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Ranking the Top 15 Individual Performances of the 2025 BYU Football Season

The top individual performances that led to BYU's 12-win season
Casey Lundquist|
BYU RB LJ Martin against Cincinnati
BYU RB LJ Martin against Cincinnati | BYU Photo

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BYU Cougars

As the 2026 BYU football season approaches, we have been looking back at some of the top moments of the 2025 season. Last week, we posted the top 10 plays of the 2025 season. Today, we're highlighting the top 15 individual performances of the 2025 season. BYU wouldn't have won 12 games in 2025 without these standout performances.

15. Siale Esera - Arizona

Stat Line
16 total tackles
6 solo tackles, 0.5 TFL
1 PBU
3 quarterback pressures

No BYU defender had more tackles in a single game in 2025 than Siale Esera's 16 tackles against Arizona. Esera was in on seemingly every run play and the box score reflects that.

14. Parker Kingston - Iowa State

Stat Line
133 receiving yards
7 receptions
2 receiving touchdowns

Parker Kingston was Bear Bachmeier's top target against Iowa State. BYU averaged just 3.7 yards per carry in this game, so the majority of the offense came through the passing attack. Kingston led all receivers and he had a highlight touchdown grab in the second half.

13. Bear Bachmeier - TCU

Stat Line
23/33 296 passing yards
2 total touchdowns
0 turnovers
59 rushing yards

BYU's offense played its best game of the season against TCU, and Bear Bachmeier was the driving force behind that. The Cougars punched a good TCU defense in the mouth, cruising to a 44-13 win. BYU didn't punt in this game until the second half. Bachmeier had a few critical fourth down conversions with his arm.

12. Carsen Ryan - Georgia Tech

Stat Line
120 receiving yards
8receptions

Carsen Ryan ended his college football career on a high note. The former BYU tight end turned Cleveland Brown tight end led the Cougars with 120 receiving yards and 8 receptions. Once Ryan got the ball in his hands, he wasn't going down with arm tackles. 76 of his 120 receiving yards came after the catch.

11. Faletau Satuala - Iowa State

Stat Line
10 total tackles
6 solo tackles
1 TFL
1 Interception (touchdown)

If you asked Faletau Satuala, he'd probably like to have the first play of this game back. Satuala got beat for a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the game. After that, Satuala was BYU's best player on defense, and a major reason for BYU's comeback win in Ames.

Satuala had one of the best plays of the season in this game, a fourth quarter pick-six that extended BYU's lead to 14.

10. LJ Martin - Arizona

Stat Line
162 rushing yards
25 carries, 6.5 average
1 rushing touchdown

On a wet night in Tucscon, and against one of the best secondaries in college football, BYU relied on the ground game to grind out a double overtime win. LJ Martin was the workhorse back for BYU in this game - Arizona's defense had no answer for Martin's physical running style. Martin opened the game with a 28-yard rushing touchdown.

9. Bear Bachmeier - WVU

Stat Line
18/25 351 passing yards
2 total touchdowns
1 interception
43 rushing yards

Bear Bachmeier had a career high 325 passing yards against WVU, and he needed only 25 attempts to get to 325 yards. Bachmeier also added 43 rushing yards on 12 carries.

Perhaps most impressive was his response to his first career turnover. Bachmeier went four full games wihout turning the ball over, and it was becoming a storyline in BYU's undefeated start. Instead of melting down after throwing his first interception, Bachmeier responded by leading a scoring drive.

8. Tanner Wall - Utah

Stat Line
10 total tackles
7 solo tackles
1 TFL
1 Interception

In BYU's win over Utah, Tanner Wall had and interception in the fourth quarter that swung the game in BYU's favor. Before Bear Bachmeier's famous touchdown run, it was Tanner Wall that gave the ball back to the BYU offense.

Wall also had 10 total tackles including 1 tackle for loss. BYU's safeties played a critical role in defending the run in that game.

7. Chase Roberts - WVU

Stat Line
161 receiving yards
4 receptions

No BYU player had more receiving yards in a single game than Chase Robert's 161 receiving yards against WVU. Roberts averaged a blistering 40 yards per reception, including an 85-yard catch-and-run that started deep in BYU territory. On that play, Roberts caught the ball 15 yards from the line of scrimmage and he did the rest after the catch.

