No. 8 BYU's dramatic — if not controversial — win over No. 2 Notre Dame featured plenty of intriguing storylines.
Did the Cougars commit pass interference? Why did officials not review the game clock? And what, exactly, did the Fighting Irish do to "disrespect" BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier and his family?
Speaking after the game, Bachmeier — asked by USA TODAY's John Brice on what it was like to be part of a win that caused fans to storm the field — hesitated a moment.
Then he took aim at Notre Dame:
"(Coach Kalani Sitake) won't like this because I'm talking about myself," Bachmeier said, "but out of high school Notre Dame disrespected me and my family pretty
badly. And I wasn't going to lose to those guys. There was no way I was going to lose to those guys tonight."
Strong quote here from @BYUfootball QB Bear Bachmeirer on beating @NDFootball: “I don’t like talking about myself but Notre Dame disrespected me & my family pretty badly (in 2023). There was no way I was losing to those guys.” @usatodaysports pic.twitter.com/K4Pm8NWlVX
— John Brice (@JohnDBrice1) October 18, 2026
Indeed, Bachmeier's play was arguably the deciding factor in the game, as the BYU signal-caller had a hand in every Cougars score in the 28-24 win. He completed 23 of 36 passes for 224 yards and one touchdown to one interception.
He also rushed 13 times for 45 yards and two more scores, and even hauled in a 15-yard touchdown reception on a trick play. His go-ahead, 7-yard touchdown pass to Walker Lyons under the 2-minute mark was the ultimate difference in the game.
Bachmeier's comment likely has to do with his recruitment out of high school, with the prevailing theory that Notre Dame flew the No. 28-ranked quarterback in the class out for a visit as a recruiting tactic to seal the commitment of another quarterback in the class, five-star Deuce Knight.
In the end, neither Bachmeier nor Knight enrolled at Notre Dame: Bachmeier committed to Stanford before transferring to BYU, while Knight landed at Auburn. Bachmeier leading BYU to a win over the Fighting Irish was the latest — and perhaps final — chapter in that story.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bear Bachmeier gets his revenge: ‘Notre Dame disrespected me and my family’
