Bear Bachmeier ran for two touchdowns, caught a third on a double-pass trick play and threw the go-ahead score to tight end Walker Lyons with 1:47 left as No. 8 BYU beat No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24 on Saturday night in Provo. He became the first player in the last 30 seasons to score as a passer, rusher and receiver against a top-five opponent.
“Kalani [Sitake] won’t like this because I’m talking about myself, but out of high school, Notre Dame disrespected me and my family pretty badly. I wasn’t going to lose to those guys. There was no way I was going to lose to those guys,” Bachmeier said in his postgame news conference.
Notre Dame offered Bachmeier in July 2023, when he was a four-star quarterback at Murrieta Valley High School in California. The offer followed a spring visit from Irish quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli, and the news reached Bachmeier at his grandmother’s house.
“I was so happy. I was actually at my Grandma’s house in central California, a town called Lemoore. My grandpa was a die hard Fighting Irish fan. He passed away about 10 years ago, but to get the offer while I was there, it was truly special,” Bachmeier told Irish Breakdown at the time.
In September 2023, Notre Dame added another quarterback from that class, Deuce Knight, who later signed with Auburn. Bachmeier committed to Stanford, where his older brother Tiger had signed, and later transferred to BYU, where he is now in his second season as the starter.
Laid side by side, an offer Bachmeier tied to his late grandfather’s fandom and a program that took another quarterback’s commitment that same fall give Saturday’s comments a history, even though Bachmeier stopped short of connecting the two himself.
Strong quote here from @BYUfootball QB Bear Bachmeirer on beating @NDFootball: “I don’t like talking about myself but Notre Dame disrespected me & my family pretty badly (in 2023). There was no way I was losing to those guys.” @usatodaysports https://t.co/K4Pm8NWlVX
— John Brice (@JohnDBrice1) October 18, 2026
How Bachmeier handled the follow-up questions
Bachmeier declined to say what Notre Dame did. He spoke more broadly about how BYU gets viewed nationally, a theme he and his teammates kept returning to after the Cougars moved to 6-0.
“We’re tired of being disrespected,” Bachmeier said.
BYU scored touchdowns on all four of its red zone trips, and Bachmeier finished 23 of 36 for 224 yards with 45 more on the ground. The Cougars had gone scoreless for the entire second half until his final drive, a 55-yard march that came one possession after he threw an interception and ended with his throw to Lyons on third-and-goal from the Notre Dame 6. It gave BYU its first win over Notre Dame since 2004.
Bachmeier later said he loves Notre Dame and CJ Carr, the quarterback he had just beaten.
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