Colorado State has scored five touchdowns of 50 yards or longer in two games. BYU just held Arizona to 87 yards after halftime.
That is the argument waiting inside Saturday’s television listing.
No. 11 BYU visits Colorado State at 5:30 p.m. Mountain on CBS, with a live stream available through the Paramount+ Premium plan. Both teams are 2-0. Both quarterbacks have accounted for at least eight touchdowns. The Rams have been more explosive than any offense BYU has faced this season, while the Cougars bring the first defense that can make those September numbers answer hard questions.
BYU-Colorado State watch information
| Game detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Matchup | No. 11 BYU at Colorado State |
| Date | Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026 |
| Kickoff | 5:30 p.m. MDT |
| Venue | Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium, Fort Collins, Colorado |
| TV | CBS |
| Streaming | Paramount+ with the Premium plan; CBS Sports live and the CBS Sports app may require TV-provider authentication |
| BYU radio | Direct BYU Radio broadcast, BYU Radio football hub, KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM or SiriusXM 166 |
| Live stats | Colorado State StatBroadcast hub |
| Tickets | Colorado State ticket portal |
| Permanent game page | BYU-Colorado State game center |
BYU’s official event record lists 2026-09-19 at 23:30 UTC, which converts to 5:30 p.m. MDT in Fort Collins and Utah. BYU Athletics, Colorado State Athletics, CBS Sports and Paramount+ all publish the same start.
The Paramount+ listing specifies the Premium plan. Fans using CBS Sports online should expect provider or market restrictions and should confirm access before kickoff. The BYU Radio page is the direct audio destination for the game.
The five long touchdowns are the first checkpoint
Colorado State’s 2-0 start has not been built through small gains alone. The Rams are tied for the national lead with five plays of at least 50 yards and are one of two teams with three plays of at least 70, according to their official game-week notes.
The Southern Utah game showed the whole problem in one half. Hauss Hejny hit Caleb Ross for a 68-yard touchdown on Colorado State’s second offensive play. Mel Brown broke runs of 80 and 73 yards, the latter for a score. Hejny later added a 75-yard touchdown run. The Rams scored 48 first-half points and finished with 678 yards in a 58-24 win.
Those numbers need context. Southern Utah also gained 442 yards and produced 11 explosive plays against Colorado State. The Rams were dangerous, not airtight. Their offense can turn a missed fit into a touchdown, and their defense has allowed opponents through the first layer often enough for BYU to answer in kind.
The useful early count is not total yards. It is clean tackles after the first completion or cut.
BYU allowed Arizona 240 first-half yards last week. The Cougars then held the Wildcats to 87 after halftime and minus-2 rushing yards. Tausili Akana’s late pressure helped finish the 28-17 win, but the correction began earlier: the defense stopped letting ordinary runs become favorable downs.
Colorado State tests that repair with more speed. Hejny can keep the ball. Brown can turn a crease into the far end zone. Receivers block downfield well enough to extend short throws. One defender arriving at the right gap will not be enough if the next player misses.
Hejny has forced his way into the quarterback conversation
Bear Bachmeier enters with six passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and no interceptions. He has completed 32 of 46 passes for 415 yards. His start has already earned a Big 12 weekly award and a separate road-test analysis.
Hejny’s line is louder: 41 completions in 63 attempts, 539 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns and one interception. He has also used his legs, including 85 rushing yards against Southern Utah. Colorado State says he has accounted for 10 touchdowns in two games.
| Quarterback through two games | Bear Bachmeier | Hauss Hejny |
|---|---|---|
| Completions-attempts | 32-46 | 41-63 |
| Passing yards | 415 | 539 |
| Passing touchdowns | 6 | 9 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 1 |
| Total touchdowns | 8 | 10 |
The table does not make this a quarterback duel in which every score needs an immediate answer. In fact, that is the trap for BYU.
Colorado State has forced eight turnovers, four in each win. The Rams turned a third interception against Wyoming into the start of three straight touchdown drives, then used another four takeaways against Southern Utah. Bachmeier’s best road trait may be his willingness to leave a covered throw alone.
BYU can slow the game with LJ Martin and the offensive line. Martin carried 20 times for 98 yards against Arizona. Colorado State allowed Southern Utah to rush for 206 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown. The Cougars do not need to race Hejny if they can keep the Rams’ defense on the field and make it tackle through a full possession.
