Football

The Beehive CFB Report: Week 1, 2025

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All of the college football action has wrapped up across the state of Utah and it was a pretty successful start for teams across the state. ESPN The Fan has you covered with your one stop shop for all the post-game information from every team all in one place! Find out what happened each week with the Beehive CFB Report.

BYU 69 – Portland State 0

BYU dominated from start to finish vs FCS Portland State. Bear Bachmeier shined in his college football debut in blue becoming the eighth true freshman to start a game at BYU and the first to start the season opener. Bachmeier is the only true freshman QB to account for five touchdowns in a game (3 passing, 2 rushing).

Head Coach Kalani Sitake praised Bachmeier in his first action as a Cougar.

“I think he did a great job…once he started getting hit a little bit he started to settle down. I think it’s hard when you get into this environment. I don’t know if they were ready for the stands to be that packed. So I think that can get you a little bit nervous, but I think he was able to settle down. I think some of those throws he wishes he could get back. But overall, I thought he had a good demeanor about him. I thought he had a great presence. The guys felt really good about him leading the offense. I felt good about how he finished the first half.”

BYU kicker Will Ferrin tied the school record for longest made field goal held by Owen Pochman, who made a 56-yarder in 2000 against New Mexico. Ferrin, who booted a 56 yarder in the 3rd quarter, commented on the feat postgame.

“I think it’s funny. Every tim there’s a big kick, everyone’s like: ‘What happened here? What happened here?’ And I’m like, ‘It’s always the same process for me.’ Or if it’s one of the PATs we hit today, or a game winner, or a long kick, I go through the same process. I approach it the same way. I even hit the ball the same way. If I hit the ball pure and straight every time, then good things happen. So it didn’t feel much different than a lot of the other balls I’ve hit. Besides, on the day, I think I can make it from wherever coaches put me out. I feel confident right now, and I trust they’ll put me in good spots.”

In fall camp, Ferrin discussed his ability to hit beyond 60 yards, saying he would be comfortable hitting from 64 or 65 in good conditions.

BYU rolled to a 69-0 victory in a game where the Cougars were favored by -43.5 and lead 49-0 at the half. Find the full box score below.

 

UTAH 43 – UCLA 10

Utah made a statement with its demolition of UCLA at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Devon Dampier looked agile and athletic in both throwing and running the football. Dampier, in his first start as a member of the Utah program, turned in 293 total yards via 16 rush attempts for 87 yards and 21-of-25 passing for 206 yards.

Defense turning into offense was the theme of the game, but not in the traditional sense. Newly converted offensive weapons in Smith Snowden and Lander Barton showed up early and often for the Utes. Snowden made six catches for 51 yards and rushed three times for 15 yards and a touchdown & Linebacker Lander Barton led the Utes with seven tackles and caught a 14-yard touchdown pass during the second quarter.

Kyle Whittingham heaped on the praise for his new quarterback postgame.

“Outstanding. Outstanding. He had 200 yards, and he was 21-of-26, and you talk about a guy who really has worked hard in the offseason. We took him out of New Mexico, [where he had] a 57% completion percentage and needed to improve. The touchdown-to-interception ratio needed to improve and at least tonight that did improve so that was great to see. Devon is electric. He is a highlight film waiting to happen. You saw him get out of some of those jams, needs to be a little more judicious at times. There were a couple times where he needed to get down and so we will continue to preach that. His game resembles Kyler Murray. Kyler Murray is obviously a terrific quarterback, but Devon right now for us is doing a great job.”

Smith Snowden also added that he didn’t have any idea of how much he would be utilized on the offensive side of the football.

“I had an idea. It was nice that I had an idea of what it was going to look like. That’s where most of my pregame butterflies came from, knowing I was going to go out there and play some offense. The offense went out there and took care of business. It was a great team win.”

Despite the rout of UCLA, we still aren’t sure how much to attribute to Utah being dominant throughout or UCLA not being a good football team. We really won’t know just how good Utah truly is until they welcome the Red Raiders of Texas Tech to SLC on Sept. 20th in Week 4 of the season.

Nonetheless, Utah was impressive in its week one test enroute to its 43-10 victory. Find the full box score below.

