Seven Takeaways From BYU's Clutch Win Over Cincinnati

BYU’s win over Cincinnati Saturday meant something. Everyone felt it. It was the moment BYU reached its next evolution as a football program. That had all the makings of last year's matchup with Arizona State. Road game against the surprise team of the Big 12 with a 5-2 conference record. BYU lost that game. This time, BYU answered the call in a big way. Here are seven things we learned from the BYU’s most clutch win in 30 years.

1. BYU's program leveled up with a big-boy win

this game rules https://t.co/Q1F8M7aIQH
— parker fleming (@statsowar) November 23, 2025

It would be really easy to call that an ugly win, but in truth, that was an excellent football game. Going into Saturday’s tilt, I expected BYU to win by blunt force trauma, but BYU elected to go with suffocation. Either way, it led to a multi-score win against a team fighting for its life. Everyone would have preferred that BYU score 40 points and win by 4 touchdowns. But to go on the road, at night, and control the game wire-to-wire over a top 30 team in FEI to all but secure a spot in Arlington is arguably one of the more impressive feats of BYU’s season.

2. This was the best defensive performance of BYUs season

BYU defense gets a fourth down stop against Cincinnati | BYU Photo

Outside a couple big plays through the air, this was the finest that BYU’s defense has looked all season. It’s no surprise that the BYU defense’s resurgence coincides with the emergence of their defensive line. BYU generated two sacks on an offensive line that had only allowed three all season. BYU’s 46.7% pressure rate came on a just 37.8% blitz rate, compared to the 28% pressure rate Sorsby had faced this year. Tausili Akana and Nusi Taumoepeau have been straight up unblockable the last few weeks. They combined for 8 pressures on just 18 pass rush snaps including one that forced an interception.

Coming into the game, Cincinnati was the nations 3rd most successful rushing attack and were held to a season low 87 rush yards, 2.3 line yards per carry, and allowed -.174 expected points added (EPA) per rush. In laymen’s terms, every time Cincinnati ran the football, their chances to score went backwards. Why? Siale Esera and Keanu Tanuvasa found themselves in every gap.

As a whole, it’s hard to find any issues with BYU’s defense after holding a top 15 offense in the country to a season low 14 points. BYU was certainly the beneficiary of two turnovers and two missed field goals, but this is what we’ve come to expect from BYU’s bend don’t break style. Taking a step back, BYU absolutely dominated one of the best offenses in the country.

3. LJ Martin is a top 5 running back in BYU history

Thinking about this pic.twitter.com/7W3LOPYqRG
— Joe Wheat (@joewheat27) November 23, 2025

My goodness LJ Martin. There is a real argument that what we just witnessed was the gutsiest performance by a running back in BYU history. 32 carries, 222 yards, 119 yards after contact and 2 touchdowns in a must-win game. It gets even more impressive given the circumstances of the game. Bear Bachmeier did not have his best stuff Saturday. That much is clear. The second half load, therefore, fell upon LJ Martin’s banged up shoulders with the entire stadium knowing exactly where the ball was going. In the second half, Martin carried the football 19 times and picked up a first down 9 times. When BYU handed the ball off to LJ Martin in the second half, their offensive success rate was 84.2%. For context, Oregon, the number one rush offense in the country, has a rushing success rate of 54.4%.

Martin’s 200-yard game put him over 1,100 yards on the season and just outside the top 10 in career rushing yards at BYU. After tonight, though, I am ready to proclaim him as a top 5 running back BYU has ever had. All Martin has done since the moment he stepped on campus is produce. The only thing that’s held him back is injuries, and this season, he’s run through those like a Cincinnati Bearcat safety. At this point, the only running backs I can confidently say have been better at BYU so far are Luke Staley, Tyler Allgeier, and Jamaal Williams. If Martin carries BYU to a Big 12 title, that argument gets even tougher.

4. BYU’s offensive line all got new callings on Sunday

BYU QB Bear Bachmeier against Cincinnati | BYU Photo

BYU’s offensive line and tight ends were moving furniture like they were the Elder's Quorum president. For as good as LJ was, BYU’s offensive line generated 163 yards before contact and 3.4 line yards per carry. That is domination against a Cincinnati defensive front that features one of the best defensive tackles in the conference. Again, given the circumstances of the game, this was probably the best game of the year for BYU at the line of scrimmage. With just over 4 minutes to go and BYU up 6, BYU’s offensive line closed out the game in a way that we haven’t seen since 2021. That is the type of performance that can win the Big 12.

5. BYU’s offensive “struggles” kind of felt like they were by design

BYU RB LJ Martin against Cincinnati | BYU Photo

No one likes to watch this kind of offense, but it felt very clear that the BYU offense's number one goal in this game was to hold the football as long as possible, and they succeeded. BYU finished +16 in time of possession, +5 in first downs, and +13 in total plays run. This was far from the offense's most efficient game, especially through the air, but it was exactly the offensive game that was needed to beat Cincinnati on this night. With Bear Bachmeier clearly not looking his best and LJ Martin having a legacy game, the smart play was to just take the air out of the ball and go home with a win.

6. BYU won because it was better at situational football

Before the game, we wrote that one of the reasons BYU would beat Cincinnati because BYU would be better in the red zone. That proved to be the difference. Cincinnati generated 7 scoring opportunities to BYU’s 5 but only scored 2 points per opportunity to BYU’s 5.4. BYU won this game by being better at situational football than Cincinnati, to the surprise of absolutely no one.

7. We just watched the best 6-game stretch of the last 30 years of BYU football

BYU defensive end Nusi Taumoepeau against TCU | BYU Photo

The time to reflect on what this season means from a macro perspective comes after the season, but when BYU entered this stretch from Arizona to Cincinnati, fans called it the toughest stretch in BYU history. They were correct. BYU's last 6 opponents have a combined record of 47-13 outside of games against BYU. The average FPI ranking of those 6 teams is 25.5 with 5 out of 6 being ranked in the top 35. To go through that stretch 5-1 with a true freshman quarterback is nothing short of spectacular. Last season, BYU lost out on the conference championship game because they didn’t play any of the top conference contenders. This year, they had an opportunity to take matters into their own hands and earn it on the field. They are now one win away from doing just that.