson’s first sack against TCU is also part of his BYU experience.
“It was just surreal,” he said of his corner blitz that Josh Hoover never saw coming. “All my friends are joking with me, saying, ‘You had a weak celebration.’ But, you know, when you’re in those moments and you get to make those plays, you don’t really think of yourself. You are just like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this happened,’ and you look for your brothers.”
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.