Trip to Fort Collins is perfect opportunity for No. 11 BYU to ‘leave no doubt’

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“Leave no doubt!”

Those motivating words worked for the kids on the roster of T.C. Williams High School in “Remember the Titans” and it should also be the mantra for No. 11 BYU on Saturday at Colorado State (5:30 p.m. MDT, CBS).

​Of course, the Rams already remember the Cougars from their battles as members of the Rocky Mountain, Mountain States, Western Athletic and Mountain West conferences. Their history together, which started in 1922, includes 69 previous games. BYU won 39 and lost 27 with three ties.

Included in the nostalgia of this 70th meeting is the fact that the Cougars are returning to Fort Collins for the first time in 16 years and they are showing up with their highest ranking on September’s third Saturday in 36 seasons.

Wins out of the gate in 1990 over UTEP (30-10), No. 1 Miami (28-21) and Washington State (50-36) pushed BYU to No. 4 on Sept. 18, 1990. Victories in 2026 against Utah Tech (63-7) and Arizona (28-17) have the Cougars at No. 11 on Sept. 18, 2026.

Even as a three-touchdown favorite, BYU has a lot to play for. Most notably, to leave no doubt in the minds of the voters who bumped the Cougars ahead of No. 13 Texas Tech and No. 12 USC in this week’s AP Top 25, that BYU is for real.

A good showing in primetime would also help shape BYU’s whereabouts with the College Football Playoff committee, which will release its first rankings on Nov. 3. Routing the Rams on the road isn’t a make-or-break requirement, but playing and looking like one of the top teams in the country is — every time.

Start fast

Kalani Sitake teams are 14-0 when they score a touchdown on the opening drive and 14-1 when they score first. The obvious key for Saturday is for BYU to score first and take control of the game, which is easier said than done.

During the Cougars’ last four FBS games against Arizona, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech and UCF, BYU either trailed by double digits at the end of the first quarter or faced a halftime deficit. To their credit, the Cougars rallied to win three of the four.

The last time the BYU offense really started fast was last Nov. 15, when they scored on their first four possessions against TCU. The Cougars cashed in with two rushing touchdowns, a passing touchdown and a field goal in a one-sided 44-13 victory.

On that night, BYU left no doubt.

Run the ball

With an offense that features the Big 12’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year and the 2026 preseason pick for the same honor, the idea of giving LJ Martin the football is a no-brainer. Martin rushed 236 times for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.

Last week against Arizona, with a limited number of offensive plays in the first half, Martin only touched the ball on six plays; however, in the second half, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior became more of a focal point.

Martin opened the third quarter with three-straight runs and added a 23-yard reception during the scoring drive. Before the game ended, he had 13 additional carries, including a 16-yard scamper that allowed the Cougars to run out the clock.

Even without a touchdown, Martin’s 125 yards of total offense (98 rushing, 27 receiving) against one of the better defenses in the Big 12 left no doubt that BYU can and should give him the ball more often, especially in a game on the road — like Saturday.

Create chaos

Kelly Poppinga wants his defense to create “six seconds of havoc” on every play. Mistakes come from chaos. Since the start of the 2024 season, the Cougars lead the nation with 43 interceptions, including one on a wild blitz against Arizona that led to a BYU touchdown.

To Colorado State’s credit, the Rams (2-0) sport a defense that has forced eight turnovers in their two wins against Wyoming (35-13) and Southern Utah (58-24). In addition, Colorado State has a quarterback, Hauss Hejny, who has nine touchdown passes with just one interception.

With six seconds of havoc on every play, BYU will rewrite the Rams’ script on Saturday and create the same chaos that kept Arizona’s Noah Fifita discombobulated and out of the end zone in the second half. The Cougars left no doubt that they can dominate when they are focused.

Leave no doubt

There is a crowded lineup featured on television’s big titans Saturday night — LSU-Ole Miss (ABC), Michigan State-Notre Dame (NBC) and BYU-Colorado State (CBS).

In the uphill fight for primetime viewers, BYU would do well to start fast, run the ball and create enough chaos to make sure onlookers and pollsters alike remember forever the night they watched the Cougars win for the 26th time in their last 30 games.

The T.C. Williams High School Titans left no doubt in 1971 that they meant business. This is a perfect weekend for BYU to do the same thing.

Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.

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