For most of the first half of BYU's road matchup with East Carolina--an odd relic of independence-era scheduling that Brian Santiago was too classy to buy out--the decision to play the game looked like a major blunder on the part of the Cougars. The offense couldn't get much of anything going, and BYU held tenuously to a 6-3 lead with East Carolina driving towards the end zone. Then, out of nowhere, cornerback Evan Johnson stepped in front of an ECU pass at the one-yard line and, after a brief and risky retreat into the end zone, returned the ball to the 10. It was an incredibly clutch defensive play to snuff what was, by far, the Pirates' most promising drive of the half.
Unfortunately, the offense once again couldn't move the ball much, and the Cougars found themselves punting. Sam Vander Haar's booming kick backed the ECU returner up significantly, and he was met simultaneously by both the ball and BYU's Marcus McKenzie. McKenzie (son of former BYU star running back Brian McKenzie) made a name for himself as an ace punt return gunner during the early weeks of the 2023 season, but since then, persistent injury struggles have limited his effectiveness. Those injuries no longer seem to be a problem--he flew down the field and absolutely decked the returner, forcing a fumble that the Pirates recovered at their own six-inch line. On the next snap, Evan Johnson once again read the play perfectly and picked off his second pass in as many defensive snaps, strolling into the end zone to expand BYU's lead to 13-3 and change the entire complexion of the game.
With that massive momentum boost propelling them into halftime, the Cougars dominated the second half on both sides of the ball and overpowered East Carolina by three scores, obliterating the spread of 6.5. There were some really nice moments for both the offense and defense in that second half--things that should have BYU fans very excited about this team's potential as the Cougars gear up for their conference opener at Colorado. Here are some thoughts from BYU's 34-13 road win over East Carolina:
The Good:
BYU's defense continues to impress in basically every facet. The Cougars held firm against an ECU pass attack that has been one of the best in the nation to start the season, and didn't allow a touchdown until garbage time--in total, they started the season with eleven straight touchdown-free quarters. They gave up more yardage to the Pirates than Stanford or Portland State, but ECU wasn't able to capitalize in the red zone for most of the game. Evan Johnson was the most visible star of the defense in this game, but others stood out as well: Jack Kelly was a monster, finishing with two sacks, and Isaiah Glasker added a pair of tackles for loss. Jay Hill's defensive success raises the ceiling for this team so much.
Special teams performed beautifully in this game. In addition to Marcus McKenzie forcing a muffed punt, Will Ferrin made all four of his PAT tries and both of his field goal attempts, stretching his program record streak for the latter to 24 consecutive makes. The only moment of weirdness came when Sione Moa tried to return a kickoff and muffed the catch--but he then picked the ball up and broke off a nice 35-yard return.
Bear Bachmeier looked really good for most of this game, the Cougars' first half offensive struggles notwithstanding. It was pretty clear that at halftime, Aaron Roderick finally took away Bear's training wheels and let him be himself, and Bear responded with a sharp, decisive performance. His throwing motion looked crisp, and his decision-making was just about perfect. In particular, on LJ Martin's long 4th quarter touchdown run, Bear correctly diagnosed a blitz package that would leave Martin free on 3rd and 14; he then audibled into the correct play, earning praise from ARod in the process. He seems to be significantly ahead of the curve for a true freshman, which is very exciting given how much talent he has around him.
For a road game across the country from Provo, this game was remarkably BYU-friendly. The stadium was packed with Cougar fans, and even the flyover had a BYU flavor--the two F-15 pilots were both BYU fans and Church members, and they gave a fantastic interview to the Y's Guys podcast that is well worth a listen if you haven't already. The Cougars always travel well, but this game felt particularly homey despite the hostile environment.
The Bad:
There wasn't much to dislike about this game. My biggest complaint, honestly, was that both coordinators were fairly conservative. As mentioned, ARod kept the offensive playbook on lockdown in the first half--Bear seldom threw close to, never mind past, the sticks, and the main goal seemed to be avoiding mistakes rather than actually moving the ball. As the game wore on, Jay Hill, too, took his foot off the gas, installing a prevent defense that allowed a couple of long possessions from ECU, including the Pirates' only touchdown drive. With conference play kicking off against Colorado next week, I hope the playbook opens up more on both sides.
Honestly, I don't have a ton more to say about this game. The Cougars performed basically to my expectations and, despite struggling to distance themselves early, ultimately won very easily. Next week marks the start of conference play, as BYU travels to Boulder to face Colorado. The Buffalos are arguably a significantly inferior team to the one that BYU destroyed in the Alamo Bowl last year, and I suspect this game will have a similar outcome. The spread is BYU -6.5 for the second straight week, and I expect the Cougars to cover nicely.