For the first time in 2026, Notre Dame was challenged, and on Saturday night in Provo, it wasn’t quite up for the task.
The Irish suffered their first loss of the season to BYU 28-24 as Bear Bachmeier proved to be too much to handle. Bachmeier totaled four touchdowns, two rushing, one receiving and a game-winning throw to Walker Lyons with under two minutes remaining.
Saturday night in Provo will be one to mostly forget for CJ Carr and the offense, who missed numerous opportunities, especially in the first half. A missed touchdown to Jordan Faison and a fumbled spike at the end of the half turned what could have been a much different game into a BYU 11-point advantage at the half.
The hole turned out to be too deep to crawl out of despite Notre Dame bouncing back to retake the lead in the second half. Carr’s impressive final drive came up short in the final seconds as his last second pass intended for Jaden Greathouse was just out of reach.
BYU was always going to be Notre Dame’s toughest test yet, but in the first half the Cougars proved to have all the answers while the Irish were left scratching their heads under the lights in Provo.
Bachmeier was elite throughout the opening two quarters, leading BYU on three touchdown drives. The quarterback started strong on the opening drive of the game, hitting two passes of 12 and 11 yards on play action to move the chains.
It didn’t take long for the night to turn sour for the Irish either as Boubacar Traore blew up Bachmeier after a throw, driving his helmet right into the BYU signal caller's facemask. Traore was promptly ejected from the game.
Without their leading pass rusher, Notre Dame’s defense was on its heels and Bachmeier took advantage, driving the length of the field and capping it off with a five-yard rushing touchdown for his first score of the game.
Down seven early, Carr and the offense were feeling the pressure early, but still managed to move the ball down the field with a completion to Jordan Faison and some good running from Nolan James Jr. Carr did have his first slip up — and perhaps a sign of things just not being right — when he missed Faison up the seam on what would have been a touchdown. Spencer Porath knocked home a 46-yard kick to put the Irish on the board.
The Irish defense would solve Bachmeier — if only for a moment — to give Carr the ball back quickly, and he took advantage. James Jr. continued to run hard with a burst of 26 on third down and another run for 16 to move into scoring range. The back capped off his strong start and a 12-play drive with an eight yard run that found the endzone, giving Notre Dame a 10-7 advantage.
From there Bachmeier and the Cougars took over. The quarterback carved up the Irish with quick passes, completing 72% of his passes for 128 yards. BYU wasn’t holding anything back either as the Cougars pulled out a double pass in the red zone with Kyler Kasper sending a pass back across the line to Bachmeier who took it from there for a 15-yard touchdown reception.
With Provo rocking, Notre Dame’s offense went broke on its next drive with a three and out, giving possession right back to a rolling Cougars offense. BYU went 73 yards in eight plays with Preston Rex sparking the drive with a 23-yard scamper. Bachmeier once again used his legs at the goal line to plunge across for his second rushing touchdown of the half. The signal caller led his offense with 47 rushing yards on six attempts.
Carr and the offense did have a chance to set up the double score at the end of the half, and the quarterback nearly pulled it off. The quarterback hit a handful of intermediate throws for 55 yards to Faison and Micah Gilbert to put the Irish on the doorstep with just six seconds remaining, but disaster struck for the sophomore.
Carr went to spike the ball to stop the clock, but never had possession of the ball before sending it to the ground, and the Cougars — whether by knowledge or just reflex — pounced on the ball for the recovery.
With BYU leading 21-10 to begin the second half, the third quarter was not the offensive turnaround the Irish were looking for to get back into the game. Notre Dame stalled out on each of its first two drives as it seemed like the walls were beginning to close in, but then the Cougars opened the door right back open.
After looking unstoppable through 30 minutes, BYU was held up in the third, and its special teams turned the night disastrous. Following another Irish punt, the Cougars muffed the punt at midfield and Bubba Frazier hopped on the loose ball.
Looking to flip momentum on its head, Notre Dame still struggled to take advantage but Porath found the uprights to make it a one possession game.
The Irish defense continued to stiffen up on Bachmeier who once again was quickly forced off the field, and once again BYU made a questionable special teams decision, this time deep in its own territory. The Cougars opted to attempt a fake punt, and Notre Dame sniffed it out to set its offense up with prime field position.
But the offense was once again left wanting more, leading to another Porath field goal to cut the deficit to five.
After another defensive stand thanks to a Joey O’Brien pass break up on third down, Carr finally woke the offense up. The signal caller rolled out on third down, finding Jaden Greathouse all alone down the field for a 38 yard completion. Carr would follow up the explosive play with a clutch keeper on fourth down to keep the drive alive, and Jonaz Walton found the endzone to give Notre Dame a 24-21 lead.
With their 11-point lead now gone, Bachmeier and the Cougars went back on the hunt, and aggressively too. That aggressiveness proved costly however as a deep ball found the hands of Jayden Sanders for an interception along the sideline.
The Irish offense came up empty-handed off the sudden change, setting up BYU with a chance to go on a drive and retake the lead in a game that slowly slipped away throughout the second half.
Bachmeier rekindled the magic he had in the first half when the Cougars needed him most, hitting Legend Glasker for a 26-yard gain to move into scoring range. The sophomore used his legs to get BYU close, and completed the trifecta, completing a pass under pressure on third and goal to Walker Lyons for a six-yard touchdown to take a 28-24 lead.
Now in a got-to-have it drive to win the game, Carr mustered up everything he had. The quarterback showed some serious poise under pressure from the Cougars. Carr hit Greathouse on a fourth and third down to keep the drive going, and followed it up with a nice move on a free rusher to once again find Faison on third down along the sideline.
But ultimately there wasn’t enough time on the clock, and backed against the wall, Notre Dame ran out of time inside the Cougars redzone as Carr’s last second pass intended for Greathouse was too far out of reach.
The Irish will now head on a bye week before taking on Navy at Gillette Stadium on Oct. 31 at 12:00 p.m.
