BYU is coming off its first loss of the year, losing to Texas Tech 29-7. BYU is still near the top of the Big 12 currently. Texas Tech is 6-1 in conference play, while both BYU and Cincinnati are 5-1 in conference play. While BYU can still make the playoffs, they need to look at who was to blame for the disaster against Texas Tech.
BYU struggled early against Behren Morton and Texas Tech. They were down 10-0 in the first quarter and would be down 13-0 at the end of the first half. BYU did not score until 7:35 left in the game, but still, that would be too little too late. Texas Tech went on to win the game 29-7, and BYU took its first loss of the season.
Bear Bachmeier struggles
The BYU offense is still 56th in the nation in points per game while sitting 60th in yards per game. The offense has not been perfect, and the passing offense has been in the bottom half of FBS. Still, Bear Bachmeier has been solid this year, leading BYU to a perfect season, until this week. Bachmeier was bad agaisnt Texas Tech, and did not use his tools.
Bachmeier has passed for 1,881 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions on the year. He has also run for 420 yards with nine scores this year. Still, Bachmeier was contained against Texas Tech. He ran for just 12 yards, the second-lowest total of the season. It was also only the second game this year that he did not run for a touchdown. In the other game, he did not run for a score, but he still ran for 98 yards and threw two touchdown passes.
Meanwhile, he passed for just 188 yards, which is still solid for his season, but not great. He had a touchdown against Texas Tech, but also an interception. His QBR was 55.8, which was the second lowest of the season. The only lower game was his game against Stanford, the second game of the year. Bachmeier is just a freshman, but still, he was a major factor in the loss.
To make the stats worse, the quarterback got a top receiver back in this game as well. Jojo Phillips returned to the lineup but had just one reception for six yards. Further, Bachmeier was not able to make a solid play, and it hurt the team as they could not overcome it.
The special teams were horrible
Special team mistakes killed BYU. The Cougars punted on their first drive and then went on defense. Texas Tech started the game with a false start and ended the drive with a sack of Berhen Morton. This led to a punt from Texas Tech. Still, BYU muffed the punt, and it was recovered by the Red Raiders, who turned that into three points.
After falling down 10-0, BYU was on a solid drive. It started late in the first quarter, and BYU drove 42 yards going into the second quarter. They got the ball to the 33-yard line of Texas Tech and then attempted a field goal. The field goal was missed, and Texas Tech turned that into another three points.
Will Ferring was 0-1 on field goals while just going 1-1 on extra points. Meanwhile, the return game did just about nothing. Cody Hagan returned just two kicks, averaging only 18 yards. The punt return game saw three returns by three different players. They totaled just six yards. Meanwhile, Texas Tech hit five field goals in the game, and the kicker also had two extra points. The special teams struggled, and it ended the hope of an undefeated season for BYU.
LJ Martin has a game to forget
LJ Martin has been great this year. He has run for 824 yards and five scores this year, while also bringing in 111 yards receiving. He started the season strong, with three straight 100-yard games. In the first seven games of the season, he has just one game under four yards per carry and under 90 yards. Martin got beat up in the game with Iowa State, running the ball just five times for 15 yards, but he scored a touchdown.
Still, Martin was healthy for this game and expected to be a contributing factor. He did anything but contribute. Martin ran the ball ten times for just 35 yards. He did take in a season high of six receptions, but for just 29 yards. Further, his longest play of the day was a 12-yard run, which is the second-lowest of the season. When Martin has struggled some in the past, others have run well. Still, at 35 yards rushing, he was the leading rusher on the team.
BYU is going to have a chance at the Big 12 title still. The team is 5-1 on the season, and tied for second in the conference. BYU faces TCU this upcoming week, but will then face Cincinnati on the road. If they win out, it could be a rematch with Texas Tech for the Big 12 and a playoff spot.
