BYU took a giant step toward the College Football Playoff picture on Saturday night, surviving a wild finish to knock off No. 2 Notre Dame in Provo.
The Cougars entered the matchup ranked No. 8 in the AP poll and played in front of a charged-up crowd that had plenty to take in before kickoff. ESPN’s College GameDay was on hand, Utah’s Hill AFB provided a military flyover, and the BYU crowd even delivered a blessing on the Pope as a show of sportsmanship.
The game itself wasted no time turning chaotic. Notre Dame lost its best defender to a targeting penalty early, which helped even the field a bit with BYU already without its top offensive player, running back LJ Martin.
BYU got on the board first when Bear Bachmeier punched in a rushing touchdown. Notre Dame answered with a field goal, and the Cougars held a 7-3 lead after the first quarter.
The second quarter brought more back-and-forth. N.
James put Notre Dame ahead 10-7 with a touchdown, but Bachmeier responded with another score to swing the lead back to BYU. Then a touchdown pass to Legend Glasker stretched the advantage to 21-10 at halftime.
Defense took over in the third quarter, though not without a few missed chances. BYU had a touchdown erased by offensive pass interference, which would have made it 28-10. Notre Dame used the opening to chip away with two field goals and cut the margin to 21-16 heading to the fourth.
The Irish kept pushing. Early in the final quarter, they forced a three and out, then cashed it in with a touchdown to grab a 24-21 lead and quiet the crowd for a moment.
BYU didn’t blink. After Notre Dame’s interception ended another series, the Cougars answered with a 10-play, 55-yard drive capped by another Bachmeier touchdown pass, this one to Walker Lyons, putting BYU back in front inside the final two minutes.
Notre Dame still had one last shot. The Irish put together a hurry-up march of 14 plays and 67 yards to move into scoring range, but the final snap broke their way only in theory. The last pass to the end zone was well defended and hit the turf as time expired, setting off a field rush and a full-blown celebration in Provo.
The result should resonate with the playoff committee. BYU just beat a Top-Two team while playing without LJ Martin, and that kind of win is hard to ignore.
There are still hurdles ahead, including a Nov. 1 trip to Salt Lake City to face No. 11 Utah. Martin should be back for that one, and the Utes will be looking to snap a three-game skid against the Cougars.
But the biggest question surrounding BYU has now been answered. Could the Cougars beat a true CFP contender after years of falling short in that spot? On Saturday, the answer was yes, just as Steve Young and Pat McAfee predicted on GameDay.
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