Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 10, 2026 37 GAME PREVIEW: BYU BY JACK SOBLE BYU RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE The nation's No. 3 rush efficiency offense (6.74 yards per carry) meets the nation's No. 3 rush ef- ficiency defense (1.75 opponent yards per carry). Hold onto your butts. BYU centers its ground game around 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior running back LJ Martin, the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. One would think his numbers come down as he faces better competition, but through three games he averaged 7.8 yards per carry on 42 attempts, 30 more than the next-highest workload. Gap respon- sibility will be extremely important when Mar- tin has the football because he's patient and not afraid to let cutback lanes develop. In the open field, Martin isn't the fastest but his combination of size and agility makes him a pain to deal with. For a taller back, Martin is deceptively quick and will bounce off arm tackles or shoulder jolts that don't wrap up. He hasn't run as frequently in the early going, but sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier is a massive piece of the Cougars' ground game as well. The signal-caller wearing No. 47 ran 146 times for 527 yards as a true freshman, and with Bachmeier measuring 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, BYU loved to use him in short-yardage situations. When the schedule heats up, expect Bachmeier to get more involved here. As the college football world has come to ex- pect, BYU has a tough, physical and experienced offensive line. You can hide a center in pass pro- tection but good coaches know they're critical for the run game, and BYU has a reigning All-Big 12 first-teamer in fifth-year center Bruce Mitchell. Washington transfer left tackle Paki Finau has been a major addition as well. Don't discount the impact of tight ends Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga II; both boast PFF run-blocking grades of around 80. This is the greatest challenge for Notre Dame's run defense to date, but the same is true for BYU's run game. There are several factors that have made the Irish impenetrable so far this season: Aggressive and physical safeties, dominant every- down defensive ends and arguably the top line- backer group in the country, led by an absolute demon in junior Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. This is a fascinating litmus test for both sides. Advantage: Even BYU PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE BYU lost its No. 1 wide receiver in February when Parker Kingston was dismissed from the team after being charged with first-degree felony rape. The charge was dismissed without prejudice in June, with prosecutors saying they intended to refile. The situation was disturbing and, less importantly, it put the Cougars' passing game in a precarious position. But in stepped true freshman Legend Glasker, who looks like one of the country's premier deep threats early in his career. He had 11 receptions for 270 yards (24.5 yards per completion) and 2 touch- downs through three weeks of his young career. Glasker certainly looks the part, with the long- striding speed and ball-tracking ability you typi- cally associate with that archetype. He lines up in the slot more than he lines up outside, so this is a critical test for senior nickel back Christian Gray — though he'll certainly have safety help over the top in the form of 6-foot-4 former track star Luke Talich. Fifth-year Oregon transfer Kyler Kasper has also stepped up, catching 9 passes for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns in the early going. Lyons, whom Notre Dame fans might recognize from his days as Southern Cal's No. 2 tight end, has stepped into a featured role and performed well with 7 recep- tions for 84 yards. The protection has also been very good; Bach- meier has been pressured on less than 19.7 per- cent of his drop-backs (for reference, CJ Carr has been pressured on 18.4 percent of his). As for Bachmeier himself, his 10.4 yards per attempt represents a massive upgrade over the 2025 ver- sion. He's had the luxury of weak opponents and a phenomenal run game so far, but you can only play the teams on your schedule and Bachmeier has done everything BYU wanted so far. Color this writer skeptical, though, that a receiv- ing corps with a true freshman as its No. 1 option can get open against Leonard Moore, DJ McKinney and Co. It's also impossible to overstate how well the pass rush is playing right now, led by defensive ends Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young. Bachmeier has not faced that kind of heat yet this season. His and the Cougars' best bet is run- ning the football. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. BYU RUN DEFENSE Notre Dame's run game improved against Purdue in Week 4, pushing its season average above 4.0 yards per carry to 4.08. That could be a problem against BYU, the 23rd- ranked rush efficiency defense in the country and arguably the best run defense the Irish have faced to this point. The Cougars don't rely on any one On PaPer Senior running back LJ Martin rushed for 328 yards and 3 touchdowns in BYU's first three games this season, averaging 7.8 yards per carry. PHOTO COURTESY BYU ATHLETICS