An Argument For Why BYU's Offense is Better Than You Think

Joe Wheat | Oct 2, 2025

BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick at Fall Camp / BYU Photo

There seems to be a prevailing notion among BYU fans that something has been off about the offense the last few year, because let’s be honest, this is BYU. The bar for offense here is high. BYU’s offenses used to set records on an annual basis. They used to score 83 points in a single game and throw for over 619 yards in another. If that is the expectation though, the natural consequence is that BYU fans will perpetually be disappointed in their offense and their offensive coordinator. That brings us to Aaron Roderick.

During his time at BYU, offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick has become somewhat of a controversial figure. Roderick got off to a roaring start, finishing in the top 20 in yards per play each year from 2020-2022 behind NFL talents like Zach Wilson, Jaren Hall, Tyler Allgeier, Puka Nacua, and Blake Freeland. Then, that talent left and production plummeted in 2023 leading to many calling for his removal, even after a return to form in 2024. The criticisms of Roderick have been consistent; some fair, some not. “Why does he run it on third and long?” “Why does he throw it on third and short?” “Why does BYU’s offense stall in the redzone?” “He’s a great play designer but not a great play caller.”

In 2025, those criticisms are still heard. It doesn’t help that BYU hasn’t exactly lit up the scoreboard against FBS opponents this year, and when the defense is as dominant as it’s been, it makes it seem like BYU is winning games despite its offense rather than because of it. Is that he truth? Maybe. Maybe not. It all depends on the measuring sticks you use.

BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick / BYU Photo

What the box score says

There’s a famous quote attributed to Albert Einstein that says “if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its life thinking it’s stupid.” Sometimes, that is what fans do with BYU’s offense. If you judged BYU’s offense by counting stats like total yards and scoring, you would determine that they are, as the youth say, “mid.” However, these stats require context, just as fish require water to fill the measure of their creation. The context needed here? Pace of play.

BYU’s primary offensive goal is to win football games. As a collective staff, Kalani Sitake, Aaron Roderick, and Jay Hill have determined that the best way to do that is for the offense to possess the football as long as possible, thereby reducing total drives and the opponents’ opportunities to score.

In this regard, BYU excels. The average college football team has about 12.5 possessions per game. BYU this season has averaged 9.3. BYU ranks 15th nationally in time of possession but 99th in total plays per game. Why play this way on offense? So BYU’s defense can have a larger margin for error. When you play as aggressively as BYU does on defense, it helps to have to do it for fewer plays, thus reducing the opportunities for that aggression to backfire into a big play.  

In short, BYU’s offense does not put up gaudy volume numbers because that simply isn’t a high volume offense by design. With that in mind, let's judge the BYU offense’s ability to swim using the metrics BYU’s coaching staff most closely monitors to measure success.

Points

Over the last 4 seasons, BYU has scored over 40 offensive points once in 45 games against FBS competition. That doesn’t feel great given BYU’s history. In context, though, BYU’s pace of play is not conducive to leading the nation in scoring as they average about 3 fewer drives per game than the average team. After adjusting for pace of play, BYU ranks 42nd in points per drive, 32nd in expected points added per play (EPA), and 25th in percentage of drives that end in a touchdown or field goal attempt, putting them better than around 70% of FBS offenses this season. So while BYU might not run the “go fast, go hard” offense anymore, the offense actually scores at a more efficient rate.

Yards per play

While BYU’s offense ranks 65th in total yards, they are 45th in yards per play due to that slower pace. That average is being significantly weighted down by a bad night against Stanford when the offense was not yet allowing Bear Bachmeier to throw down field. Over the last two weeks, though, BYU is averaging 6.4 yards per play which would rank 22nd nationally over the full season. There is still room for improvement here, as Aaron Roderick is still taking the handcuffs off Bachmeier as the season progresses, but so far so good.

BYU WR Chase Roberts against Colorado / BYU Photo

3rd down success

This is the first real area where BYU struggles. BYU ranks 88th this season in 3rd down success rate at 38%. In hindsight, this is likely a function of penalties rather than poor play on first and second down. BYU ranks in the top 30 on early down success rate, but holding penalties have consistently put BYU behind the sticks on third down, especially against Stanford, and have forced BYU to cut their losses and live to fight another day. Clean up these penalties, and we will see BYU shoot up the rankings here soon.

