LJ Martin Carries BYU to a Pivotal Win Over Cincinnati

BYU RB LJ Martin against Cincinnati | BYU Photo

On Saturday night, BYU star running back LJ Martin carried the BYU offense to a 26-14 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats. On a night where BYU true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier didn't have his best stuff, it was the veteran Martin that carried the offense with a career night.

Have a DAY, LJ 🤩
📊 32 CAR | 222 YDS | 2 TDs

LJ Martin Highlights vs. Cincinnati 🎥#Big12FB | @BYUfootball pic.twitter.com/nCmTz5mhYk

— Big 12 Studios (@big12studios) November 23, 2025

BYU had 392 yards of total offense against the Bearcats and Martin accounted for 266 of those yards. Martin had a career high 222 rushing yards on the ground and he had two touchdowns, including the game-sealing touchdown in the final minute. His previous career high was a 162-yard outing against Arizona.

BEAST MODE

📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/vBaAlg7Nrf

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) November 23, 2025

In terms of total yards, it was the best outing by a BYU football player since Tyler Allgeier put up 266 yards against Virginia in 2021.

Martin also had 3 receptions for 44 yards and was BYU's second-leading receiver. Cincinnati knew that BYU was going to run the football but it didn't matter. Martin was able to find holes in the defense and break tackles. With 4:37 remaining, Cincinnati scored a touchdown to trim the lead to 20-14. BYU needed multiple first downs to win the game and Martin - clearly exhausted by that point - delivered with multiple first downs.

The cherry on top was a 33-yard touchdown run to end the game.

The BYU defense also deserves a lot of credit for limiting a dangerous Cincinnati offense to 14 points. BYU forced a pair of turnovers, got a critical fourth down stop deep in their own territory, and got quick stops at critical times to get the ball back to the BYU offense.

The defense also should have had the chance to score a touchdown in this game. A Cincinnati ballcarrier fumbled the football and was ruled down. Isaiah Glasker recovered the fumble and was well on his way to the end zone before the play was blown dead. After replay review, it was clear that the ball came out before the Cincinnati wide receiver was down. While BYU did get possession of the ball, the missed call took a touchdown off the board for BYU.

With the win, BYU improves to 10-1 on the season. Most importantly, the Cougars maintained control of their own destiny. BYU is one win away from securing a spot in the Big 12 championship game.

The stakes of this game couldn't have been any higher and BYU turned to its star running back in the biggest moments of the game. LJ Martin cemented himself as a BYU great with his performance against the Bearcats.