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BYU won their biggest game in recent program history Saturday night over No. 2 Notre Dame, and quarterback Bear Bachmeier had extra motivation into the matchup.
“Out of high school, Notre Dame disrespected me and my family pretty badly, and I wasn’t going to lose to those guys,” the sophomore told reporters following the Cougars’ 28-24 victory over the second-ranked Fighting Irish. “There was no way I was going to lose to those guys tonight.”
Bachmeier kept his promise as the eighth-ranked Cougars stunned the Fighting Irish 28-24. He threw for 224 yards, one touchdown and an interception, and he ran for 45 yards and two scores. His six-yard TD pass to Walker Lyons ended up being the game-winner. BYU also snapped Notre Dame 16-game winning streak.
The Fighting Irish’s pursuit of Bachmeier was one of the subplots coming into Saturday’s highly anticipated clash. The two schools’ quarterbacks have been intertwined since their high school days.
Bachmeier received a scholarship offer from Notre Dame but it was reportedly pulled after the Irish landed a commitment from Deuce Knight — who later bailed on Notre Dame for Auburn and has since transferred to Ole Miss.
Notre Dame starting QB CJ Carr completed 27 of 49 passes for 261 yards in the loss.
Bachmeier originally enrolled at Stanford before joining BYU ahead of the 2025 season. The firing of Cardinal coach Troy Taylor gave him and his brother Tiger a window to exit in the spring.
“When I think about Bear, you could see him on film in high school,” Freeman said. “He had a strong arm; he was a gifted quarterback that had strengths in the run and the pass.”
The coach also added that Bachmeier “comes from a great family.”
Bachmeier got the last laugh against the Fighting Irish, and now BYU is ranked No. 2 in the nation in the latest AP poll.