Utah State 28 – UTEP 16

The Aggies ushered in the Bronco Mendenhall Era in style taking down the UTEP Miners at home in Logan. BYU Graduate Transfer RB Miles Davis scored on a 58-yard touchdown run in the first quarter for his third career rushing touchdown and first since 2020. Davis gained 88 yards on 12 carries.

Despite Utah State being the only FBS team in the nation that did not return a single reception from its wide receiver group from last year, Bryson Barnes was 19-of-28 passing for 229 yards and one touchdown to give him 30 passing touchdowns in his career. Barnes also rushed for 29 yards on 15 carries and scored on a 12-yard run in the third quarter to give him nine rushing touchdowns in his career.

The Aggies were tasked with slowing down former 5-star recruit in Malachi Nelson. The defense was up to the task as Nelson went 22/34 with 1 TD and 1 INT that came from Noah Flores in the second quarter, which was the second of his career.

Mendenhall loved what he saw from his team postgame.

“I thought Bryson Barnes competed really well. Miles Davis, in terms of his all-purpose yards and the number of things he did, really gave us a great chance offensively. Noah Avinger, who came over from New Mexico had 11 tackles. He was the leading tackler. The quality of those two kids, they’re the exact type of young people that I want at Utah State. They’re bright, articulate, great leaders, excellent community members, good students, grateful to play college football and grateful to play it here. They’re great examples to those around them and having those two play the way they did couldn’t be more reflective of the direction I want the program to go in and with whom. It matters to me, especially here, and I think it needs to matter more in college football. I’m proud of my team and I’m happy for the community. With a new coach and new players coming in, I hope there’s hope. I’m grateful for the support. It’s beyond what I expected.”

Miles Davis gave credit to Mendenhall for preparing the team for week 1.

“I feel like we prepare like no other. I know everybody hears it about Bronco (Mendenhall), but this is the hardest program I’ve ever been a part of. These coaches push us to a limit that we didn’t know we have. Then when we reach that limit, they push us even further. Stepping out there with my brothers and knowing that the work that we put in together, it felt good seeing plays made because I know the work that we’ve done.”

Utah State improves to 4-0 all-time against UTEP, including a 2-0 home record and start its 2025 campaign 1-0 in the Mendenhall era. Find the full box score below.

Southern Utah 46 – Idaho State 24

Southern Utah’s offense lit up Eccles Coliseum in the 46-24 win over Idaho State, powered by standout performances across the board. Quarterback Bronson Barron was nearly flawless through the air, completing 19-of-25 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, the Thunderbirds dominated, led by Joshua Dye, who carried the ball 28 times for 180 yards and two scores, while Will Burns added an explosive element with 107 yards on just five carries, including a 72-yard touchdown burst. The receiving corps spread the wealth, with Shane Carr hauling in six passes for 77 yards, Gabe Nunez finding the end zone as part of his five-catch, 68-yard night, and Mark Bails chipping in a touchdown grab of his own. Together, the balanced attack overwhelmed the Bengals and set the tone for Southern Utah’s home opener.

The Thunderbirds will hit the road next Saturday, September 5, 2025, when they take on the Torreros in San Diego. That game will kick off at 7:00 p.m. MT and can be streamed on ESPN+.

 

Utah Tech 24 – N0. 7/8 UC Davis 31

Utah Tech gave No. 7/8 UC Davis all it could handle and more, but the Trailblazers could not stop a furious second half Aggie rally in a hard-fought 31-24 loss in the 2025 season opener on Saturday night at Greater Zion Stadium. UC Davis tallied 417 yards of total offense, with 234 of those yard coming in the final 23 minutes of the game. Pinnick threw for 253 yards on 21-of-31 passing and three touchdowns, while Fisher ran for 105 yards on 16 carries.

Weber State 10 – James Madison 45

The Wildcats battled throughout but were unable to overcome JMU’s balanced attack, as the Dukes rolled up 458 yards of total offense, including 313 on the ground. JMU averaged 7.1 yards per carry. Weber State had 158 yards of offense with 84 yards passing and 64 yards rushing. JMU also had 23 first downs and forced three Wildcat interceptions. In his first collegiate action, WSU sophomore transfer quarterback Jackson Gilkey was 10 of 24 passing for 84 yards and a touchdown. 

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