Friday night's Big 12 opener against CincinnatiThe Bearcats out-gained the Cougars 498 yards to 295, including 242 yards on the ground, and limited LJ Martin andto just 70 yards. BYU was just 4-of-11 on third-down conversions, and ran 31 fewer players.
It all came down to one line on the stat sheet: Cincinnati had two turnovers. The Cougars? None at all. BYU linebacker Max Tooley, who had a career-high 16 tackles in the win, knows a thing or two about interceptions; he had three last year, with two touchdowns. In a game where Cincinnati out-gained the Cougars 498 yards to 295 on offense, the key spark came on defense and special teams.
Martin added 66 yards on the ground and two touchdowns for the first time in the freshman's collegiate career. Brigham Young cornerback Marcus McKenzie tries to recover a muffed punt by Cincinnati wide receiver Braden Smith during the second half of a football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. BYU won 35-27. gunner-turned sparkplug Marcus McKenzieAfter the offense stalled and threatened to go three-and-out with a minute left in the third quarter, the freshman cornerback and all-state sprinter from Pine View raced downfield on a punt return.