Notre Dame knows what Saturday in Provo is supposed to feel like.
The primetime spotlight is coming. So is “College GameDay.”
LaVell Edwards Stadium should be loud. The opponent is ranked in the top 10.
For BYU, that kind of stage is the headliner. For Notre Dame, it’s closer to familiar territory.
Irish coach Marcus Freeman had already worked through the usual checklist - the travel, the altitude, the challenge of slowing Bear Bachmeier - when he was asked about dealing with crowd noise. His answer came back to a simple point: execution.
“It’s going to be about execution, right?” Freeman said.
“Like, we got to have a great plan for the crowd noise, and we got to prepare for it. We got to make sure that we’re ready for it.
But your execution really dictates how loud and not loud it gets.”
Freeman then made clear this is the kind of setting Notre Dame expects to live in.
“This isn’t something new to us. … This is what we do.
I’m serious,” he said. “Like, this is what Notre Dame football does.
We go into different places, and it’s a big game - that’s what we expect. That’s why we’re here.
That’s why we choose to come to Notre Dame. We love this.
I love it. They love it.
This is exactly why we’re at Notre Dame.”
That mindset has been echoed inside the program all week. Offensive lineman Guerby Lambert said the atmosphere is part of the appeal, not a distraction.
“Obviously, it’s going to be a cool experience - it’s just stuff you dream about as a kid - but at the end of the day, we are Notre Dame,” Lambert said. “I don’t mean that in a cocky way, but, like, we go into every away game and home game expecting a huge atmosphere.”
Notre Dame has the résumé to back up that comfort level. The Irish are just two years removed from the national championship game. They’re used to being part of the sport’s biggest stages.
Still, there’s a hard number hanging over this trip: Notre Dame has lost seven straight true road games against top-10 teams. The last win came in 2012 at Oklahoma.
Under Freeman, the Irish are 0-3 in true road games against top-10 opponents, including last season’s loss at No. 10 Miami, a defeat that helped keep Notre Dame out of the College Football Playoff.
So yes, Saturday is a test.
Freeman didn’t shy away from that. He called BYU the toughest opponent Notre Dame has seen so far.
“This is going to be, on paper, the best opponent we’re going to see to date,” Freeman said. “It shows with the record, it shows with the ranking, and so let’s go play against the best in their home field, in their stadium, in their environment where it’s us against everybody.
“I kind of like it. Obviously I love playing at home, but there’s something about going on the road when it’s us against everybody, and it makes you say, ‘Okay, we got to do this thing together.’
And I love it. I mean, I love it.
They love it because they’re competitors. We want to play against the best, and this is the best.”
The player Notre Dame has zeroed in on most is Bachmeier, the BYU quarterback Freeman described as a dual-threat problem with real size.
“He’s the real deal,” Freeman said. “He’s big, like, he’s big, like will-try-to-run-you-over big, but he also can throw.”
Cornerback DJ McKinney knows that firsthand. He has faced BYU in each of the last three seasons, twice with Oklahoma State and once with Colorado, including the Cougars’ 24-21 win over the Buffaloes last season. In that game, Bachmeier threw for 179 yards and two touchdowns and ran 15 times for 98 yards.
“He’s a big dude,” McKinney said. “First time, I kind of got a feel for how his play style is.
He really likes to run the ball and then take shots. So it’s gonna be a fun matchup.”
In Other News...
BYU Suddenly Has A Notre Dame Backfield Decision To Make
BYU got a notable backfield development this week when second-string running back Sione Moa was medically cleared to play and took part in practice ahead of the matchup with Notre Dame, according to offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick. Moa had been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in the season opener and undergoing surgery in September, so his return after five weeks points to a recovery that appears to have moved faster than many might have expected.
Sione Moas availability still isnt settled, though, and the Cougars are weighing whether he is ready for the physical demands that come with this particular game. For a BYU offense that could use added depth in the backfield, his status adds a real layer of intrigue heading into a high-profile test, with the staff having to decide how much to lean on a player who is back on the field but not yet a sure thing for Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Clayton Young Just Gave BYU Fans A Stunning Reason To Celebrate
Less than a month after nursing a hamstring injury, Clayton Young gave BYU fans plenty to smile about at the Chicago Marathon. The former Cougar delivered a personal best, finished seventh overall and led all Americans in 2:05:23, turning in one of the most eye-catching performances by a U.S. runner in recent memory.
Young came up just short of the American record held by his training partner Conner Mantz, but the bigger story for BYU supporters is how quickly he bounced back and how well he handled the recovery process. He took a cautious route, tested the hamstring in training runs before signing up to race, and then showed he was ready for the biggest stage with a result that should only add to the buzz around the program. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Landed A Huge Recruiting Opportunity With A Five-Star Wing
BYU is set to get a major look in the recruitment of AJ Williams, one of the top wings in the 2027 class, when the five-star prospect arrives in Provo on October 15. Williams, a 6-foot-7 standout from Eagles Landing Christian Academy, has trimmed his list to 10 schools and already taken several visits, putting the Cougars firmly in the mix at a time when every impression matters.
What makes this trip especially noteworthy is how much momentum BYU appears to have already built in the race for a player ranked No. 5 in his class. No decision date has been announced, but with Williams still weighing a handful of top options and an early signing period looming in November 2026, the Cougars now have a chance to strengthen their standing on the kind of recruit that can change the outlook of a class. [Read more 🡒]