Here's why BYU junior running back LJ Martin chose to go through Senior Day activities Saturday although he still has a year of eligibility remaining.

What a regular season it was for BYU. The Cougars defied all expectations to finish 11-1, with the most recent victory coming Saturday against UCF on BYU's senior day. Kalani Sitake's squad will now head to Texas next week for the Big 12 championship game against Texas Tech.

The UCF Knights finished the 2025 season with a 5-7 record, including an 0-5 mark away from home. The final road loss came at BYU Saturday.

Against both Miami and Dayton, the Cougars’ tournament championship-winning path involved struggling in the first 20 minutes of play, going into halftime frustratingly behind before firing on all cylinders in the second half.

Bear Bachmeier threw for 289 yards and a touchdown to help No. 11 BYU beat UCF 41-21. LJ Martin added 95 yards and three touchdowns on the ground for the Cougars (11-1, 8-1 Big 12, No. 11 CFP), who clinched a spot in the Big 12 championship game next Saturday.

• You can watch BYU vs. UCF live for FREE with DirecTV (free trial), with Fubo (free trial), or streaming live on ESPN Unlimited ($29.99/month). When: 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET (11 a.m. MST) on Saturday, November 29.

Last December in the early days of the 2026 high school football recruiting cycle, the BYU football program received a commitment from Lehi star edge rusher Penisimani “PJ” Takitaki, the nephew of former Cougar star and current Minnesota Viking Sione Takitaki.

The University of Dayton men’s basketball team went 1-1 during Thanksgiving week at the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando.