Bear Bachmeier found Walker Lyons and BYU found an unforgettable night

Provo • Less than two years after arriving on BYU’s campus from Stanford in mid-summer, Bear Bachmeier has already ignited his rising star with the No. 2 Cougars.

With 5 minutes, 43 seconds remaining and 55 yards and a 4-point deficit against Notre Dame ahead of him, he ignited his legend.

The sophomore from Murrieta, Calif., threw for 224 yards, one touchdown and one interception; ran for 45 yards and two scores; and caught a 15-yard touchdown pass to start the Cougars’ 28-24 victory over the Fighting Irish that will long remain among the greatest victories in program history.

But before all that, Bachmeier was considering a workout, a deficit.

Is it time for a bowel check? Bachmeier is simply courageous.

“He’s a competitive football player,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said of Bachmeier. “He’s smart. He’s tough. You can hit him, but you won’t break him.

“He does well in the running game and in the passing game,” he added. “And in crucial moments, the ball will be in his hands.”

Indeed, the ball was in his hands on the final drive as BYU raced back to regain a lost lead against the Fighting Irish. But before he left the court, the ball also found the hands of another former Golden State star player.

Lyon makes its mark

Tight end Walker Lyons was coming off his best game in a BYU uniform, a 61-yard effort in a 21-10 win over Iowa State last Friday night that set up the Cougars’ mega-showdown with Notre Dame that brought ESPN’s “College GameDay,” dozens of national media members and thousands of Irish fans to Provo for one of the biggest college football games of Week 7.

But for Lyon, it was just another chance to improve alongside teammates like Oregon transfer Roger Saleapaga II, Keayen Nead and Noah Moeaki, his coach told the Salt Lake Tribune.

“There’s a lot of talent, but collectively they continued to get better,” BYU tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride said before the game. “It comes down to the process, not worrying about results, statistics or anything other than what you are doing to improve, whatever the particular task you are asked to do.

“My guys have had a good approach to that, and because of that, I think they continue to get better. I don’t see that slowing down.”

Saturday night, that was not the case.

With reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year LJ Martin sidelined with a leg injury, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound junior has become one of Bachmeier’s most reliable targets on a team with Big 12 title aspirations and — if not before Saturday night, certainly now — much more.

The Cougars moved up to No. 2 when the Associated Press Top 25 was released Sunday, earning 20 first-place votes. It’s the kind of heady development that some fans may need time to process, just as Lyon had to adjust to taking on a key leadership role after two seasons of underutilized play at USC.

“I was really impressed that the more he played at USC, the better he got,” Gilbride said of Lyon. “It’s fun to see a guy continually improving, and that’s what I like to see.”

An unforgettable journey

Bachmeier was successful in the first half, throwing for 128 yards, running for a touchdown and hauling in another from Kyler Kasper on a 15-yard double reverse to help the Cougars take a 21-10 halftime lead over the formidable Irish.

But after the break, the Cougars’ offense collapsed.

Facing the nation’s top-rated total defense in Notre Dame, Bachmeier led BYU to just 36 yards on 13 plays in the third quarter before the Irish fought back to regain a 24-21 lead on Jonaz Walton’s 3-yard touchdown run with 9:31 to play.

It could have been so much more too. But Notre Dame was only able to turn two special teams gaffes — a muffed punt by Cannon DeVries and a failed fake punt by Fuller Shurtz — into two field goals to get back to an 11-point deficit.

The Cougars opened the second half with two punts, a turnover on downs and an interception thrown by Bachmeier to Jayden Sanders with just over eight minutes remaining.

Yet, relying on his defense, Bachmeier made a promise: get the ball and he would do the rest. So, leading tackle Cade Uluave and the BYU defense forced a three-and-out moments later. Then Bachmeier got to work.

The sophomore went 3-for-5 for 40 yards and ran 16 yards en route to the 2-yard line with two minutes remaining.

And it almost ended there.

Bachmeier was mostly stopped for a 1-yard gain, and Trevin Ostler took a false start penalty that pushed the Cougars back to the 6-yard line on third down with 1:53 left.

That left enough time for Bachmeier to take advantage of a Notre Dame timeout, relay the play from offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick and drop back before throwing a pass over the middle to Lyons for the tight end’s first touchdown in a BYU uniform.

What a way to open his scoring account for the former four-star recruit from Folsom, Calif., who signed with USC after a religious mission in Norway.

“I was very confident in the play,” Bachmeier said of the signal he received for a pass to Lyon that the Cougars were “executing well” in practice all week. “They brought it home and Walker made a great play. Touchdown.”

“Stay humble”

BYU has had many great games and moments in program history, including the 1980 “Miracle Bowl” victory over SMU, the 28-21 victory over then-No. 1 Miami in 1990, and the entire undefeated 1984 campaign that led to the first (and only) national football championship in school history.

Saturday night’s win over Notre Dame could be another defining moment for the program at a university its fans once called a “quarterback factory.”

But it might as well be a footnote for head coach Kalani Sitake, who has now led his alma mater to a 6-0 start for the third straight year and fourth time in 11 seasons.

“We just have to stay humble and keep working,” he said. “It’s a game that we’re really proud of and really excited for. But we also have to prepare for the next one.

“We need to be humble, hungry and find ways to improve.”