A battle of the quarterbacks: No. 11 BYU travels to Colorado State
By Nate Church,
September 16, 2026
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For the first time in 16 years, two historic Mountain West and WAC foes, BYU and Colorado State, will meet in Fort Collins, Colorado, on Saturday.Both the Cougars and the Rams are coming off big wins, with BYU defeating Big 12 opponent Arizona 28-17 and Colorado State running up the score 58-24 on Southern Utah University.This weekend’s matchup has major implications for both teams. For No. 11 BYU, it is seeking to prove its consistency in defensive and offensive dominance. For unranked Colorado State, it is solidifying itself as a top program in the newly revived PAC 12 and taking advantage of the opportunity to take down a P4 giant.So, if BYU is going to walk out of Fort Collins with a win, it is going to require a full 60 minutes of hard-fought football.“Every team has their identity that they start forming,” said coach Kalani Sitake. “[We are] starting to see ours come through and a lot of that is on the backs of our leaders … Hopefully we can establish that (identity) more this week as we take on Colorado State.”BYU’s identity was tested during the first half against Arizona last Saturday but the Cougars found a way to turn it around. The momentum generated from the strong second half BYU played is going to be essential to this week’s contest on the road.One of the keys to winning the contest, for both BYU and Colorado State, is going to rest on the programs’ respective quarterbacks, Bear Bachmeier and Hauss Hejny. Both Bachmeier and Hejny are mobile quarterbacks who can run and pass at a high level.
Photo by BYU Photo
Hejny specifically is known for generating big plays in critical moments, like the 75-yard rushing touchdown he conjured up against SUU. He also likes to air the ball out and make big throws downfield. Over the first two games of the season, Colorado State has recorded 19 explosive plays and are tied first nationally in plays 50-plus yards and are one of two teams with three plays over 70 yards.The Rams put their foot on the pedal from the get-go, and have put up a combined 62 points in the first half of their first two games.This firepower and explosiveness is going to be the most important aspect of the Rams’ offense that the BYU defense needs to contain. However, BYU has struggled to start quick and stifle opponents in the first half. And while BYU has found its rhythm in the second half of games, going down big in the first half, in the past, has come at a cost.Because of Hejny’s dynamic play style and playmaking abilities, containing him from an explosive start will be difficult, but not impossible. Last Saturday, BYU held Arizona to minus-2 rushing yards in the second half, compared to 99 yards in the first half. This shows that the defense is capable of locking down opponents when they need to and forcing quarterbacks to bend to its will.More importantly, BYU sacked the quarterback multiple times last week, three, to be exact, and defensive end Tausili Akana was involved in all three. Akana could be someone who sets the tone early for BYU. If he can recreate the success he had last week against Arizona in getting to the quarterback, it could be a long night for Hejny.
Photo by BYU Photo
“We had some drills and some things that we did last week to prepare us for Noah Fifita,” said defensive lineman Keanu Tanuvasa. “And now going into this week, we’ll continue to build on top of that success that we strived to have with (Fifita), keeping him in the pocket and kind of caging him as a quarterback.”Linebackers Cade Uluave and Isaiah Glasker are also going to play a huge role in containing Hejny. Last week, Uluave played well with an interception returned for 17 yards and six total tackles. Glasker started slow but found his rhythm as the game progressed, finishing with eight total tackles.However, Noah Fifita, Arizona’s dual threat quarterback, found plenty of room to run and scored a rushing touchdown. At times, the defense looked a little lost and struggled to bring down players in the open field. Isaiah Glasker himself missed a few key tackles and was sometimes a step too slow. If BYU has any hope of limiting Hejny, the defense is going to have to improve on their open field tackling and quarterback containment.The Cougars will also be without starting linebacker Siale Esera, who will be out for the foreseeable future with an undisclosed injury.On the offensive side of the ball, Bachmeier is going to be BYU’s biggest weapon, or Achilles heel, this week.Bachmeier’s passing ability has grown significantly from last year. He is more comfortable in the pocket and will wait for routes to develop, a departure from his freshman-year habit of tucking the ball and running.Even with his new patience and improved accuracy, he has not lost a step in the running game. He already has two rushing touchdowns over the past two games and has combined for 67 rushing yards and 415 passing yards. Bachmeier has maintained his size, about 230 pounds, but has muscled up and increased his top-end speed.These two aspects of his game are going to be hard to manage for the Colorado State defense. In their game against SUU, many of the chunk plays they gave up were either quarterback runs or leaving the middle of the field wide open for receivers to cross through.“I think you are going to continue to see a mix of different things. We can throw the ball down field more, take shots and max protection. But we can also get the ball out quick,” said offensive lineman Andrew Gentry. “I think that's the beauty of our scheme, we can really mix it up and do a lot of different things.”A balance of designed quarterback runs and deep crossing routes for the receivers should be BYU’s bread-and-butter on Saturday. And luckily for BYU, wide receiver Kyler Kasper has emerged as a reliable pass-catcher for the Cougars.
Photo by BYU Photo
Last week, Kasper scored two touchdowns on four receptions, averaging 12.8 yards per catch. Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick showcased the trust he has in his receivers last week, running multiple plays that relied on Bachmeier’s passing ability and receivers getting into open space. Both of Kasper’s touchdowns came on crossing routes.Replicating his success, along with taking advantage of speedster Legend Glasker, will give the Cougars a leg up in the passing attack.At the end of it all, this week’s road test will come down to a battle of the quarterbacks. If Bachmeier can excel and Hejny can be contained, BYU should leave Canvas Stadium with a convincing win over Colorado State.
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Bear Bachmeier
byu football
kalani sitake
big 12 conference
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