BYU's Stalled Drives Against Arizona Had Two Things in Common

Two themes emerged from BYU's failed drives against Arizona

BYU RB LJ Martin against Arizona | BYU Photo

On Saturday against Arizona, the BYU offense had 10 drives. One drive came at the end of the game where BYU kneeled inside the Arizona 10 yard-line. In other words, there were nine drives where BYU was trying to score points.

Of those nine drives, five of them failed. Looking back at Saturday's game, there were two themes that stalled BYU's drives: penalties and pressure. In this article, we will analyze why the drive stalled and what those mistakes mean for the rest of the season.

Every Bear Bachmeier drop back vs Arizona. What do you notice? pic.twitter.com/sPJiEyIkdn

— Joe Wheat (@joewheat27) September 14, 2026

1. Holding call puts BYU behind the sticks

BYU right tackle Andrew Gentry was flagged for holding on the first offensive play of the game. That put the Cougars behind the sticks. BYU gained 18 yards in two plays to setup a 3rd & 2. On third down, Bachmeier threw a slant intended for Kyler Kasper that was broken up and nearly intercepted.

If not for the holding call on first down, BYU would have moved the sticks. Instead, the first drive resulted in a three-and-out and put the BYU defense right back on the field.

Holding penalties are going to happen. As Andrew Gentry said on Monday to the media, sometimes they are the cost of doing business as a physical offensive line. All things considered, BYU did well to put themselves in a very manageable third down. More often than not, BYU will convert a 3rd & 2.

The holding penalty ultimately stalled the drive, but the BYU offense proved that it has enough firepower to dig themselves out of a hole and back into a manageable third down. That wasn't always the case last year, especially early in the season.

2. A sack stalls BYU's fourth drive

The second failed drive started with a sack on first down. A free rusher got to Bear Bachmeier and Bachmeier was sacked for a loss of 10 yards. Arizona blitzed relentlessly in this game, and that might be an understatement. Arizona blitzed Bear Bachmeier on 26 of his 27 dropbacks per Pro Football Focus.

For the most part, BYU's offensive line handled the blitz very well. Despite being blitzed on 96% of his dropbacks, Bachmeier was only pressured on 22% of his dropbacks.

Arizona's aggressive style is designed to get after the quarterback, and on this drive, it worked. It was the only sack that BYU allowed all game which was notable since Arizona had five sacks the week before against NAU.

BYU was faced with 2nd & 20 and conservatively played to punt the ball away. Given BYU was deep in its own territory, that was probably the right choice by Aaron Roderick.

3. Phillips drop and Bachmeier is pressured

BYU's fifth and final drive of the first half was a two-minute drill. The Cougars got off to a quick start when an LJ Martin run put BYU near midfield. Then, BYU stalled at midfield.

On first down, Bear Bachmeier threw a long comeback route intended for Jojo Phillips. Phillips dove to make the catch but couldn't come down with it. To be fair to Phillips, it would have been a very tough catch. Still, there was an opportunity to pick up a chunk-yardage gain and put BYU in field goal position, at minimum, and the pass bounced off Phillips' arms. Those are the kinds of plays that will need to be made if BYU wants to beat the best teams on its schedule.

On second down, an Arizona blitz spoiled a screen play designed for LJ Martin. Bachmeier was under pressure almost immediately and had to get rid of it. On third down, Arizona's blitz flushed Bachmeier from the pocket and he threw it out of bounds, intended for Legend Glasker.

That third down play is probably one Bachmeier would like to have back. He was pressured eventually, but before the pressure got there, he had a window to throw to Reggie Frischknecht but he hesitated and moved to his next progression. As the season progresses and Bear gets accustomed to the speed of a Power Four game, we expect him to make those throws.

4. Too many penalties to count

In the third quarter, BYU had a chance to take a two-score lead. Instead, this drive was stalled by three BYU penalties: a false start, a delay of game, and a holding penalty. As we mentioned, sometimes holding calls are the cost of doing business - this drive was not one of those cases. This drive was sloppy for the Cougars. It was the type of drive you would expect in week one.

It reminded us of a few drive-killing penalties BYU sustained against Stanford last season. In the first game against a good opponent, maintaining a clean operation is much harder to do than it was against an FCS foe.

We expect BYU to clean up the procedural penalties in the future. If they aren't cleaned up, they will come back to bite BYU in future games. The holding penalty was especially impactful because it negated a long throw from Bear Bachmeier to Walker Lyons for a first down.

5. Two incompletions forces a BYU punt

BYU's fifth and final failed drive came in the second half. Faced with a 2nd & 8, Bachmeier threw a bullet intended for Kyler Kasper. Kasper could have made the catch, but the velocity of the throw and the timing of the route made it unlikely. Bachmeier was under pressure and had to get rid of the ball quickly.

On third down, Bachmeier was pressured almost immediately and was forced to make a throw under intense pressure. The throw was off target and BYU had to punt the ball away.

The third down is an example of why Arizona is so aggressive. When it works, it can be very difficult to sustain drives. It was the Arizona pressure that ultimately ended the drive.

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