Ten minutes after BYU finished off Notre Dame, the Cougars were already acting like the postseason was bigger than a bowl bid.
At 6-0, they’re eligible for one. The email went out fast, letting fans know they could request postseason tickets.
But after No. 8 BYU took down No.
2 Notre Dame, that felt like the smallest possible way to frame what happened in Provo.
This was the kind of win that blows the ceiling off a season. It was BYU’s biggest regular-season victory since, well, ever, and it immediately put the College Football Playoff into the conversation. When the AP poll comes out Sunday, the Cougars are expected to be a top-three team, and they might even pick up some No. 1 votes.
For BYU, this was only the second win over a top-two opponent in school history. The moment the Notre Dame pass fell incomplete in the end zone, LaVell Edwards Stadium turned into a blue rush in an instant. The grass disappeared under the crowd, and the field became unusable in seconds.
It was loud. It was chaotic. It was exactly the kind of scene that makes a night like this feel unreal.
“This was probably the most incredible moment of my life, really,” said BYU linebacker Cade Uluave. “After the last play and everyone was rushing the field, I literally just fell to my knees and started crying.
It means a lot. That’s why I came to BYU to experience moments like this.”
The game itself had the full drama package. BYU led 21-10 at halftime, then watched Notre Dame take control in the second half with 14 unanswered points and a 24-21 lead.
That’s when Bear Bachmeier stepped in and authored the drive that will hang around BYU lore for a long time. He finished it by hitting Walker Lyons for the touchdown that put the Cougars back on top with 1:47 left.
Notre Dame still had a chance. The Irish drove the field and got one last crack at the end zone, but CJ Carr’s final throw fell incomplete.
BYU also caught a break on the clock. In a statement from the Big 12, there should have been one more second left after Carr’s incompletion, which would have given Notre Dame another shot.
It didn’t matter in the end. Cougar fans were already flooding the field, and there was no putting that moment back in the bottle.
Kalani Sitake said he’d happily trade some of that edge for a little less drama next time.
“It took all the way until the bitter end for us to get that win,” said Sitake. “It added to the drama and the storming of the field, stuff like that, but I want some boring wins.
That’s my job. I got to make sure we get that.”
For Sitake, the night carried extra weight. He grew up as a BYU fan, and he sounded like someone who knew exactly what the scene meant.
“So much gratitude … why do I get to be the one that gets to be the head coach and have the best seat in the house,” he said. “I just have a lot of really good people around me that sacrificed for me to be here. I am the result of a lot of hard work and sacrifice.”
Bachmeier made sure his own night had a sharp edge, too. He threw for 224 yards, ran for 45 more and had a hand in all four BYU touchdowns.
Then he made his feelings clear.
“Kalani won’t like this because I am talking about myself, but out of high school, Notre Dame disrespected me and my family pretty badly,” he said. “I wasn’t going to lose to those guys. There was no way I was going to lose to those guys tonight.”
He didn’t go into the details when asked.
“I shouldn’t have said that, but there were some receipts kept and man, I’m glad we won,” he said.
So were the tens of thousands inside LaVell Edwards Stadium. And now BYU gets to keep chasing something much bigger than a bowl trip.
In Other News...
BYUs UCF Test Suddenly Looks Very Different At Quarterback
UCFs quarterback picture for the BYU game has shifted enough to change how the matchup should be viewed heading into the week. Alonza Barnett III, who has been working back from a hamstring injury, is reportedly not expected to start, and coach Scott Frost has made it clear the staff is taking a careful approach with his recovery. Steve Cooper said Barnett has returned to practice on a limited basis, but his status remains up in the air.
For BYU, that adds a new layer to a road test that already had plenty of intrigue. Preparing for one quarterback is one thing, but the Cougars now have to account for a situation that could look different by kickoff, depending on how UCF handles Barnetts availability. Frosts emphasis on avoiding a setback suggests the Knights are thinking long term, even if that leaves some uncertainty for a game that suddenly feels a little less settled. [Read more 🡒]
Bear Bachmeiers Breakout Just Took A Strange Turn After BYUs Upset
Bear Bachmeiers rise went from the center of BYUs biggest win of the season to an unexpected conversation topic almost as soon as the Cougars left the field. After helping BYU knock off No. 2 Notre Dame, 28-24, and move to 6-0, the freshman quarterback suddenly found himself attached to a broadcast-side anecdote that had little to do with the upset itself and a lot to do with how quickly his name is spreading beyond Provo.
The odd detour comes on the heels of Bachmeier also saying Notre Dame disrespected him and his family during his recruitment, adding another layer to a story that already had enough emotion wrapped around it. BYU has the kind of marquee win that can change the tone of a season, but in Bachmeiers case, the attention now extends well beyond the football field, with one loose, unconfirmed comment threatening to become part of the fallout from an otherwise statement-making night. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Crowd Watched One Student Turn Pregame Nerves Into A Fortune
Long before the first snaps of the night, one BYU student turned a routine pregame promotion into the kind of scene people at LaVell Edwards Stadium wont forget soon. Carter Smith, 21, stepped into Pat McAfees Kicking Is Easy contest and came through on his second field goal attempt, a pressure-packed swing that suddenly made him the center of attention for everyone in the building.
The result was life-changing, with Smith walking away $3 million richer and instantly drawing widespread recognition. Even with that kind of windfall, his plans remain grounded in the classroom and beyond it, as he intends to keep working toward his education and a future career in dentistry. [Read more 🡒]