PROVO — If Saturday night’s season opener against an FCS opponent is any indicator, BYU freshman Legend Glasker might actually live up to his namesake.

Bear Bachmeier completed 16-of-20 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns, and Glasker scored three touchdowns in his first collegiate game to lead the 14th-ranked Cougars to a 63-7 win over Utah Tech in the 2026 season opener at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

BYU (1-0) capitalized on four turnovers, including with interceptions by Tre Alexander, Evan Johnson and Mathias Leach and a fumble recovery by Tausili Akana while totaling 521 yards of offense.

Glasker, though, stole several headlines from an opener filled with them. If he didn’t plan it that way, he at least dreamed of it

“Coming into the game, I really wanted to score,” Glasker admitted. “Three (touchdowns) was a surprise, but before the game I put it in God’s hands — and that’s what he wanted to happen for me. I’m blessed.”

Leach also had a team high-tying four tackles to lead the Cougars’ defense, and Cal transfer Cade Uluave posted two of BYU’s four tackles for loss.

BYU held Utah Tech (0-2) out of the end zone until Ace Chatman capped a 15-play, 75-yard drive over 7:45 in the third quarter with a 1-yard TD plunge.

By then, the Trailblazers trailed 56-7 with 4:45 left in the third quarter and several starters — including Glasker — had rotated out with the reserves. Chatman finished with a team-high 38 yards on 12 carries for a Utah Tech offense that averaged 3.3 yards per play for 184 yards.

Eleven BYU players caught a total of 17 passes, including one from backup quarterback Treyson Bourguet and a pair of grabs by former four-star tight end transfers Walker Lyons (2 catches, 22 yards) and Roger Saleapaga II (2 catches, 23 yards).

Oregon transfer Kyler Kasper led the group with four catches for 42 yards, while Glaser’s 65 yards and two receiving touchdowns on three catches led for yardage.

“I told you guys, don’t worry about the receiver room,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake told reporters after the game. “Fesi (Sitake, wide receivers coach) knows what he’s doing there. He saw the capabilities of what Legend can do, and also what the other receivers can do.

“We happened to make a lot of plays for him tonight,” the 11th-year head coach added. “But there was talent all over the place in that room. I’m really proud of the way they block, more than anything.”

BYU out-gained the visitors with 114 yards to 8 en route to a 358-52 advantage at halftime. Glasker had 65 yards and two touchdowns on three catches, and added 16 yards and rushing score in his first collegiate game.

But he had help, too.

Alexander picked off CJ Tiller on the first play of the game, and Glasker scored the first touchdown of his freshman campaign on a 9-yard run five plays later to give the Cougars a lead they would never relinquish.

Bachmeier completed 16-of-20 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, and also ran for a 13-yard score that put the Cougars up, 42-0 at the break.

The sophomore found the freshman three times for 65 yards and a score, and Glasker added 16 yards on two carries including the touchdown five offensive plays into his rookie season.

Preston Rex cashed in another turnover — this time, an interception by Johnson — with a 9-yard scoring run that stretched the advantage to 28-0 with 11:22 left in the half.

Glasker completed the first-half hat trick, going long for a 33-yard touchdown grab from Bachmeier to cap a 5-play, 66-yard drive with 7:47 left in the half for a 35-0 lead before Bachmeier’s first-half sealing touchdown with 34 seconds on the clock.

“After the first one, I was like, I’ve got to get another,” Glasker said with a smile. “And then the third one surprised me, to be honest. But I’m blessed; I’m happy.”

That wasn’t all, though.

Cannon DeVries returned the opening kick to the second half 100 yards for a touchdown, and Journee Tonga finished off a 3-play, 55-yard drive that included a 34-yard run with a 4-yard touchdown of his own with 12:30 left in the third.

“Once I said it open up, it was all out from there,” said DeVries, who returned five interceptions, two punts and one kickoff for touchdowns at Weber High. “I’ve always dreamed of scoring on a return here at LES. To make it happen was something I can’t describe.”

Devaughn Eka finished off the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown run to open the fourth quarter as the freshman from Lehi finished with a game-high 59 yards on eight carries.

BYU opens Big 12 play next Saturday, hosting Arizona at LaVell Edwards Stadium (1:30 p.m. MT, FOX).

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.