No. 2 Notre Dame walks into one of the season’s biggest stages tonight with a clear defensive assignment: make BYU play left-handed.
The Irish have built their season on a defense that has carried plenty of the load, and that formula has to hold again against the No. 8 Cougars.
A win would do more than just pad the resume. It would also hand Notre Dame its first road victory over a Top 10 opponent since 2012.
What makes this matchup tricky is straightforward enough. BYU wants to lean on a physical run game, and Bear Bachmeier gives the offense another layer as both a passer and a runner. Notre Dame’s answer starts where most games are won and lost anyway - inside.
The battle in the middle of the line of scrimmage is the first and biggest key. BYU has averaged 190.1 rushing yards and 5.0 yards per carry in 19 games with Bachmeier as the starting quarterback.
He can hurt defenses with his arm, especially with weapons like Legend Glasker, Walker Lyons and Kyler Kasper, but the engine of the offense is the ground game. If the Cougars can get downhill, they can stay on schedule, keep the Irish defense on the field and grind things down at altitude, where Notre Dame is playing for the first time this season.
That means the Irish interior has to hold up against a strong BYU front. Bruce Mitchell is one of the nation’s best centers, and Sonny Makasini and Kyle Sfarcioc bring experience at guard.
Notre Dame’s Francis Brewu and Armel Mukam have been excellent this season, and they’ll need to stay that way. Tionne Gray, Sean Sevillano Jr. and Elijah Hughes also have to contribute, while Jason Onye could help if he’s ready after not being seen since week one.
Chris Ash will need a plan that slows the run without overcommitting bodies to it, because loading up too heavily can open the door to RPOs and play-action. The linebackers have to be aggressive and downhill, but the interior defenders have to set the tone first by pushing BYU’s linemen back.
Bachmeier himself is the next problem. With LJ Martin out with an injury, he becomes the focal point of the run game.
Notre Dame has to handle the give/keep decisions cleanly and stay disciplined with its keys, but that’s only part of it. Bachmeier is a real threat with his legs, and he’s coming off his first 100-yard game in the win over Iowa State.
It’s hard to see BYU moving the ball consistently if he isn’t making plays on designed runs and scrambles.
The passing game matters too. Bachmeier passed for over 3,000 yards as a freshman in 2025, and he threw for over 300 yards against Iowa State.
That was his fourth 300-yard game, which is twice as many as CJ Carr in just two more starts. For Notre Dame, the job is to keep him from settling in.
That means changing up coverages, forcing him to think, and making life harder with pressure up front. A strong showing from Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young would help, and getting Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa back would matter as well.
Another major piece is third down, but it starts even earlier than that. Notre Dame has to win first down and second down to force BYU into long-yardage situations. The Cougars are 23rd nationally on third down, but the numbers split sharply by distance: they’ve converted third-and-short at 89.5 percent, third-and-medium at 47.1 percent and third-and-long at 23.8 percent.
That’s why early-down defense is so important. BYU has averaged 5.7 yards per carry on first down and 6.9 on second down, and the Irish need to cut into that efficiency to get off the field.
Big plays are the final warning sign. BYU ranks 71st nationally in gains of 20 yards or more and 87th in gains of 30 yards or more, but the Cougars are 12th in gains of 50 yards or more.
They may not stack chunk plays the way some offenses do, but when they hit one, it can swing the game in a hurry. Notre Dame’s goal is to force long drives and eliminate those sudden strikes.
And if the Irish can make Bachmeier uncomfortable, confuse him and get quality play from the secondary, there should be chances to take the ball away. BYU has lost just four games since the start of the 2024 season, and the Cougars have lost the turnover battle in all four, including a minus-7 mark in two losses to Texas Tech last season. Notre Dame has forced only two turnovers in its four losses, so creating a few extra possessions could be the difference.
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