Red zone scoring

Few teams get into scoring position better than BYU. BYU is 23rd nationally in redzone trips per game and reaches the red zone on nearly half of their possessions, which ranks top 10 nationally. In terms of scoring, though, BYU ranks 24th in scoring percentage but 92nd in touchdown percentage. It seems to be improving some, as BYU has scored touchdowns on four of their last five red zone trips. BYU needs to sustain that if they want to compete for a Big 12 title.

Pass efficiency

In perhaps the greatest surprise of the season, Bear Bachmeier ranks 24th nationally in passer rating this season, ahead of much more experienced players like Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson, TCU’s Josh Hoover, and Miami’s Carson Beck. While Bear has not been asked to throw at quite the same rate as those quarterbacks, he’s been no less efficient, completing 68% of his passes for six touchdowns and, most importantly, zero turnovers. While one shouldn’t expect a true freshman to keep up this level of efficiency as the schedule gets tougher, Bachmeier is well ahead of schedule.

BYU RB LJ Martin against Colorado / BYU Photo

Yards per carry

We saved the best for last. BYU ranks 8th nationally in yards per carry this season, thanks in large part to LJ Martin’s 7.3 yard average and 5.2 yards after contact. BYU’s run game is among the most consistent and explosive in the Big 12, ranking 6th in rushing success rate and 3rd in explosive run rate. Without question, BYU’s run game is the strongest part of its offense, and so long as the two-headed monster of Bachmeier and Martin stay healthy, this is an offensive attribute for BYU to hang their hat on.

What does the tape say?

Stats are an important way for us to strip out bias from what our eyes see, but what our eyes see should still be impressive. BYU lost its quarterback to the portal a month before the season and BYU’s team pass efficiency has gone up from where it was a year ago. Bachmeier certainly deserves credit, but per PFF, he’s recorded two big-time throws and two turnover-worthy plays on 101 dropbacks this season. How is that possible? Bachmeier is largely making throws to wide open receivers. Those receivers seem to always be open because of exceptional play design and scheme.

BYU is among the most efficient run offenses in the country and ran for over six yards per carry against Colorado despite LJ Martin largely being neutralized and Sione Moa missing the game with an injury. How? Roderick’s creativity in using his receivers horizontally and his quarterback vertically.

And of course, how can we forget the tight ends? The narrative for years was that Roderick had no idea how to involve tight ends in the offense. BYU finally adds an every-down player in Carsen Ryan and he becomes PFF’s no. 2 graded tight end in the country. In summary, this season might truly be some of Roderick’s finest work given the circumstances.

Is BYU’s offense good?

Honestly? Yes. They are. No one will confuse them with 2019 LSU, but BYU's offense is among the best in the country in every statistical category the staff uses to measure success. That is particularly impressive given the turnover faced this offseason. Let's review. BYU unexpectedly loses Darius Lassiter and Keelan Marion during the summer, had to replace both offensive tackle spots, and lost QB1 and RB3 to off-field issues just before Fall Camp. Since the season began, the offense lost Jojo Phillips and Sione Moa for an extended period while having to rotate bodies constantly on the interior offensive line. In spite of all of that, BYU’s offense is still 32nd most efficient offense in terms of EPA while also breaking in a true freshman quarterback.

Based on the numbers, BYU’s offense is playing well this season, but they also largely sacrifice their own stats so BYU’s defense can boost theirs, and that’s ok. BYU’s offense isn’t the flashiest, but it wins games. Since A Rod took over play-calling duties in 2020, BYU is 49-18, the 8th best win percentage nationally over that span. During that period, BYU has finished 31st or better in FPI’s offensive efficiency four times in five years. Before Roderick, BYU had finished 31st or better twice in the previous 10 years. They are now trending in that direction again in 2025. BYU’s offense is playing at a high level. The only frustration that should reasonably be had is that we don’t get to see them on the field for as many drives as everyone else.