BYU Cougars cornerback Therrian Alexander (1) celebrates after defending a reception during a football game against Arizona at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
BYU’s defense rose to the occasion in the second half. After Noah Fifita led Arizona on a 12-play, 75-yard opening touchdown drive, it appeared the Cougars would be in for a long day defensively.
At halftime, the Wildcats led 17-14, having racked up 240 total yards — 99 rushing — and eaten nearly 22 minutes of clock.
But Kelly Poppinga’s unit earned plenty of believers in the final 30 minutes of action, as it pitched a shutout to help BYU secure the comeback win.
The Cougars held Arizona to just 87 second half yards — including negative two rushing — and a 1 of 5 mark on third down, along with a critical fourth down stop with just over eight minutes left to play in the contest.
Tausili Akana led the charge up front with 2.5 sacks, while Cannon DeVries and Isaiah Glasker combined for 17 total tackles and 10 solo stops.
What’s more, Cade Uluave had an interception, DeVries and Jayven Williams broke up passes and Keanu Tanuavasa ended up with 1.5 tackles for loss.
Kyler Kasper finally had a breakout performance. Prior to arriving at BYU in the offseason, Kasper tallied just six receptions across four injury-plagued seasons at Oregon.
Now in two games with the Cougars, Kasper has already caught eight passes — with two resulting in points on Saturday.
Kasper scored his first career collegiate touchdown in Saturday’s third quarter to put BYU ahead for good, and then in the fourth quarter he found the end zone yet again.
In all, Bear Bachmeier targeted Kasper a game-high nine times. With the pecking order of BYU’s receivers room still being determined, Kasper made quite a statement Saturday in gunning for the WR1 role.
BYU overcame some early season sloppiness to get a convincing Big 12 victory. It wasn’t the cleanest game from the Cougars, who committed four offensive line penalties and dropped a half dozen passes, but they still managed to secure a double-digit win that could have been even more lopsided had Kalani Sitake not elected to take a late knee.
Bachmeier completed 16 of 26 (62%) of his passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another 37 yards on six carries with an additional score.
LJ Martin logged 20 touches in the second half, finishing the day with 125 total yards as the heartbeat of BYU’s offense.
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In addition to Kasper and Martin, six other Cougars caught passes on the afternoon, with Legend Glasker hauling in a 61-yard reception that set up Kasper’s second touchdown.
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BYU Cougars wide receiver Reggie Frischknecht (18) celebrates a touchdown with his teammates during a football game against Arizona at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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Arizona Wildcats tight end Shane King (8) catches the ball for a touchdown during a football game against BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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BYU Cougars wide receiver Legend Glasker (1) catches the ball during a football game against Arizona at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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Arizona Wildcats tight end Shane King (8) dances with his teammate Tre Spivey (12) after scoring a touchdown during a football game against BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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BYU Cougars running back Lj Martin (4) pushes the pile forward as he runs with the ball during a football game against Arizona at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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Arizona Wildcats tight end Cole Rusk (14) catches the ball during a football game against BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) throws the ball to his wide receiver Rodney Gallagher III (84) during a football game against BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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BYU Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier (47) dives for a first down during a football game against Arizona at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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BYU Cougars running back Lj Martin (4) runs with the ball during a football game against Arizona at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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BYU Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake speaks into his headset during a football game against Arizona at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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BYU Cougars running back Lj Martin (4) runs with the ball during a football game against Arizona at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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Arizona Wildcats tight end Cole Rusk (14) is overthrown during a football game against BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) makes a leaping pass during a football game against BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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Arizona Wildcats defensive lineman Leroy Palu (95) sacks BYU Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier (47) during a football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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Arizona Wildcats head coach Brent Brennan encourages his players during a timeout at a football game against BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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Arizona Wildcats head coach Brent Brennan yells at a referee during a football game against BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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BYU Cougars defensive lineman Tausili Akana (13) sacks Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) during a football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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Arizona Wildcats tight end Cole Rusk (14) runs with the ball during a football game against BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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Arizona Wildcats tight end Cole Rusk (14) runs with the ball during a football game against BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) throws the ball during a football game against BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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Arizona Wildcats defensive lineman Leroy Palu (95) celebrates a sack during a football game against BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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Arizona Wildcats running back Quincy Craig (24) is then down by BYU Cougars defensive end Braxton Lindsey (30) during a football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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Arizona Wildcats running back Kedrick Reescano (3) runs with the ball during a football game against BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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BYU Cougars wide receiver Reggie Frischknecht (18) crosses into the end zone during a football game against Arizona at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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BYU Cougars tight end Roger Saleapaga II (2) bobbles a pass during a football game against Arizona at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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BYU Cougars cornerback Therrian Alexander (1) celebrates after defending a reception during a football game against Arizona at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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BYU Cougars tight end Roger Saleapaga II (2) tries to obtain possession of a bobbled catch while defenders prowl to intercept the ball during a football game against Arizona at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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BYU Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake high-fives fans during the Cougar Walk ahead of a football game against the Arizona Wildcats at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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Two girls sit on their father’s shoulders during the Cougar Walk ahead of a football game against the Arizona Wildcats at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
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The BYU marching band marches through fans during the Cougar Walk before a football game against Arizona at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
BYU has now won its third consecutive Big 12 opener, with its next conference opportunity coming in three weeks (it faces Colorado State next week, followed by a bye).
Even playing far from a perfect game, the Cougars beat an inspired, quality Big 12 opponent by 11 points. Such a result should feel encouraging for BYU’s conference championship hopes.
But for now, the Cougars are 1-0 in conference play, with a long road still ahead in their coveted journey back to Arlington.
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