It’s the epitome of small sample theater — especially since it came against a bad FCS opponent — but the BYU Cougars football team is leading the country in several statistics following its 69-0 drubbing of the Portland State Vikings last Saturday in its 2025 season opener.
What’s more, the Cougars are in the top five in the country in several other categories. Interestingly, no player is in the top five of any of these categories, pointing to the notion that BYU’s win was a team effort.
Offensively, the Cougars tallied the most rushing yards of any team in the country last weekend with 468, just beating out run-heavy Navy’s 464 yards and well ahead of third-place West Virginia’s 393 yards.
Special Collector’s Issue: “1984: The Year BYU was Second to None”
Get an inclusive look inside BYU Football’s 1984 National Championship season.
Lead running back LJ Martin led the way with 131 rushing yards on just eight carries (an average of 16.4 yards per rush), and a whopping 13 other BYU players gained positive rushing yards, with most of them being backup players.
The Cougars also finished fifth last week in total offense with 606 yards, just two yards behind fourth-place Texas Tech. Of BYU’s 138 passing yards, Bear Bachmeier accounted for 97, McCae Hillstead 33 and Treyson Bourguet eight.
Those numbers led to BYU scoring the second-most points of any team in the country, with USC’s 73 versus Missouri State just ahead.
Defensively, the Cougars led the country in fewest yards allowed at just 51 and was one of just 10 teams to not give up any points. The 51 yards BYU gave up were by far the fewest in the country, as Florida came in second at 86 yards.
San Diego State was the only other team in the country to give up fewer than 100 yards, surrendering 95.
Source link
