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Undefeated No. 25 BYU opens up Big 12 play with an hour plane ride across the Rockies to Boulder to face Deion Sanders and his Colorado Buffs. It will be an intense, loud atmosphere with a pair of teams battling to get a step up in the league race. Colorado will certainly try to avenge the Alamo Bowl loss to the Cougars.
The Cougars need to improve on many things after a 3-0 start, including eliminating costly penalties that extend opponents' drives and hinder their own progress. BYU needs to start faster than they did against Stanford and ECU on offense and must take advantage of great field position that the defense has provided with big stops.
The time will come when BYU will face far more talented and physical teams like Texas Tech, a team that humbled Utah last weekend. The first step in that arena comes at Colorado on Saturday. The Cougars are favored by a touchdown.
Freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier has a remarkable streak going in his "learning experience" to grow up fast as a rookie. He has yet to turn over the football. He hasn't thrown an interception in three games.
ECU threw multiple blitzes, twists and stunts at him while mixing up coverages. He got better as the game wore on, completing an impressive 18 of 25 passes for 246 yards and one touchdown while running for another.
Tight end Carsen Ryan told reporters earlier this week that he and others are trying to do their part so that Bachmeier won't have to worry about where they are, will have more simple reads and the pressure on him won't be as great. It's working. At the end of the ECU game, he was throwing darts and looking like a vet.
Breaking into the AP Top 25 gives BYU a place in the national network coverage roundups, something they have not enjoyed all season.
Question of the week: As BYU opens up Big 12 play with a trip to Colorado in Boulder, do we now have a clearer identity of what kind of team Kalani Sitake has? Name three characteristics that seem to be holding up through a 3-0 start regardless of opponent. Give a prediction on BYU-Colorado.
Jay Drew:Kalani Sitake hates it when he's asked to talk about the identity of his football team, but through three games it appears that this crew could be defined as a hard-nosed, gritty, defense-minded group that is unified and determined.
We knew the Cougars would have a good defense, and they certainly do. They did give up more than 400 yards at East Carolina, but Sitake and Jay Hill called off the dogs a little bit in the fourth quarter with the outcome having been settled.
Outstanding special teams is another hallmark of this team, as specialists Will Ferrin and Sam Vander Haar have been great. Ferrin will likely be called on to win a game or two this season, and he appears up to the task. He's been clutch.
Another characteristic of this team is that it is well coached. Coordinators Jay Hill and Aaron Roderick have been at the top of their games through three weeks. Roderick's play-calling against ECU was top-shelf, in my opinion.
Prediction:BYU 28, Colorado 27
Dick Harmon:Well, first, I think this team is in very good condition and has avoided those haunting soft-tissue injuries, as far as we know.
Second, I think both Aaron Roderick and Jay Hill, and their assistants, have done a remarkable job in preparation and play calls through three games. Bear Bachmeier has been placed in a position where he can succeed, learn and progress and his second half at ECU was remarkable.
Third, this team is gaining a reputation as a defensive force in the Big 12. While BYU has not faced a Texas Tech, TCU or Iowa State yet, it has shown trends of being an elite defense that can pressure, cover and stop the run effectively. It still gives up big third-down plays, as shown four times at ECU, but it has all the traits of being better than the defense that led the Big 12 last year.
I think Kalani Sitake has created a culture that is anxious to work hard, correct mistakes and is motivated by the fact they've been undervalued on the national stage.
Prediction:BYU 31, Colorado 14.
Here's our coverage of BYU's win over East Carolina this past weekend:
Three plays in four minutes led to win ( Dave McCann )
What ECU coach had to say after loss ( Jackson Payne)
Bachmeier passes first big road test ( Jay Drew )
Evan Johnson turns Pirate in BYU's win ( Dick Harmon )
Where BYU and Utah end up in polls ( Brandon Judd )
How The Bear stacks up vs. Big 12 QBs ( Sports Illustrated)
Lutui making mark as to tackler ( Daily Herald )
BYU experiencing flywheel effect in recruiting (Lawless Republic )
Comments from Deseret News readers:
That's how the CFP committee plays politics as to who gets an invite at the end of the year. Teams like Utah and Oregon get treated better than they deserve and those who deserve more just don't quite make the grade by the end of the season. The B1G wants to expand the playoffs IF they get four auto-bids for just their conference. Talk about tilting the whole scheme so that games on the field don't matter as much. You and I should live so long as to see it become a fair, competitive system where winners are rewarded, losers are not, regardless of which conference they are a member of or how the other teams in their conference perform.
— Holy-Schamoly-What-Baloney
Very impressed, as were the announcers with Bear. Good passer rating, ran very well and NO turnovers! Just wished the defense didn't give up over 400 yards of offense. 24 first downs means ECU was effectively moving the ball, not just a handful of big plays. Thankfully their QB made back to back poor decisions on both goal lines. DBs took advantage and made the plays. Score doesn't indicate the balanced play on the field except for those huge interceptions. Still very concerned with games on the road against highly ranked Big 12 teams. Not highly confident but very happy with the W on the road back east against a good team!
— NotSure
Sept. 24 | 7 p.m. | soccer | West Virginia
Sept. 25 | TBA | women's tennis | Baylor Big 12 indies
Sept. 25 | TBA | women's tennis | USTA So Cal
Sept. 25 | TBA | women's volleyball | Colorado
Sept. 26 | TBA | men's tennis | Sherwood Invitational
Sept. 26 | TBA | men's tennis | Bedford Invitational
Sept. 26 | 9 a.m. | cross-country | Gans Creek Classic
Sept. 27 | TBA | soccer | Utah State
Sept. 27 | noon | women's volleyball | Cincinnati
Sept. 27 | 8:15 p.m. | football | @ Colorado
Sept. 29 | 8 a.m. | golf | Blessings Collegiate, Fayetteville
Sept. 30 | 1 p.m. | softball | BYU
