There was a bear on the loose in Cougar Country this weekend, and BYU fans had every reason to roar as Bear Bachmeier led the Cougs to a Homecoming victory.
BYU returned home this past weekend under the Friday night lights of LaVell Edwards Stadium as they hosted the Iowa State Cyclones in a Big 12 matchup.
BYU came into this game without their leading rusher, LJ Martin, who is expected to miss four to six weeks due to a lower body injury. But that didn’t seem to bother Bear Bachmeier. He just decided to run the ball himself.
Bachmeier ran for a career high 109 yards on nine carries.
“It’s a testament to the boys up front,” Bachmeier said. “I mean, those guys work their tails off and they deserve all the credit for sure.”
But his presence was also felt in the air.
The sophomore quarterback also threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns, setting another career high for the young QB. He joined elite company Friday night, becoming only the third quarterback in BYU football history to throw for over 300 yards and run for over 100 yards in a single game. He joins BYU legends Steve Young and Taysom Hill.
Bachmeier was disappointed in his performance last week, but definitely bounced back at home.
“Oh yeah, it felt good just playing the game that you love with the guys that you love,” Bachmeier said. “It was awesome.”
The officiating was spotty all night and the offense definitely wasn’t as efficient as they could have been on 3rd and 4th down, but Bachmeier’s career night propelled the Cougars to a 24-10 victory. BYU is 5-0 for the third consecutive season for the first time in program history.
“I mean, we were 0-3 on fourth downs, and I like being aggressive, but I also like to see those turn into points,” said head coach Kalani Sitake. “But overall, I’m just happy with the team win. I know there’s mistakes in all three phases, but I’m really proud of the way the team played and the way the defense played.”
But Sitake said he knows this team can play better football. And they are going to need to this upcoming week against Notre Dame, the No. 2 team in the country.
“I’m excited. I’m ready for it, and I think our guys are ready for it,” Sitake said. “We knew going into the season that we had some good talent, and I want to show it off a little bit.”
A top 10 matchup is headed to Provo as the No. 8 BYU Cougars host the No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on primetime football starting at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.