3 major weaknesses BYU football exposed in their sloppy win over Stanford
BYU football isn’t flawless, and that became clear against Stanford in week two.
Alright, here’s the deal. BYU is sitting at 2-0. Their rookie quarterback, though hardly perfect in early outings, has shown poise and promise from the pocket. The ground attack looks powerful. Defensively, BYU has been absolutely suffocating, smothering every opponent so far and giving up only 3 points across two games.
Kalani Sitake has guided his group to two convincing victories, the latest being a dominant home showing over a Power Four opponent that ended in a 27-3 scoreline.
Still, not everything feels right in Provo, as there was an odd lack of spark during that second win. BYU revealed multiple glaring flaws against Stanford, and if Sitake wants to repeat last season’s success, those issues can’t be ignored for long.
So what exactly stood out in their first matchup beyond an FCS foe? Where must the Cougars clean things up? And seriously, what became of the explosive offense we saw in week one?
Critical Issues BYU Football Must Fix
Penalties
Even though the Cougars technically committed fewer infractions than Stanford, they constantly tripped over themselves with ill-timed mistakes when it mattered most.
Fans can gripe about questionable calls, but BYU repeatedly hurt themselves on scoring plays and inside the red zone. Sloppy false starts and careless holds may point to either effort or coaching lapses, but regardless, the Cougars stalled drives at the goal line far more often than they should have in this contest.
Ball Security
Parker Kingston is under heavy criticism for fumbling a punt return for the second straight week, and rightfully so. His speed is a weapon, but it means little if the ball keeps ending back in the opponent’s hands. BYU was fortunate not to cough it up here, but luck won’t always be on their side.
You can debate whether a safer option like Talmadge Gunther should field punts, but his reliability mattered. Turnovers in tight games can be fatal.
Kingston wasn’t off the hook in the passing game either, dropping several routine catches. Plays that should’ve been automatic turned into painful misses, and he wasn’t alone. Chase Roberts even let a would-be touchdown screen slip away at the edge of the end zone. A lack of concentration left BYU ineffective in moments where precision was required.
Red Zone Efficiency
This was the Cougars’ biggest shortcoming, and the earlier problems only magnified it. Inside the 20-yard line, BYU should have punched in touchdowns consistently, but whether due to poor play calls, shaky execution, or lapses in discipline, they repeatedly settled for field goals.
Four Cougar drives began at midfield or deeper into Stanford territory, yet those resulted in only 6 points — two field goals out of four golden opportunities. That’s beyond frustrating.
These are the types of growing pains a team needs to address early in the season. They’re the lessons to learn before the Big 12 slate arrives in week four. Nobody expects perfection or a touchdown on every Bachmeier series, but even the best defenses can’t carry the load forever.
As tougher opponents loom and the season wears on, BYU must correct these flaws quickly. If not, the Cougars may find themselves simply chasing bowl eligibility instead of pushing for double-digit wins again.
