No. 8 BYU absolutely SHOCKED No. 2 Notre Dame with a thrilling 28-24 upset at LaVell Edwards Stadium Saturday, and the reverberations are already shaking up the college football rankings. The Irish, previously sitting pretty at No. 2, completely missed their chance to grab the No. 1 ranking in the next AP Poll after a truly wild day where five top-10 teams stumbled. Now, No. 3 Miami, coming off a 43-35 double-overtime victory against Florida State, is poised to ascend to the top spot.
Irish Mistakes Piled Up Early
Notre Dame shot themselves in the foot right from the jump. Edge rusher Boubacar Traore got himself ejected for targeting on a helmet-to-helmet hit on BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier early in the first quarter. That’s a brutal blow to lose a key player so early in a top-10 showdown, but the blunders did not stop there. Quarterback CJ Carr missed potential touchdown passes to Jordan Faison and Jack Larsen, leaving crucial points on the field. Then, in the final seconds of the first half, with a chance to cut into BYU’s lead, Carr’s spike attempt was inexplicably ruled a fumble, and Jayven Williams of BYU scooped it up. These mistakes set the tone, leaving the Irish trailing 21-10 at halftime.
Bachmeier’s Brilliance and a Gritty Irish Comeback
BYU, meanwhile, opened the game strong, marching down the field on an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Dual-threat quarterback Bear Bachmeier was a menace, accounting for 59 yards himself with six passes and three runs. He continued to be the Cougars’ hero, racking up two rushing touchdowns and even catching a 15-yard touchdown pass from Kyler Kasper.
But the Irish are not No. 2 for nothing, and they clawed their way back in the third quarter thanks to some special teams magic. Bubba Frazier recovered a muffed punt, and then Joey O’Brien tackled BYU punter Fulluer Shurtz on a fake punt. Notre Dame capitalized on these miscues, converting them into a pair of field goals from Spencer Porath. The momentum shifted hard in the fourth quarter when Notre Dame took a 24-21 lead. A huge 38-yard connection between Carr and Jaden Greathouse set up freshman Jonaz Walton for a 5-yard touchdown run, who then added the two-point conversion with 10:34 left on the clock. It looked like the Irish had completed the comeback.
The Wild Finish and The No-Call Everyone’s Talking About
Not so fast! BYU and Bachmeier had other plans. With just 1:47 remaining on third and goal, Bachmeier hit Walker Lyons for a 6-yard touchdown, giving the Cougars back the lead at 28-24. That set up an absolutely bonkers final two minutes. Carr almost played the hero, connecting with Greathouse on fourth-and-3 and third-and-10 for gains of seven and 24 yards, respectively, all against a heavy BYU blitz. A fourth-and-5 connection to Micah Gilbert put the Irish in position for the game’s final play. Carr tried to hit Greathouse again, but BYU defensive back Evan Johnson was all over him. Was there contact? Absolutely. Was it pass interference? That’s the question that will be debated endlessly. The officials saw nothing, and BYU celebrated the upset. Bachmeier, with 224 passing yards, 45 rushing yards, and three total touchdowns, was the hero of the day, while Carr’s 27 of 49 for 261 yards just was not enough.
This loss places a premium on Notre Dame’s November 7 date with No. 3 Miami. That game just got a whole lot more important, with Miami likely being the new No. 1. You know the Irish are going to be playing with a chip on their shoulder after this one, and that no-call on the final play? Yeah, that’s going to loom large for the rest of their season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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