BYU’s linebacker adjustment cannot miss the first snap
Siale Esera is absent from BYU’s current depth chart after leaving the Arizona game. Kalani Sitake said Monday that Esera was more than likely to miss Colorado State, while describing the undisclosed injury as non-season-ending.
Isaiah Glasker moves into the listed rover spot, with Jake Clifton behind him. Our linebacker-depth analysis covers why that is more complicated than replacing one name. Glasker, Cade Uluave, Nusi Taumoepeau and Clifton have to sort Hejny’s keeper threat without opening Brown’s lane or losing receivers behind the second level.
That assignment is most dangerous before the defense settles. Colorado State led Southern Utah 14-0 after 99 seconds. A forced fumble created the second short field. BYU spent more than 12 minutes of the first quarter on defense against Arizona and trailed 17-14 at halftime.
Two slow starts can look completely different. Arizona squeezed the clock. Colorado State can blow it open.
BYU does not need a new scheme for every formation. It needs the first handoff, motion exchange and quarterback escape communicated cleanly enough that Colorado State has to run another play. Forcing the Rams into eight- and ten-play drives would remove the easiest part of their offense.
Canvas Stadium gets its biggest ranked visitor
Colorado State drew 40,548 for its 35-13 rivalry win over Wyoming, a Canvas Stadium record. The Rams say BYU is the highest-ranked team to play in the stadium since it opened.
This is also BYU’s first road game of the season. The Cougars have played two Saturdays in Provo, where Bachmeier could use a friendly operation and the defense could make halftime corrections without fighting an away crowd. Fort Collins changes the communication test even before the opponent does.
Colorado State is 2-0 for the first time since 2011. The current team did not earn anything from that old season, but the crowd will understand the opportunity: an unbeaten regional opponent, a national CBS window and a chance to end the program’s long drought against ranked teams.
BYU has a better roster and the stronger defensive receipt. It also has enough warning. The Rams have already shown they can create a turnover, hit a long play and stack touchdowns before a game finds its normal rhythm.
What would travel for BYU
The Cougars do not need to turn Colorado State’s 678-yard game into a track meet. Three details would give them the calmer path:
- Make the first tackler useful. Even slowing Brown or Hejny long enough for pursuit can turn a 70-yard threat into a normal gain.
- Keep Bachmeier out of rescue mode. A punt is survivable; the ninth Colorado State takeaway would be much more expensive.
- Let Martin make the Rams defend the middle of the field repeatedly. Southern Utah’s rushing success says those snaps are available.
If BYU handles those jobs, its defensive depth and fourth-quarter experience should matter more than Colorado State’s opening burst. If the Cougars miss tackles and chase the scoreboard, the crowd and takeaway pressure become part of every snap.
BYU has a bye next week before visiting TCU on Oct. 3. Colorado State travels to UTSA on Sept. 26. The football schedule keeps the remaining kickoff and network information together, and the results page will retain Saturday’s final after the broadcast ends.
Sources and further reading
- BYU Athletics: official event record 24742 for the stable schedule ID, UTC start, venue, location, away designation and scheduled status.
- BYU Athletics: Colorado State game-week hub for BYU’s official matchup file and No. 11 ranking.
- BYU Athletics: Arizona recap and finalized WMT statistics for BYU’s 28-17 result, second-half defensive split and current individual/team totals.
- BYU Athletics: television announcement for the national CBS selection and 5:30 p.m. Mountain kickoff.
- BYU Radio: direct game broadcast for the official live radio destination.
- Colorado State Athletics: official game-week page for independent kickoff, venue, CBS, live-stats and ticket confirmation plus the Rams’ two-game notes.
- Colorado State Athletics: Southern Utah recap and Monday press conference report for the 58-24 final, 678 yards, explosive plays, Hejny/Brown production, pass-protection context and defensive vulnerabilities.
- Colorado State Athletics: Wyoming recap for the 35-13 opener, four takeaways, quarterback line and 40,548 attendance.
- Paramount+: official BYU-Colorado State watch page for the CBS simulcast, 7:30 p.m. Eastern listing and Premium-plan requirement.
- KSL Sports: BYU road-opener watch guide for independent confirmation of CBS Sports App access, KSL frequencies, SiriusXM 166 and the BYU radio crew.
- Colorado State University: official colors for the green, gold and white palette used in the original matchup art.
- BYU Sport Nuts: Colorado State game center, football schedule, Arizona recap and Bachmeier road-test analysis.
