Faletau Satuala had his best game in BYU blue as established defense carries offense

PROVO — Up to that point, Faletau Satuala had a somewhat quiet night, or at least as quiet as a game with four tackles, one tackle for loss, and a safety can be in BYU's defense.

But moments after Stanford had driven 67 yards on 15 plays in just over 8 minutes of game time to kick a 26-yard field goal — the first points allowed by BYU's defense in 2025 — the sophomore from Bountiful High was called upon again.

And this one wasn't quiet.

Satuala hauled in Ben Gulbranson's pass to the right side of the field at the 14-yard line, returned it a short 24 yards, and forced the third turnover to help the Cougars seal the 27-3 win in front of a sellout home crowd Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

A shutout would've been nice, Satuala admitted. But the main thing remained the main thing.

"It would've been great to have a shutout," he said. "But being able to get out of those plays and only allow 3 points is great for the defense, I would say.

"Obviously, it would've been great to keep the shutout. But (winning is) not bad either."

Satuala's biggest play of the game came much earlier, when the sophomore safety came off his zone coverage near the goal line to bring down Stanford's Marcus Brown in the end zone fo the Cougars' first safety since 2022.

It was part of an 8-point second quarter for the Cougars, whose perfectly normal 14-0 halftime lead came through a touchdown, missed 2-point conversion, two of Will Ferrin's four field goals on the night, and Satuala's safety that got a little help from linebacker Jack Kelly.

The sophomore who had nine tackles, an interception and a pass defended in 12 games as a true freshman earned a career-high 90.5 grade by Pro Football Focus, including a team-high 89.8 in 24 pass coverage snaps.

"I definitely had probably one of my best games in college," the former four-star prospect and U.S. Army All-American said. "But still a lot to improve on. It was a lot of fun to be able to play and make plays tonight."

Three of BYU's four highest-graded players by PFF were defensive players, including Kelly and defensive lineman Logan Lutui, who finished with a team-high 81.4 score against the run from his six tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

But Satuala's inclusion in only his second season of college football is notable.

"The game definitely feels a lot slower than last year," Satuala said. "Coming in, I was just a freshman and only understood what free safety was doing.

"I've learned all of the strong safety stuff," he added, "and that has helped me to know the rest of the defense as well as what my job is. Being in the program for a year, getting bigger, faster and stronger has definitely helped me to make more plays and feel more confident making plays."

While BYU's offense tries to find its footing under a true freshman quarterback — one in Bear Bachmeier who commands dual-threat respect with 272 yards and three touchdowns through the air and 39 yards and three scores on the ground in two games, but also lacks consistency and polish common to a more experienced veteran.

The 6-foot-2 former four-star prospect is a 63.2% passer, but only attempted 38 throws in his first two games.

Meanwhile, the Cougars' defense has proven up to the task of carrying the load — for now.

Of particular note is BYU's run defense, which has allowed a cumulative 14 yards through two games, including holding down Stanford running back Micah Ford to 21 yards on 12 carries two weeks after he went for 113 against Hawaii.

"I think the game plan is a huge part of that; coach Hill does a great job getting us ready throughout the week," said Kelly, the former Weber State standout from Kearns. "And then being there for each other. We play for something bigger than ourselves, which is each other. I think that helps us come together and rally."

The stout run defense can also leave openings on the back end, but Satuala — along with starting safeties Tanner Wall and Raider Damuni, playing alongside converted nickel Tommy Prassas — have been up to the challenge.

Satuala also credited a corner blitz package from the group led by cornerbacks Tre Alexander and Evan Johnson, specifically for his interception.

"We were disguising all night, giving the quarterback different looks," Satuala said.

BYU is off next week before traveling to East Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 20.

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