Two teams that opened the season by blowing out overmatched opponents finally find out something real about themselves, in a rematch of a double-overtime classic.
+Bachmeier drawing real Heisman buzz entering year 2
+blew opener open to a 56-0 halftime lead
−lost Big 12 title game 34-7 to Texas Tech
−opener came against FCS-level Utah Tech, not a real test
−allowed a late score after building a 56-point lead
Arizona's Noah Fifita went 22-for-29 for 262 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 35-7 win over Northern Arizona, sitting most of the 4th quarter once the outcome was decided. BYU didn't even let its opener get that competitive, burying Utah Tech 63-7 and building a 56-0 lead before the backups let a garbage-time score through. Both teams looked exactly like they were supposed to against overmatched Week 1 opponents — now they find out what they actually are.
This is the 3rd straight season these two have played, and BYU has taken the last two, including a 33-27 double-overtime win in Tucson last year. Arizona coach Brent Brennan has reportedly been building this one up since fall camp, and it's easy to see why: a road win at BYU to open Big 12 play would be the kind of statement his 3rd-year program hasn't made yet. Bear Bachmeier, the Cougars' true sophomore quarterback, is the reason BYU is getting talked about as more than a conference-title also-ran — he closed his freshman year with a run through the Big 12 championship game and enters this season with real Heisman buzz attached to his name.
The number that stands out from Arizona's opener isn't the offense, it's the defense — 5 sacks and a Northern Arizona offense held to 193 total yards. That's the same defense that will have to deal with Bachmeier, who is both accurate and mobile enough to extend plays when the pocket collapses. BYU's own defense forced 4 turnovers in its opener, though it did that against Utah Tech, a level of competition that tells you far less than a true road atmosphere at LaVell Edwards Stadium will.
The gap in results says blowout, but the gap in these two programs says something closer. BYU went 12-2 last season and reached the Big 12 title game before losing 34-7 to Texas Tech, while Arizona won 9 games in Brennan's 2nd year — these are two programs trending in the same direction, not a contender and a pretender. Arizona still has last year's double-overtime finish to think about, and revenge is a real storyline here even if it's not a number you can price.
Whatever else happens, this is the kind of early-season game that tells you who's actually a Big 12 contender in year one of realignment shakeout, and who just padded a record against an FCS team and an in-state minnow.
