Players of the Game in BYU's Convincing Win Over Stanford

On Saturday night, BYU handled the Stanford Cardinal in a 27-3 that wasn't as close as the final score suggests. If not for some redzone penalties that stalled drives, BYU could have (and arguably should have) scored 35-40 point.

The BYU defense, on the other hand, was nearly perfect. The Cougars shut down Stanford completely until the fourth quarter when the Cardinal managed to put three points on the board.

Here the the players of the game from BYU's win over Stanford, in no particular order.

1. Isaiah Glasker - LB

Given the defensive performance, it's only right to start with a defensive player. Isaiah Glasker was exceptional on Saturday night. On one play, Glasker came flying off the edge and smashed Stanford quarterback Ben Gulbranson. Gulbranson fumbled, but the Cardinal recovered. Glasker also had a TFL, a pair of quarterback hits, and four total tackles.

Glasker is playing like an all-conference linebacker through two games.

2. Jack Kelly - LB

Another veteran linebacker, Jack Kelly was an agent of chaos against the Cardinal. Kelly had five total takcles, a strip sack deep in Stanford territory, and 2.5 tackles for loss.

Kelly was getting into the backfield in the blink of an eye behind Keanu Tanuvasa.

3. LJ Martin - RB

While BYU gets Bear Bachmeier comfortable, LJ Martin is BYU's most valuable player on offense by a wide margin. Martin was good again against Stanford - the team he was committed to before he flipped to BYU. He finished with 110 yards on 18 carries for an average of 6.1 yards per carry.

4. Faletau Satuala - S

Faletau Satuala stuffed the stat sheet against Stanford. The former four-star recruit looked like the dynamic defensive player that he was recruited to be coming out of Bountiful High School. Satuala finished with an interception, 1.5 tackles for loss (including one that was a safety), and five total tackles.

5. Chase Roberts - WR

Chase Roberts was Bear Bachmeier's safety blanket against Stanford. He finished with a team-high 84 receiving yards on 5 receptions. The connection between Roberts and Bachmeier will continue to grow as the season progresses.

6. Bear Bachmeier - QB

Bear Bachmeier got through his first game against a P4 opponent without committing a turnover. That's an accomplishment for a kid that was looking for a homecoming date this time last year.

Bachmeier was shaky in the first half, but he settled in after halftime. He was 6/9 in the second half for 104 yards. He led three drives in non-garbage time, and all three of them were scoring drives.

The drives stalled more due to penalties than to the true freshman under center.

The most interesting stat of the night? Bachmeier was 4/4 on intermediate throws (10-19 yards downfield) for 78 yards.

He finished the game 17/27 for 175 passing yards and he added a few rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

Bear's an ANIMAL.

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— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) September 7, 2025

7. Keanu Tanuvasa - DT

BYU DT Keanu Tanuvasa finished with four tackles including a tackle for loss and a sack. His impact extends way beyond the box score - Tanuvasa is eating up blocks for the BYU linebackers to rack up tackles for loss.

BYU's defense has only allowed 14 rushing yards through two games and Tanuvasa is a major reason why.

8. Will Ferrin - K

BYU kicker Will Ferrin was 4/4 kicking field goals against Stanford. When a BYU drive stalls on the opponents side of the field, you can almost always count on points thanks to Will Ferrin.

9. Sam Vander Haar - P

Sam Vander Haar pinned the Stanford inside the five twice on Saturday night. One of those punts led to a safety. Vander Haar, paired with a dominant BYU defense, was a real weapon for BYU.

10. The BYU Returners

A pair of two BYU returners flashed their potential against Stanford: Cody Hagen and Tiger Bachmeier. Hagen had a kickoff return of 44 yards after the Stanford safety, and Tiger Bachmeier had a punt return of 44 yards.

Parker Kingston has struggled to protect the football with a pair of fumbles in the first two games. It appears Bachmeier might take his spot if Kingston can't protect the ball.