Top Performers for BYU vs. Arkansas

BYU stormed back twice on Saturday night to defeat Arkansas 38-31 in a thriller. Which BYU Cougars stood out in the win? There were playmakers across the board.

The grades and some statistics are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Tyler Batty, DE

Make it three straight weeks for Batty on this list. Clearly, he is one of the biggest benefactors of the new Jay Hill scheme on defense. With 1.5 sacks in this game, facing an SEC offensive line, he now already has 2.5 on the young season.

He had 2.0 all last season in 12 games. He also added 1.5 tackles for loss and nine total tackles, a career high.

Eddie Heckard, CB

Heckard continues to be one of the most productive and talented corners BYU has had in recent memory. He did a little bit of everything against Arkansas, including getting a strip sack(!). Off a corner blitz, he sacked K.J. Jefferson and forced a fumble, which thwarted a comeback attempt by the Razorbacks late in the fourth quarter.

In coverage, he only allowed 17 yards and three catches in 47 snaps and had one pass broken up.

He is off to a strong start as a BYU Cougar.

Parker Kingston, WR

Call this the Kingston breakout party game. The Roy High School product did everything except drive the team bus (however, we cannot confirm nor deny he did). With BYU reeling, down 14-0 before anyone could blink or take a sip of Mountain Dew, BYU needed a spark. Aaron Roderick broke out his bag of tricks and called for a double pass. Kedon Slovis tossed a backwards pass across the field to Kingston, who delivered a beautiful ball downfield to Deion Smith, for a 37-yard touchdown pass.

Kingston also hauled in the game-tying touchdown pass from Slovis to make it 31-31 towards the end of the third quarter. He became just the ninth BYU player ever to catch and throw a touchdown in the same game.

LJ Martin, RB

What a revelation the true freshman running back has been. Martin has now been named the starter over his more experienced counterparts. It was easy to see why on the road in Arkansas.

Despite the run blocking struggles of the offensive line, Martin ran for 77 yards and two touchdowns. His first was a 45-yard score that tied the game up at 14.

Martin currently leads the team with 195 rushing yards. The second place back is Aidan Robbins, with 29.

Chase Roberts, WR

Even though he fumbled towards the end of the first half to give Arkansas some momentum, it would be negligent to not mention one of the greatest catches anyone has ever pulled off in a BYU uniform. Bravo, Chase.

Max Tooley, LB

If you are wondering how to make this “top performers” list, just get a sack and an interception. That is what Max Tooley did against Arkansas. Tooley’s interception late in the third quarter set up the game-tying touchdown for BYU. He earned the top pass rushing grade by any player among BYU’s front seven, at 68.9.