Analysis: BYU was mostly clean in doing what it needed to against overmatched Utah Tech

Aside from the spectacular debut of freshman Legend Glasker, sophomore Cannon DeVries’ electric kick returns to make everybody forget about Parker Kingston, at least for now, and the unveiling of a quicker Bear Bachmeier, nothing all that memorable happened in Saturday night’s BYU-Utah Tech football game.

The Trailblazers will cash their $450,000 paycheck and BYU will fully turn its attention to Arizona — if it hasn’t already, wink, wink — after the Cougars routed the visitors from St. George 63-7 in front of a sellout crowd of 64,077 at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Perhaps the night’s most surprising occurrence came in the waning moments, as a large portion of the crowd, particularly the student section, stayed to soak up every minute of the 56-point rout.

“Our fans never cease to amaze me,” said BYU coach Kalani Sitake.

Both sides got what they wanted, even Utah Tech. The Trailblazers (0-2) got on the scoreboard for the first time in two games — courtesy of an Ace Chatman 1-yard touchdown run against BYU’s third-team defense with 4:45 remaining in the third quarter — and the Cougars got a nice little tuneup before next Saturday’s Big 12 opener in Provo.

“I felt like we did a great job in our approach to the game. I liked the mindset that our guys had,” Sitake said, perhaps alluding to the drama that has unfolded with the restructuring of the athletic department.

“It was easy to get distracted throughout this whole (fall) camp and these guys have been focused on what they wanted to accomplish.”

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Actually, there was one downer for the home team. Senior safety Raider Damuni sustained a lower leg injury — caused by friendly fire — in the second quarter and needed to be helped off the field.

“I don’t like that he couldn’t walk off on his own (power), and so, yeah, we’re concerned, praying for him and his family,” Sitake said. “I’ve known that kid since he was a baby, so whatever it is, we hope for a speedy recovery, and just praying for a miracle, and see what happens.”

Offensively, BYU’s first unit was mostly unstoppable against a Utah Tech team that was blasted 54-0 by Montana State last week in St. George, so all kudos should probably be taken with a grain of salt.

The real test comes next week, when Arizona visits for a 1:30 p.m. showdown at LES after the Wildcats routed Northern Arizona 35-7 Saturday night.

Still, the freshman Glasker was simply spectacular in his debut, and lived up to all the hype that accompanied him out of high school and spring and fall camps.

“I told you guys, ‘Don’t worry about our receivers room,’” Sitake said. “Fesi (Sitake) knows what he’s doing there.”

Glasker scored touchdowns three of the first five times he touched the ball. He had a 9-yard TD run on a jet sweep, a 26-yard touchdown catch-and-run on a screen pass and a 33-yard touchdown reception.

“Coming into the game, I really wanted to score, so three (touchdowns) was a surprise,” Glasker said. “Before the game, I just said it was in God’s hands and that’s what he wanted to happen for me, so I am blessed.”

After Tre Alexander set the tone with an interception on Utah Tech’s first play from scrimmage, BYU’s offense scored six touchdowns and missed a field goal, a 47-yard attempt by Matthias Dunn, in eight first-half possessions.

Bachmeier was 16 of 20 for 198 yards and three TDs in the first half for a passer rating of 212.7. He also showed off a bit of the newfound speed he promised after an offseason of reshaping his body.

His 13-yard touchdown run with 34 seconds remaining in the first half gave the Cougars a 42-0 lead and pretty much ensured he wouldn’t see action in the second half.

When DeVries, who finished with 173 kick return yards, took the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a TD, that pretty much ensured Bachmeier’s night was over. Backup Treyson Bourguet attempted two passes and completed one for 15 yards, while freshman QB Enoch Watson got in the game but didn’t attempt a pass.

“He was done (at halftime),” Sitake said of Bachmeier. “Honestly, I didn’t like him getting hit. He got hit a few times, but I mean, he wanted to show off his physique and his body … I will let it slide this time.”

Senior running back LJ Martin also saw limited action, getting just seven carries for 54 yards, all in the first half, but didn’t get into the end zone.

The Cougars had 358 yards of offense in the first half, the Trailblazers just 52. BYU ran 44 plays in the first half, Utah Tech just 24.

About the only suspense in the second half was whether Utah Tech would score or not. The Trailblazers went to backup QB Bronson Barben, and he made some nice plays against BYU’s subs to give himself a nice memory.

He directed a 15-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that took 7:45 off the clock in the third quarter.

A defensive pass interference penalty on BYU’s Matthias Leach on third down helped prolong the drive, but Leach made amends with his first career interception on Tech’s next drive.

In all, the Cougars’ defense forced four turnovers and gave up only 184 yards — 132 after halftime.

“I mean, it is a great first step,” said DeVries, who also played in the secondary. “It gets us in the right direction, gives us a good vision of what we can do, and what we should expect, and now we can just turn it up from there.”

In the first half, the defensive stars were cornerbacks Evan Johnson and Alexander, who each had a pick. Alexander’s takeaway marked only the second time in the Big 12 in the last 20 years that a team has started a game with an interception.

Backup defensive end Kendal Walker also impressed in the first half, matching Cal transfer linebacker Cade Uluave’s three takedowns in the first 30 minutes.

Two of Uluave’s tackles were for losses.

“We are seeing a lot of good things from our DBs,” Sitake said.

The coach did rue five penalties, including some committed by top players in the first half.

Overall, though, the mainline players were fairly crisp and clean in the first half when they were on the field, the exceptions being a holding penalty on Sonny Makasini, an offsides penalty on Viliami Po’uha and a penalty on Kansas State transfer Jake Clifton for blocking out of bounds that knocked 15 yards off a long punt return by DeVries.

Utah Tech did not commit a penalty in the first half but had three turnovers, which BYU turned into 21 fairly easy points. It was the third game since 1996 that BYU has forced four turnovers and allowed fewer than 200 yards.

Also, it was the first time in the last 30 yards that BYU has had five different players score rushing touchdowns in a game — as Devaughn Eka, Preston Rex, Journee Tonga, Glasker and Bachmeier ran for scores.

Eka, also a freshman from Lehi High, finished as the game’s leading rusher with eight carries for 59 yards.

“I mean, we have a great team,” Sitake said. “My job as a coach is to not screw it up, so I gotta make sure that these guys are prepared, and that we’re ready to go. Arizona is going to be a great team.”