PROVO - No. 8 BYU delivered the kind of win that gets remembered in this sport, outlasting No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24 in the first top-10 matchup ever played at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
It was also BYU’s first victory over an Associated Press top-two team since the Cougars beat No. 1 Miami in 1990.
Bear Bachmeier was at the center of everything. He accounted for four touchdowns, throwing one, running for two and catching another, as BYU absorbed multiple second-half turnovers and still found a way to finish the job. The defense then slammed the door with a stop on the game’s final play.
BYU came out aggressive and cleanly set the tone on the opening possession. Bachmeier finished the drive with a five-yard rushing touchdown after repeatedly finding receivers open across the field. Notre Dame’s Boubacar Traore was ejected for targeting on the first drive after delivering a helmet-to-helmet hit on Bachmeier.
Traore’s exit mattered immediately. BYU’s offensive line took control from there, giving Bachmeier time to operate and helping open space in the run game.
The flashiest moment of the first half belonged to Aaron Roderick’s play-calling. He dialed up a trick play that turned into a wide receiver pass, with Kyler Kasper catching a lateral before throwing back to Bachmeier, who turned the screen into a 15-yard touchdown.
Notre Dame had a chance to trim the margin late in the half, but with six seconds left, Carr went to spike the ball after a first down and never controlled it. BYU recovered the ball, and after review it was ruled a fumble. That killed the Irish drive and left the Cougars up 11 at halftime.
The second half swung on special teams mistakes, and Notre Dame took advantage. Cannon DeVries muffed a punt, and later a fake field goal by the Cougars gave the Irish the ball in BYU territory. Even so, the BYU defense held Notre Dame to two field goals on the sequence.
Notre Dame finally grabbed the lead in the fourth quarter when Jonaz Walton scored on a three-yard rushing touchdown and then added the two-point conversion to make it a three-point game.
BYU answered the pressure with defense first, forcing a critical stop after Bachmeier threw an interception and giving the offense one more shot.
That last possession delivered the winner. Bachmeier found Walker Lyons for a six-yard touchdown with 1:47 remaining, pushing BYU back in front.
Notre Dame still had one last chance. On fourth-and-5 from the BYU 14 with 10 seconds left, the Irish converted to give themselves a final play, but Carr’s pass fell incomplete. BYU walked away with its biggest regular season win in program history.
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Rece Davis Turns BYU Win Into Bigger Officiating Fight
The fallout from BYUs win over Notre Dame kept moving well after the final whistle, with ESPNs Rece Davis taking aim at the officiating mistake that ended the game with the Irish out of time for one last snap. The Big 12 later acknowledged the error, saying one second should have remained on the clock and promising a review of the replay officiating process, which only added to the sense that the finish was about more than just one result.
Davis also tied the episode into a broader conversation that has been simmering around the College Football Playoff expansion debate, using the clock mishap as another example of why the sport keeps getting pulled into bigger questions about fairness and control. For BYU, the win stands, but the way it ended has ensured the discussion will linger well beyond one Saturday night. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Got The Statement Win Fans Dreamed About
Bear Bachmeier gave BYU the kind of all-around performance that can change the way a season feels, helping the Cougars outlast Notre Dame in a 28-24 win that should resonate well beyond one Saturday. The sophomore quarterback was effective as a passer and a runner, and the offense found another steady presence in tight end Walker Lyons, who kept showing up as a reliable target when the game tightened up.
The result pushed BYU all the way to No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25, a sign of how much national respect the Cougars earned with the victory. For a team trying to prove it belongs in the top tier, the bigger question now is how this performance carries over, because statement wins only matter if they become part of a pattern. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Turned The Big 12 Race Into Something Much Bigger
A wild Saturday across college football sent the AP poll into a spin, and BYU found itself at the center of it. Five of the top seven teams lost on the same day for the first time in the history of the poll, a shakeup driven by results all over the country as Miami moved to No. 1 after a double-overtime win against Florida State and the Cougars climbed to No. 2 after upsetting Notre Dame.
The bigger picture for BYU is how much larger its season has suddenly become. What had been a strong run inside the Big 12 now comes with national relevance, especially after a slate that also saw Ohio State beat Indiana, Tennessee knock off Alabama, Florida upset Texas and Auburn topple Georgia. The rankings changed fast, and with them the spotlight on a BYU team that has turned a conference race into something far more consequential. [Read more 🡒]