Bear Bachmeier just helped BYU pull off one of the biggest college football wins in its recent history. The sophomore QB scored in three different ways, the crowd at LaVell Edwards Stadium spilled onto the field, and No. 2 Notre Dame, led by Marcus Freeman, went home with its first loss of the season.
Freeman was gracious in his assessment of Bachmeier before the game, praising the quarterback’s composure and lauding him for how he had performed in such a short time at BYU. But the sentiment Bachmeier felt post-game was that of revenge served cold.
Asked what it felt like to be on the winning side of a field storming, Bachmeier revealed that beating the Irish had meant considerably more to him than the scoreboard showed.
“It’s great, man, yeah, Kalani won’t like this because I’m talking about myself,” Bachmeier said after BYU’s 28-24 victory on Saturday, Oct. 17 (via @CFBONFOX on X). “Out of high school, Notre Dame disrespected me and my family pretty badly.”
Then he made his feelings about the matchup unmistakable: “There was no way I was going to lose to those guys tonight.”
Notre Dame had once looked like a dream destination for Bachmeier. His grandfather had supported the Fighting Irish all his life, so the scholarship offer that arrived in July 2023 meant more than another recruiting opportunity. It was “truly special” for Bachmeier.
Bachmeier was at his grandmother’s house in Lemoore, California, when he received the news and spoke about how much the moment meant to his family. The Irish had been tracking him for some time.
QB coach Gino Guidugli visited Bachmeier at his California high school in May that year, and they stayed in touch before Notre Dame made its offer. Bachmeier then began arranging a trip to South Bend as the program pursued him for its 2025 quarterback class.
There is some context to the recruiting battle, although the full account remains unclear. Notre Dame was pursuing Deuce Knight in the 2025 class while also evaluating Bachmeier.
Knight committed to the Irish in September 2023, and later flipped to Auburn in October 2024. Bachmeier ultimately enrolled at Stanford before transferring to BYU. Little did Marcus Freeman know that Bachmeier would become a nightmare for them two years later.
On Saturday, Bachmeier accounted for all four BYU touchdowns, throwing for 224 yards, rushing for two scores, and even catching a touchdown on a trick play.
With that, he became the first FBS player in 30 years to record a rushing touchdown, a passing touchdown, and a receiving touchdown against an AP top-five opponent in the same game.
His most important throw came with 1:47 remaining. Notre Dame had erased BYU’s 21-10 halftime lead and moved ahead 24-21 in the fourth quarter. Bachmeier responded with a 10-play, 55-yard drive.
He finished it spectacularly with a six-yard touchdown pass to tight end Walker Lyons. The score restored BYU’s lead and left the Irish with one final chance to answer.
Notre Dame drove to the BYU nine-yard line, but C.J. Carr’s last throw toward Jaden Greathouse fell incomplete as time expired. The Cougars survived, improved to 6-0, and secured their most significant win over a ranked opponent since beating No. 1 Miami in 1990.
“We’re tired of being disrespected,” Bear Bachmeier further said during his post-game press conference. “Maybe because we wear the color blue, you know? Nothing will happen. That was a bad joke. I mean, we’re tired of being disrespected. We know who we are, and man, this was a great win for sure.”
Before the game, BYU was a massive 10.5-point underdog, and most analysts were easily picking Notre Dame over BYU. Kirk Herbstreit, for instance, did lament Marcus Freeman’s weak schedule. But ultimately leaned towards Notre Dame.
BYU finished the regular season at 11-1 last year, with its only defeat coming against Texas Tech, a team ranked among the nation’s top five. That record still wasn’t enough to get the Cougars into the 12-team College Football Playoff.
They ranked sixth in strength of record and graded out better in several other measures than few teams that made the field, yet the selection committee left them out. The decision to take 10-2 Alabama and 10-2 Miami instead left BYU supporters furious. Many fans and analysts questioned how the Cougars’ 11-win season could be overlooked while two-loss teams with bigger names got in.
To them, the committee appeared to put more weight on a program’s logo than on what it had done on the field. Now, BYU’s victory over the No. 2 Fighting Irish gives the Cougars the kind of result they were missing from last year’s playoff debate.
Georgia’s loss this weekend also changes the picture near the top of the rankings. BYU could climb into the AP Poll’s top five, and more importantly, the Cougars now have a win that strengthens their case with the playoff committee.
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The post "Disrespected Me and My Family": BYU QB Bear Bachmeier Breaks Silence on Long-Running Grudge Against Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.