Bear Bachmeier is latest to shine as No. 8 BYU adds to its quarterback factory mystique

PROVO, Utah (AP) — BYU’s reputation for developing quarterbacks convinced Bear Bachmeier to head to Provo when he transferred from Stanford ahead of his freshman season.

That decision has benefitted Bachmeier and the No. 8 Cougars equally.

Bachmeier is coming off one of the best all-around performances of his career heading into Saturday’s clash with No. 2 Notre Dame. He threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 109 yards while leading the Cougars to a 24-10 victory over Iowa State.

Bachmeier became just the fourth Big 12 quarterback to finish a game with at least 325 passing yards and 100 rushing yards without being sacked.

In 19 career games with the Cougars, Bachmeier has passed for 200-plus yards nine times and has four 300-yard games. For the season, he has thrown for 1,033 yards, eight touchdowns and just one interception. The Cougars are 5-0.

“I can tell you Bear has a great work ethic,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “I haven’t met anyone (else) that grows that quickly and matures that quickly, even within the scheme.”

Bachmeier is the latest in a string of successful quarterbacks tutored by offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick. Bachmeier’s predecessors — Zach Wilson, Jaren Hall and Jake Retzlaff — all played critical roles in elevating BYU into a perennial Top 25 program.

Roderick’s ability to bring out the best in each quarterback has functioned as an important connective tissue. He helped Bachmeier absorb the playbook quickly and tailored the offense to fit his individual strengths.

“He gives me so much confidence and allows me to go out and play free and play my game,” Bachmeier said.

That confidence goes both ways. Roderick wasted no time digging into the playbook after Bachmeier joined BYU because his quarterback showed an ability to absorb offensive concepts, read defenses and get into the right plays at the level of a veteran starter even as a true freshman.

“We were doing things last year that I normally would have done with a third-year starter,” Roderick said. “Now this year we’re doing stuff with him that I’ve never done with any quarterback before.”

Bachmeier’s success is a throwback to how LaVell Edwards first built the program over three decades as head coach. BYU built an identity as a quarterback factory, churning out star signal callers like Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Robbie Bosco, Ty Detmer and current Texas coach Steve Sarkisian.

“A big quarterback lineage,” Bachmeier said. “Just honored to be a part of that.”

The Cougars claimed a string of Western Athletic Conference championships throughout the 1970s, ‘80s, and ’90s behind the strength of a high-flying passing attack that Edwards forged with those quarterbacks. It also led to the school’s lone national championship in football in 1984.

The history makes it easier for Sitake and Roderick to recruit elite quarterbacks.

“BYU has always been a destination spot for quarterbacks,” Roderick said. “Quarterbacks want to play here and I think that’s part of it. I think our coaching staff has done a good job of putting together an offense that allows quarterbacks to thrive.”

While this will be the first time Notre Dame has seen the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Bachmeier in action firsthand, there are players on the Irish roster who already played against him. Notre Dame cornerback DJ McKinney got a taste while playing at Colorado last season and quickly learned it is not an easy task.

“He’s a big dude,” McKinney said. “This will be my second time playing him. The first time, I kind of got a feel of how his playing style is. He really likes to run the ball and then take shots.”

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AP Sports Writer Mike Marot contributed to this article.

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