No. 8 BYU didn’t just beat No.
2 Notre Dame on Saturday night. It put the Big 12 on the map in one of the season’s biggest early statements, surviving a frantic finish to win 28-24 at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
And yes, the last snap is going to be argued about for a while.
There was clear contact between BYU defensive back Evan Johnson and Notre Dame receiver Jaden Greathouse on the game’s final play, but there was no flag. That no-call will get plenty of replay time, especially after a wild college football Saturday that saw five top-10 teams lose. But the result is locked in: BYU is 6-0, and Notre Dame is 6-1.
The loss also reshapes the national picture for the Irish. Notre Dame had a shot at moving to No. 1 in the next AP Poll, but instead now heads into a crucial Nov. 7 meeting with No.
3 Miami at home. The Hurricanes should move to the top of the rankings after their 43-35 double-overtime win over Florida State.
Notre Dame’s night went sideways early.
Edge rusher Boubacar Traore was ejected for targeting after a helmet-to-helmet hit on BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier in the first quarter. Later, CJ Carr had a chance at two potential touchdown throws, but he missed Jordan Faison and Jack Larsen. Then, in the final seconds of the first half, Carr tried to spike the ball and it was ruled a fumble, with Jayven Williams coming away with the recovery.
That sequence helped BYU carry a 21-10 lead into halftime.
The Cougars set the tone right away. Their opening possession lasted 11 plays and covered 75 yards, with Bachmeier doing damage as both a passer and runner.
On that drive, he had six completions and three carries that accounted for 59 yards. He also found the end zone twice on the ground and added a 15-yard touchdown catch from Kyler Kasper.
Notre Dame found a way back in the third quarter, and special teams played a major role in it. Bubba Frazier recovered a muffed punt, then Joey O'Brien stopped BYU punter Fulluer Shurtz on a fake punt. The Irish used both short fields to cash in two Spencer Porath field goals.
That momentum carried into the fourth quarter. After a 38-yard Carr-to-Jaden Greathouse connection helped set things up, freshman Jonaz Walton punched in a 5-yard touchdown run and then added the two-point conversion to give Notre Dame a 24-21 lead with 10:34 left.
BYU answered when it mattered most.
With 1:47 remaining and facing third-and-goal, Bachmeier hit Walker Lyons for a 6-yard touchdown, flipping the lead back to the Cougars at 28-24 and setting up the tense final drive.
Carr nearly pulled off the finish. Facing a heavy BYU blitz, he found Greathouse on fourth-and-3 for seven yards, then again on third-and-10 for 24. A fourth-and-5 catch by Micah Gilbert pushed Notre Dame closer still, but the Irish couldn’t finish the job on the last play.
Bachmeier finished with 224 passing yards, 45 rushing yards and three total touchdowns. Carr went 27 of 49 for 261 yards.
The result lands as a major win for the Big 12, with unbeaten teams still sitting near the top in No. 10 Texas Tech at 6-0 and No.
11 Utah at 5-0. While chaos hit the SEC, the Big 12 stayed steadier at the top of the board.
For BYU, it’s another reminder of how strong this team has looked under Kalani Sitake. The Cougars are the only school to win double-digit games in each of the last two seasons and still miss the College Football Playoff, and now they’ve added a signature victory to the résumé.
For Notre Dame, the road narrative only gets louder. The Irish are now 3-4 on the road against ranked opponents under Marcus Freeman, and a game that was already one of the biggest on the schedule just became even more important. Notre Dame missed the playoff last season at 10-2, and with strength of schedule likely to be part of the discussion again, that Nov. 7 showdown with Miami starts to look like a must-win.
In Other News...
Notre Dames BYU Loss Just Got Even More Infuriating
The sting from Notre Dames loss at BYU got sharper when the Big 12 acknowledged that an officiating error affected the games final sequence. One second remained on the clock, but it was not properly accounted for, and the replay crew incorrectly cleared the play that ended the game. For Notre Dame, that meant no extra snap on 2nd and goal and no chance to keep pushing for a late score.
The conference said it will review its end-of-game officiating process after the incident, a step that may matter less to the Irish than the result already does. In a tight game, one second is more than a technicality, and the acknowledgment only adds to the frustration over how it ended. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Just Got A Painful Reminder About Its Biggest Problem
Notre Dame got a stark reminder in Provo that the margin for error remains slim, even when the offense does enough to keep the game alive. At LaVell Edwards Stadium, the Irish spent most of the night chasing Brigham Young before briefly grabbing the lead late, only to watch the Cougars answer with under two minutes left in a 28-24 loss.
The result fit a familiar frustration for Notre Dame, which again found itself in a tight game where one stop, one clean sequence or one timely play could have changed the outcome. A significant defensive ejection added to the tension, and the late comeback bid had the kind of urgency the Irish needed, but not quite enough finish to turn it into a road win. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Freeman Addresses What Went Wrong In Notre Dame's Costly Loss
Marcus Freeman spent his postgame time going straight to the two areas that hurt Notre Dame most in a costly loss to BYU: defensive discipline and red-zone execution. The defeat snapped the Irish's 16-game winning streak, and Freeman pointed to the problems BYU's misdirection offense created while also acknowledging that Notre Dame left points on the field with missed chances near the goal line.
Freeman also noted the adjustments the Irish tried to make after halftime, but the broader concern remains the same one that follows any tight loss to a quality opponent: execution in critical moments. For Notre Dame, the answer is not about effort or intent as much as cleaning up the details that determine whether a promising drive becomes a field goal, a touchdown or nothing at all. [Read more 🡒]