ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit used Saturday’s College GameDay broadcast in Provo, Utah, to praise BYU’s fan base before No. 2 Notre Dame visits No. 8 BYU in the first top-10 matchup ever played at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Herbstreit shared the clip on social media, which began with ESPN’s Randy Scott tossing to him over heavy “B-Y-U!” chants coming from fans on location. “This is one of the more underrated atmospheres to me in the country and one of the more intimidating atmospheres that we have in college football,” Herbstreit said.
Why did Herbstreit praise BYU fans?
Herbstreit started by crediting the students who claimed spots near the set days before the show went live. “First, we’ve got to just pay homage to this crowd right here,” he said. “Unbelievable effort this week. They’ve been out here camping out since, like, Tuesday, Wednesday.”
The former Ohio State quarterback then framed Saturday night as the biggest test yet for a Notre Dame team that has won 16 straight games, all by double digits. “This will be a great test for Notre Dame to come in here and deal with this, because it’ll be their greatest challenge up to this point,” Herbstreit said.
That view matches his offseason criticism of the Irish schedule, which he called “kind of embarrassing” compared to what Big Ten and SEC contenders face.
Saturday marks GameDay’s second trip to Provo and its first since 2009, when TCU beat BYU 38-7. The Cougars are 0-4 all-time in games featured on the show, and former BYU quarterback Steve Young is the guest picker.
BYU’s offense without LJ Martin
BYU (5-0) will play without running back LJ Martin, who’s out four to six weeks with a lower-body injury he suffered at TCU, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
“The challenging part for BYU: you take LJ Martin, the power running back, out of this offense, and it’s just going to put more on Bear Bachmeier,” Herbstreit said. “Not only his ability to throw the football, but as we saw last week against Iowa State, his ability to also run the ball, I think, would be huge, because you have to have balance against this Notre Dame defense today.”
Bachmeier delivered that balance in a 24-10 win over Iowa State on Oct. 9. He threw for a season-high 329 yards and two touchdowns while posting his first career 100-yard rushing game.
BYU coach Kalani Sitake said after that win, “We know Bear can throw the ball, so I feel good about Bear throwing the ball.”
How good is Notre Dame’s defense?
Scott set up Herbstreit’s answer by noting, “The Irish haven’t allowed a run longer than 15 yards all season. Best in the nation.”
Notre Dame (6-0) leads the country in total defense at 214.2 yards allowed per game. The Irish also rank first in the Fremeau Efficiency Index’s defensive rating and ESPN’s Football Power Index defensive efficiency, so Bachmeier will face the most complete unit BYU has seen this season.
Notre Dame hasn’t played in Provo since BYU won the 2004 season opener 20-17. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, and ESPN host Rece Davis has already made his pick for the matchup.
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