No. 14 BYU forces 4 turnovers in 63-7 rout of Utah Tech

PROVO, Utah -- — Bear Bachmeier threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns – all before halftime – to lead No. 14 BYU to a 63-7 victory over Utah Tech on Saturday night. BYU (1-0) has not lost to an opponent outside the FBS ranks since 1960. The Cougars imposed their will on defense from the start. They forced four turnovers, three before halftime, while holding FCS Utah Tech (0-2) to only 52 yards in the first half. “It’s a great first step,” said cornerback Cannon Devries, who returned a kickoff 100 yards for BYU on the opening play of the second half. “Gets us in the right direction. Gives us a good vision of what we can do and what we should expect.” BYU and defending FCS champion Montana State outscored the Trailblazers 117-7 in their first two games. CJ Tiller threw for 20 yards and two interceptions before getting benched early in the second quarter. Bronson Barben threw for 115 yards and an interception in relief of Tiller. “The big thing on offense is we can’t turn the ball over,” Utah Tech coach Lance Anderson said. “We got to be able to get some form of run game going, got to be able to protect the quarterback, and then get more consistent play from that quarterback position.” Therian Alexander III picked off a pass at the Trailblazers 32 on the game’s opening play, setting up BYU’s first touchdown on a 9-yard fly sweep by Legend Glasker. It foreshadowed a series of disruptive defensive plays from the Cougars over the remainder of the half. “Sometimes coming into games getting the momentum going is pretty hard,” BYU linebacker Siale Esera said. “Once we came out with that interception, the team was hyped, the crowd was hyped, and that in turn helped us.” BYU scored back-to-back touchdowns off two early second-quarter turnovers to put the game away well before halftime. Tausili Akana pounced on the ball at the Utah Tech 30 after Tiller mishandled a snap. Glasker found the end zone again two plays later, taking a short pass over the middle 26 yards for the score. Then, Evan Johnson intercepted Tiller at the BYU 35 on Utah Tech’s next drive, setting up a 9-yard scoring run from Preston Rex five plays later. The Cougars eventually built a 56-0 lead with 12:30 left in the third quarter while rolling up 413 total yards in that stretch. “All three phases (were) clicking,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “Did some good things.” The takeaway Utah Tech struggled in all three phases while allowing at least 50 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 2024. BYU was ruthlessly efficient on offense before halftime. The Cougars scored touchdowns on six of eight drives, had 20 first downs on 44 plays, and averaged 8.1 yards per play. Legendary debut Legend Glasker caught two touchdown passes and ran for a third score for BYU in his collegiate debut. Glasker finished with a team-high 65 receiving yards on three catches. It marked the first time a BYU receiver posted a three-score game since Puka Nacua did it against Arkansas in 2022. Glasker scored touchdowns each of the first three times he touched the ball. “Coming into the game, I really wanted to score,” Glasker said. “Three was a surprise. But before the game, I just said it was in God’s hands and that’s what he wanted to happen for me. So I’m blessed.” Up next Utah Tech: At Montana next Saturday. BYU: Hosts Arizona next Saturday. ------ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here.