5 BYU football players to know on Saturday against Iowa State

AMES — Iowa State — like most teams — loves being doubted.

If there’s no external force putting a chip on the now-unranked Cyclones’ collective shoulders, they’ll find a way to place one there themselves.

So Las Vegas oddsmakers may have done ISU (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) a disservice by making them 2.5-point favorites (as of Monday afternoon) against No. 11 BYU (7-0, 3-0), which comes to Jack Trice Stadium for Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. homecoming football game that will be broadcast on Fox.

The Cougars are coming off a stirring, 24-21, home win over archival Utah in the so-called “Holy War” rivalry, but on paper at least, the Cyclones seem poised to bounce back from two straight one-score losses on the road to No. 21 Cincinnati and Colorado.

ISU got healthier in its second bye week that immediately followed the loss to the Buffaloes and head coach Matt Campbell hinted that starting kicker Kyle Konrardy could be back to face the Cougars. He’s missed the past three games with a hip injury — and fans should get more clarity on his situation when Campbell meets the media on Tuesday.

But regardless of how that shakes out, plenty of intriguing elements already exist for Saturday’s matchup, so here are five of many BYU players to know:

QB Bear Bachmeier

The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder doesn’t look like a true freshman from a physical and performance perspective — and his ability to run the ball will likely cause problems for the Cyclones.

Bachmeier, who enrolled at Stanford in the spring but transferred to BYU, has rushed for 359 yards and a team-best eight touchdowns this season. He’s also been successful through the air, compiling a 9-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio while completing 62.7 percent of his passes.

Bachmeier has averaged 73.5 yards rushing in the past four games, and sprinted for a 22-yard score with 4:22 left against the Utes that essentially sealed that rivalry win.

LB Isaiah Glasker

The athletic 6-5, 240-pound junior forms a potent duo at his position with senior standout Jack Kelly, who leads the Cougars in sacks with five.

Glasker — a South Jordan, Utah native — ranks second on the team in the tackles with 31, and also has two sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble. His 6.5 tackles for loss are only topped by Kelly’s 7.5, and he leads the Cougars with four quarterback hurries.

Glasker led BYU in tackles last season with 70, and also snared a team-high-tying three interceptions, so both he and Kelly have strong established track records in terms of their playmaking abilities.

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RB LJ Martin

Martin, like injured ISU star cornerback Jeremiah Cooper, hails from El Paso, Texas, and he’s been a fixture in the Cougars’ backfield for three seasons.

The 6-2, 220-pound junior’s already set a career high for rushing yards this season with 774 and has eclipsed the 100-yard mark on the ground on five of BYU’s seven wins this season.

Martin also is a pass-catching threat out of the back field, totaling 11 receptions for 82 yards this season. He’s a true workhorse, and along with Bachmeier, has made BYU’s rushing attack the 10th-most prolific in the nation at 232.9 yards per game.

WR Chase Roberts

The 6-4, 210-pound senior from Highland, Utah, has been a standout star for four seasons.

He’s notched at least one 100-yard receiving game in each of those years and is averaging a career-best 19.3 yards per reception. Roberts leads the Cougars with 463 receiving yards and his four touchdown catches are one off his single-season career high.

The avid outdoorsman is a preseason all-Big 12 selection and his father, Kyle, played defensive back for BYU, so he’s carrying a family legacy. Roberts has totaled just four catches in the past two games — but one of those was an important touchdown grab in last week’s win over Utah.

WR Parker Kingston

The 5-11, 185-pound junior is one of two active FBS players to both catch and throw touchdown passes in multiple career games.

Kingston ranks second on the team in receiving yards (383) and touchdown receptions (tied with tight end Carsen Ryan with two). He’s also 0-for-4 as a passer this season, but boasts three career touchdown throws, so he’ll always be a threat on trick plays — including on Saturday in Ames.

Comments: robgray18@icloud.com