The celebration in Provo was rolling before the sun was fully up for “College GameDay,” and it somehow got bigger by nightfall.
No. 8 BYU finished off a stunning 28-24 win over No.
2 Notre Dame on Saturday, with Bear Bachmeier finding Walker Lyons in the end zone with 1:47 remaining to put the Cougars in front for good. BYU then held on through a frantic finish, surviving repeated fourth-down pressure from the Irish to pull off just the second victory over a top-2 opponent in program history.
The Cougars looked in control for long stretches early. They came out with an 11-play, 75-yard opening drive, capped by a 5-yard rushing touchdown from Bachmeier.
After Notre Dame answered with two scoring drives to grab a 10-7 edge, BYU shifted back into command in the second quarter. Bachmeier and Kyler Kasper pulled off a double pass, with Kasper tossing it back to the BYU quarterback for a 15-yard receiving touchdown.
BYU added another score before halftime, and Notre Dame had a chance to take a bite out of the lead in the final seconds of the second quarter. Carr appeared to spike the ball right at the edge of the goal line in an attempt to stop the clock, but the play was ruled a fumble after review, giving BYU possession. At minimum, the Irish lost a chip-shot field goal opportunity - and that missed chance loomed even larger later.
Because the second half flipped the script.
Notre Dame capitalized on a muffed punt and a failed fake punt to score 14 straight points and surge ahead 24-21 with 9:31 left. BYU’s first-half flow disappeared, and for a while the Cougars looked stuck. Then Bachmeier led the drive that changed everything, guiding a 10-play, 55-yard march that ended with the throw to Lyons that put BYU back on top.
From there, the defense finished the job. Notre Dame kept converting on fourth down, but BYU finally forced the last throw to fall incomplete in the end zone.
Bachmeier ended with 224 passing yards, 45 rushing yards and four total touchdowns. He set the tone early and gave BYU a first-half cushion against a defense that had entered the day ranked No. 1 nationally in opponent yards per game at 214.
Instead, the Cougars piled up 229 yards in the first half alone. Bachmeier had 143 passing yards, two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown by intermission, and he did it without star running back LJ Martin. The first half may have been his sharpest of the season, especially with the opponent across the field.
The second half was messier. With about 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Bachmeier had managed just 16 passing yards after halftime and had also thrown an interception. But he still delivered when the game demanded it most.
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr never looked settled early, and BYU’s defense made him work for nearly everything. Carr missed some routine throws and struggled with consistency as the Cougars crowded the box and challenged him to beat them through the air. The Irish found a better rhythm after halftime, but Carr still finished with 261 passing yards and zero total touchdowns.
BYU also gave Notre Dame help along the way. The muffed punt handed the Irish a fresh opportunity, and they turned it into 3 points. Later, deep in its own territory, BYU tried to go for it on fourth down by rushing with its punter, and Notre Dame shut it down quickly before adding another 3 points.
Those errors could have buried the Cougars. Instead, BYU found enough answers to keep its biggest win of the season from slipping away.
Up next, BYU travels to UCF next Saturday. The time and broadcast channel have not yet been announced.
In Other News...
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 🡒]