This past weekend marked the beginning of the college football season, and the BYU Cougars wasted no time in sending a message in their season opener.
The Cougars crushed the visiting Portland State Vikings 69-0 in front of nearly 65,000 fans. BYU’s home opener not only made history with the record-breaking attendance, but quarterback Bear Bachmeier became the first true freshman to ever start a season opener for the Cougars, and he didn’t waste his time getting to work.
Bachmeier completed 7 of 11 passes for 97 yards and three touchdowns while adding 32 yards and two more scores on the ground all in just one half of play.
During the post-game news conference, Bachmeier recounted his experience playing in his first ever college football game.
“It was crazy,” Bachmeier said. “It was a surreal moment. You look around and just see blue around you and your heart starts beating a little. It was a great experience.”
BYU’s offense started a little slow, resulting in a punt on the Cougars’ first drive. Portland State then charged down the field but were forced into a field goal attempt that changed the entire momentum of the game.
BYU captain Jack Kelly ran the ball back 62 yards to record the first touchdown of the 2025 season for the Cougars, leading to an eruption of cheers from the sold-out crowd at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The crew punched the gas and never looked back.
At halftime, BYU was up 49-0 against the Vikings, prompting BYU’s head coach Kilani Sitake into emptying his bench.
The second half was played by second and third-string players, each of whom shined in their own ways. BYU fans were also able to see all four BYU quarterbacks take the field, leading to several more touchdowns and an electric 56-yard field goal by kicker Will Ferrin, which ties for the longest field goal in BYU history.
Sitake gave his players credit for the blowout victory, but still said there is a lot to work on.
“I’m proud of the team and looking forward to next week,” Sitake said. “I think you can make a lot of improvement from week one to week two and look forward to getting that done. But overall, I’m just really excited about what we saw from them tonight.”
BYU ended the night with 14 different ball carriers, totaling 48 rushes and 468 rushing yards, averaging 9.8 yards per carry.
The Cougars will host the Stanford Cardinal this week, a team which has been dealing with plenty of turbulence heading into this season. Following the firing of their head coach, the Cardinal lost several key names to the transfer portal, including Bear and Tiger Bachmeier.
For Cougar Nation, Saturday is another chance to see what true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier is made of. With the Week One jitters behind him and a matchup against his former school of choice on deck, Bachmeier has the perfect opportunity to make another statement under the bright lights in Provo.