Watch: 3 big plays that set stage for BYU’s upset victory over Notre Dame

Saturday’s heavyweight showdown had everything — the good, the bad and the ugly. BYU and Notre Dame combined for 146 plays on offense with the 146th as the one that decided the 28-24 Cougar victory.

As historic as it was, with BYU winning the first top-10 showdown in LaVell Edwards Stadium history, it was equally dramatic — especially as the two thoroughbreds stormed down the final stretch.

Growing up quickly

Trailing 24-21 with 4:23 remaining in the fourth quarter, freshman receiver Legend Glasker broke open and sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier hit him for a 26-yard gain to the Notre Dame 15.

.@LEGEND1GLASKER was feeling "calm and collected" against Notre Dame, especially in the offense's game-winning drive. What were your feelings during the game tonight? pic.twitter.com/qeXk9vIRzs

— BYUtv Sports Nation (@BYUSportsNation) October 18, 2026

“The whole time on the sideline, I was just smiling because I knew it was going to be one of those games,” Glasker said. “I was calm and collected, especially on the last drive. I knew the ball was going to come so I just had to make a play some way.”

Glasker, who starred at Lehi High last fall, beat the highly touted Irish secondary with five receptions for 66 yards and he picked up 9 yards on two running plays.

“I knew the pressure was here and I wasn’t scared. I was so happy to be in this atmosphere,” he said. “That’s why I committed here. I know BYU gets it done. I need to stop saying ‘BYU gets it done.’ We get it done. I’m happy to be here.”

Lyons’ big grab

Four plays after Glasker’s catch, on third-and-goal from the 6-yard line, Bachmeier stood firm in the pocket and fired a strike to a diving Walker Lyons to put BYU back in the lead 28-24 with 1:47 to play.

“It was a great play call,” Bachmeier said. “They went with an all-out blitz, and Walker had a great night.”

BEAR MACHMEIER TO WALKER LYONS TOUCHDOWN BYU pic.twitter.com/JMMRbTPT2e

— FD (@flooduck) October 18, 2026

The USC transfer caught five passes for 49 yards as Bachmeier peppered Notre Dame’s defense for 224 yards passing and 28 points. Notre Dame entered the game as a double-digit favorite with the nation’s No. 1-rated defense.

For Bachmeier, it was personal.

“We are tired of being disrespected,” he said. “We were going to win this game. I wasn’t going to lose to those guys.”

Later, in the general media interviews, Bachmeier expounded further on his beef with the Irish over how they handled his recruiting after his senior year of high school.

The last pass

Despite the dramatic touchdown in front of BYU’s largest home crowd (65,179) since 2004, the drama was far from over. With a series of clutch plays, Notre Dame marched to the BYU 8-yard line with time for one last shot at the end zone.

“Coach Pop (Kelly Poppinga) is super aggressive,” said junior safety Faletau Satuala of his first-year defensive coordinator. “We went zero coverage and blitzed everybody and tried to force the quarterback to make a play and see whose dudes are better, and at the end of the day, we ended up winning. It was a big play.”

🚨🚨HISTORIC UPSET🚨🚨

BYU JUST PULLED OFF ONE OF THE GREATEST UPSETS IN SCHOOL HISTORY, DEFEATING NO. 2 NOTRE DAME 28-24 ON THE FINAL PLAY OF THE GAME.

THE COUGARS REMAIN UNDEFEATED.

KALANI SITAKE HAS COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED THIS PROGRAM.

WHAT A WIN. pic.twitter.com/yw2hARme12

— MLFootball (@MLFootball) October 18, 2026

Satuala’s “dudes” up front kept the pressure on Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr.

“We knew they were going to hard count,” said senior defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa. “There is not much field, so, we got our hands up and try to deflect the ball. The DBs did great.”

Notre Dame’s Jaden Greathouse was the intended target in the right corner of the end zone, but he was blanketed by BYU senior cornerback Evan Johnson, and both had a hold of each other as Carr’s pass sailed behind them.

“The coaches taught us all week, bend don’t break. Be unbreakable,” Satuala said. “Obviously, there were a couple plays (where) we could have just ended the drive right there. In the end, we ended up finishing it.”

From Bachmeier’s view on the sideline, the final drive was painstaking.

“My heart was beating,” he said. “I had all the confidence in the world, but they made it scary.”

Side notes

Notre Dame lost star edge rusher Boubacar Traore during the opening drive of the game with a blatant targeting call after he launched his helmet into Bachmeier’s head. Kyler Kasper’s 15-yard touchdown pass back to Bachmeier in the second quarter was the same double-pass play BYU ran against No. 9 Baylor in 2022 when Chase Roberts threw back to quarterback Jaren Hall for a touchdown.

Bachmeier became the first BYU quarterback in 30 years to have a receiving and rushing touchdown in the same game. Lt. Col. Jefferson Page, a BYU grad, led a pregame flyover of four F-35s from Hill Air Force Base to make an already big game even bigger. During his post-game interview with Spencer Linton on BYUtv, Bachmeier broke down in tears when asked what it was like to win that game in front of his family — “It means a lot. I love those guys. That’s the reason why. That’s who I am. I love those guys. I love my family.”

Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.