PROVO, Utah – In a night of college football chaos that reshaped the national landscape, Bear Bachmeier delivered a masterpiece under pressure, leading No. 8 BYU to a heart-stopping 28-24 victory over No. 2 Notre Dame. The win was sealed in the final seconds when the Cougars’ defense stood tall at the goal line, handing the Irish their first loss of the season and ending a 16-game winning streak.
The result capped a historic Saturday in which five of the top eight teams in the AP Top 25 fell, marking the first time in the regular season since 2012 that both the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams lost on the same day. With top-ranked Georgia also falling to Auburn, the college football hierarchy has been thrown into complete disarray.
Bachmeier was the catalyst for the Cougars (6-0), who started their season 6-0 for the third consecutive year. The standout quarterback put on a versatile display, throwing for 224 yards and a go-ahead touchdown, while personally accounting for three scores—two on the ground and one receiving.
The game became a back-and-forth thriller in the second half. After BYU built an 11-point halftime lead, Notre Dame capitalized on a series of special teams blunders by the Cougars, including a muffed punt and a failed fake punt. Jonaz Walton’s 3-yard touchdown run with 9:31 remaining gave the Irish their first lead of the second half, 24-21.
When Jayden Sanders intercepted a Bachmeier pass at the Notre Dame 15-yard line with 8:05 left, it appeared the Irish were poised to escape Provo with a victory. However, the BYU defense forced a crucial 3-and-out, giving Bachmeier one last opportunity. He responded by orchestrating a 55-yard, 10-play drive, capped by a 6-yard touchdown strike to Walker Lyons with just 1:47 on the clock.
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, who threw for 261 yards, nearly authored a perfect response. He drove the Irish deep into Cougar territory in the game’s waning moments, including a clutch fourth-down completion to Micah Gilbert that set up a first-and-goal at the 9-yard line with four seconds left. But BYU’s defense held firm, and Carr’s final pass into the end zone fell incomplete as time expired, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
“It was a battle until the very last tick,” said the BYU sideline, as players rushed the field to celebrate their first win over the Irish since 2004.
For Notre Dame (6-1), the loss was a masterclass in missed opportunities, specifically in the red zone where they settled for field goals twice. The Irish will look to rebound when they face Navy on Oct. 31, while BYU travels to UCF on Oct. 24 to keep their undefeated season alive.
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