The BYU Cougars offense helped them remain undefeated well into November and put together one of their best seasons in recent memory.
Here was how the BYU offense ranked last season in FBS:
Points per game: 31.2 (No. 40)
Rushing yards per game: 161.0 (No. 68)
Passing yards per game: 231.3 (No. 60)
Total yards per game: 392.3 (No. 59).
The Cougars expect to have five starters back. It was six, but the departure of quarterback Jake Retzlaff leaves a gigantic hole in the offense going into fall workouts. The Cougars will have a new starting quarterback when they host Portland State on Aug. 30.
Here are three offensive players to keep an eye on for the BYU Cougars.
RB L.J. Martin
With the departure of Retzlaff, the Cougars are likely to lean on Martin even more, at least to start the season.
Last year he wrapped up the season with an all-Big 12 honorable mention selection along with being named the Alamo Bowl offensive MVP in BYU’s win over Colorado.
He finished his second season with the Cougars rushing for 718 yards and seven touchdowns, while catching 10 passes for 98 yards and two scores. Those were all improvements over his first season at BYU in 2023.
With the quarterback competition likely to bleed late into fall workouts or even the start of the regular season, Martin needs to produce like an All-Big 12 back to take some of the pressure off.
WR Chase Roberts
Whoever wins the quarterback job, thank goodness Roberts is back to catch the football. The senior is coming off a fine season for the Cougars after catching 52 passes for 854 yards and four touchdowns.
Both College Football Network and Phil Steele named him a third-team all-Big 12 wide receiver last season. Statistically last season was a career high for him.
A pair of sophomores are expected to start around him in Cody Hagen and JoJo Phillips. They replace last season’s second- and third-most productive receivers on the team. So it will be up to Roberts — who had three 100-yard games a season ago — to pick up more slack early in the season.
C Bruce Mitchell
With two new tackles on either side, Mitchell’s consistency in the middle of the line will be paramount for both the edge blockers and the new quarterback.
He’s a returning starter, but relatively new to the offensive line. He started his career at BYU on the defensive line. But he never got much traction. He only started half of last year’s games, with his first start at center coming against Arizona in October.
His growth will be key for an offense that needs to run the ball more effectively in 2025. He’ll also be the one calling signals up front, so his recognition of defensive fronts will need to be more astute as well.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
