BYU defense stifles Stanford in 27-3 victory

By Canadian Press on September 7, 2025.

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Bear Bachmeier threw for 175 yards and ran for a touchdown to lead BYU to a 27-3 victory over Stanford on Saturday night.

LJ Martin added 110 yards on the ground for the Cougars – his second straight 100-yard game – while averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Chase Roberts had 84 yards on five catches. BYU (2-0) tallied three sacks, seven tackles for loss, and forced three turnovers.

Ben Gulbranson threw for 142 yards and had two interceptions for Stanford, which totaled 161 yards on offense. The Cardinal (0-2) mustered 12 first downs and went 2-of-13 on third down.

BYU appeared poised to build on a strong offensive showing after Bachmeier capped a six-play, 85-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run. Martin opened the drive by reeling off 58 total yards over back-to-back runs where he dragged defenders along for the ride.

Instead, the Cougars bogged down on offense.

BYU had a chance to break the game open early in the first half after forcing turnovers on back-to-back drives. Raider Damuni returned an interception 26 yards to the Cardinal 18-yard line on Stanford’s first drive of the second quarter. Then, Jack Kelly stripped Gulbranson on a sack, and Viliami Po’uha pounced on the ball at the Stanford 5.

The Cougars failed to fully capitalize on either takeaway, settling for a pair of field goals – a 36-yarder and a 30-yarder – from Will Ferrin to extend their lead to 12-0.

BYU finally got its second touchdown when Sione Moa powered across the goal line on an 8-yard run to put the Cougars up 24-0 with 3:36 left in the third quarter.

Stanford never threatened to score during either half. The Cardinals averaged 1.2 yards per play before halftime and crossed midfield only once in the first three quarters.

The Takeaway

Stanford: Turnovers and an inability to run the ball doomed the Cardinal. BYU allowed minus-18 rushing yards before halftime while also securing two takeaways.

BYU: Stifling defense helped the Cougars weather sluggish offense. BYU has outscored its opponents 96-3 so far this season.

Up Next

Stanford: The Cardinal host Boston College on Saturday.

BYU: The Cougars visit East Carolina on September 20th.

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John Coon, The Associated Press

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