6. Parker Kingston - UCF

Stat Line
126 receiving yards
6 receptions
1 punt return touchdown (55 yards)

In the regular season finale against UCF, Parker Kingston led the Cougars with 126 receiving yards and a touchdown. He also had a punt return touchdown that created some separation on the scoreboard and allowed the Cougars to cruise to a win in the fourth quarter.

5. Bear Bachmeier - Georgia Tech

Stat Line
27/38 325 passing yards
1 passing touchdown
1 interception

BYU was without LJ Martin in the bowl game against Georgia Tech. Bear Bachmeier, who was dealing with an injured ankle, was effective with his arm throughout the night. Bachmeier finished with 325 passing yards, just shy of a career high. He orchestrated another fourth quarter comeback, leading two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. While it didn't appear on the stat sheet, he also had a critical two-point conversion with his legs.

Bachmeier did not look like a true freshman against the Yellow Jackets, and it was a glimpse of what BYU fans might be able to expect from Bachmeier as a sophomore.

4. Evan Johnson - ECU

Stat Line
6 total tackles
5 solo tackles
2 interceptions
1 pick-six
1 PBU

BYU star cornerback Evan Johnson recorded interceptions on back-to-back ECU plays. After some research, we believe that Johnson is the first player in BYU history to do that. Johnson's interceptions swung the momentum of the game in BYU's favor. A late pick-six in the first half changed the complexion of the game and was the catalyst in BYU's comfortable win.

3. Bear Bachmeier - Iowa State

Stat Line
22/35 307 passing yards
49 rushing yards
2 passing touchdowns
1 rushing touchdown
0 turnovers

One week after an emotional rivalry win over Utah, BYU had to travel to Ames to take on a very physical Iowa State team. It looked like BYU's undefeated season was going to come to an end in the first half - the Cougars were trailing 24-10 and couldn't stop Iowa State's rushing attack.

BYU star running back LJ Martin was ruled out early in the game with a shoulder injury, and backup running back Sione Moa was unavailable as well. BYU relied on true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier to carry them back into the game with his arm.

Bachmeier responded, throwing for 307 yards and leading BYU in rushing. The Cougars erased the deficit to take down a veteran Iowa State team.

2. Bear Bachmeier - Utah

Stat Line
13/22 166 passing yards
64 rushing yards
1 passing touchdown
1 rushing touchdown
0 turnovers

Bear Bachmeier became the first true freshman quarterback at BYU to beat Utah. While his individual stat line didn't pop off the page as much as others on this list - he finished with 166 passing yards, 64 rushing yards, and a pair of touchdowns - his impact during the game stood out.

First and foremost, Bachmeier protected the football. This game changed when Devon Dampier was intercepted by Tanner Wall. He also made a high-level throw to Chase Roberts for a touchdown in the first half.

Finally, Bachmeier ran a game-sealing quarterback draw that will go down in rivalry lore. Bachmeier dragged multiple Utah players across the goal line for the touchdown.

1. LJ Martin - Cincinnati

Stat Line
222 rushing yards
32 carries, 6.9 average
2 rushing touchdowns
44 receiving yards

In late November, BYU went on the road to Cincinnati. After losing control of their own destiny in November of 2024, the Cougars were looking to retain control of their own destiny going into the final game of the season. BYU's win over Cincinnati eventually secured a spot in the Big 12 title game.

In a night game in Nippert Stadium, BYU freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier didn't have his best stuff. Outside of the Texas Tech games, the road game at Cincinnati was Bachmeier's lowest grade of the season per PFF.

As a result, BYU leaned on LJ Martin. Martin carried the BYU offense on his back with a career high 222 rushing yards. Martin also led the Cougars in receiving, bringing his total offense up to 266 yards. Martin averaged 6.9 yards per carry, and he sealed the game with a 33-yard touchdown run in the closing minutes.

Honorable Mentions

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Published
Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of BYU On SI. He has covered BYU athletics since 2020. During that time, he has published over 3,500 stories that have reached millions of readers.

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