Wildcats look ahead to BYU’s high-powered offense after stymieing NAU

The Arizona Wildcats defense put on a clinic against NAU on Saturday, holding the Lumberjacks to seven points, and an even more impressive -7 total rushing yards.

The defense clicking as quickly as it did was an encouraging sign considering the amount of turnover the roster has endured from last season to now.

The Wildcats’ heads have since turned toward BYU, as they look to continue their defensive momentum against one of the more explosive offenses in the country.

“When you play these guys, you know it’s going to be a physical game,” Arizona head coach Brent Brennan told reporters. “Then their running back is a total stud.”

BYU’s running back LJ Martin is the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, and he’ll present an extremely tough early-season test for the Wildcats.

Last season, Martin rushed the ball for 1,305 yards on 236 carries with 12 touchdowns to boot. He also recorded 120 all-purpose yards per game, which was good for 13th in the country.

“He’s powerful, he can finish runs and he’s hard to bring down,” Brennan said. “We have to get the population to the football, just one guy isn’t going to bring him down.”

Besides Martin, BYU has quarterback Bear Bachmeier, who passed for 3,033 yards and 15 touchdowns as a freshman last season. Bachmeier started off hot last week as well, putting up 198 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 63-7 win over Utah Tech.

Last season, BYU won the matchup against the Wildcats in overtime, 33-27.

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