PROVO, Utah — Two days before the most anticipated home game in decades, with “College GameDay” and the national spotlight turned toward BYU, Kalani Sitake wondered how many people truly had studied up on the program he coached.
“I don’t think this is like one of those ‘demand respect’ type of things,” Sitake told ESPN. “I don’t know if people know enough about us or if we’ve done enough to make a splash.”
The know-enough part has been put to rest after BYU’s 28-24 win against Notre Dame, which showcased the talent on the field and the passion in the stands, including a royal blue wave that continued to splash onto the field well after Saturday night’s game had ended. BYU led the second-ranked Fighting Irish for most of the night, got four touchdowns (two rushing, one passing, one receiving) from do-it-all quarterback Bear Bachmeier, converted all four red zone opportunities into touchdowns, 8 of 12 third-down chances against a talented defense, and limited Notre Dame’s big-play ability with its own defense.
The done-enough element of Sitake’s answer ultimately will be determined by what No. 2 BYU does next. Many might be surprised to know that BYU entered Saturday’s game with the third-best win percentage in the FBS since the start of the 2024 season (.875), and emerged from the game at No. 2 (.879), trailing only Indiana, which has won 33 of 36 games under coach Curt Cignetti.
Since 2024, BYU has put itself among the nation’s most successful programs. The difference: Those teams have all made the College Football Playoff, and the Cougars haven’t. As safety Raider Damuni said, BYU had been viewed as a program that gets to the big game but didn’t win them. Now the Cougars have, and they need to win more.
“We do understand how big of a win this is for us, but it doesn’t stop there,” Damuni said. “We weren’t perfect, but [we will] just continue to get better and not let this take over the whole season, because we didn’t come here to just beat Notre Dame. We have bigger goals.”
The Cougars’ most significant challenge is resetting after an emotional rush for Sitake and the players. Bachmeier cried as he embraced his younger brother, Buck, after the game, and then talked about how Notre Dame “disrespected me and my family pretty badly” during the recruiting process, adding, “There are some receipts kept.” Sitake reflected on his journey, first as a BYU fan, storming the field after the team beat No. 1 Miami in 1990, and then as a player and eventually the team’s head coach.
“This was probably the most incredible moment of my life, really,” linebacker Cade Uluave said. “After the last play and everyone was rushing the field, I literally just fell to my knees and started crying.”
Testing BYU’s maturity
Uluave and the Cougars now must pick themselves up and focus, as they resume Big 12 play this week at UCF. The game is a classic letdown scenario, a multiple time-zone trip to face a UCF squad that has shown improvement despite its 3-3 record.
BYU’s maturity will be tested, as will its preparation. Sitake says he thinks the Cougars check both boxes.
“I quoted LaVell Edwards to the team on Monday,” Sitake told ESPN before the Notre Dame game, referring to the BYU Hall of Fame coach who coached and mentored him. “LaVell said the will to prepare is more important than the will to win. So far in practice, I like what I’m seeing. It’s a really mature group. The guys aren’t afraid to work hard. I can do a lot of things with guys that are willing to work hard.”
Arguably the biggest statement BYU made Saturday night was matching Notre Dame at the line of scrimmage. Neither team recorded a sack, though BYU had one more tackle for loss and outrushed the Irish 121-115 in yards. But the Cougars didn’t play an entirely clean game, which Sitake blamed himself for, saying he “probably got a little bit too risky and aggressive” at times, namely on a failed fake punt at the BYU 28-yard line with a 21-13 lead in the third quarter.
BYU had another special teams error, also in the third quarter, as punt returner Cannon DeVries fumbled near the Notre Dame sideline. But the Cougars held the Irish to field goals on both ensuing possessions.
“I like the aggressiveness that we have, and proud that the defense was able to get some stops and get some forced field goals, and not turn those into detrimental mistakes,” Sitake said.
Sitake seemed to be fighting himself after the game, recognizing that the fake punt call, given the circumstances, wasn’t the best idea, adding that Notre Dame probably “baited” BYU with its own formation. But Sitake wants to maintain an aggressive philosophy, even pointing to his own roots as a BYU fan first, watching Edwards-coached teams push boundaries with the passing game and other areas.
The pedal-down approach certainly showed in an offensive game plan against Notre Dame that would have made Edwards proud, and could be a blueprint for BYU’s Big 12 title chase. Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick called several gadget plays, including a lateral to Kyler Kasper, who passed the ball across the field to Bachmeier, who raced it in for a 15-yard receiving touchdown in the second quarter.
Bachmeier became the first player to record a passing touchdown, rushing touchdown and receiving touchdown against an AP top-10 opponent since Florida‘s Jacquez Green against No. 6 Auburn in 1997.
“With Bear’s skills, you can do a lot of different things,” Sitake said.
Bachmeier’s load management as a runner will continue to be monitored, as top tailback LJ Martin, the 2025 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, remains out until November because of a lower-body injury sustained Oct. 3 at TCU. Although Bachmeier led BYU with 13 carries, he had 15 rushes against TCU and had eight consecutive games with 10 or more rushes (nine total) in 2025.
Roderick told ESPN this spring that BYU wanted to run Bachmeier less, but the quarterback’s effectiveness was undeniable against Notre Dame, especially in the red zone. He had help from senior running back Preston Rex, who recorded career highs in carries (10) and rushing yards (66), but BYU probably will continue to call upon the quarterback who wears No. 47, the same number he had from youth football when he played running back.
“It’s picking and choosing spots,” Sitake said. “… He’s not afraid to get down and dirty if he needs to. We also need him to be able to throw the ball. So it’s this balance of: How aggressive do we be? Because the kid’s willing to do whatever we ask him. He’s not afraid to put it on his shoulders. What I want him to understand is that it doesn’t have to be that way.”
‘A partnership’ and what comes next
Thanks to Bachmeier and his supporting cast, including an offensive line that surrendered no sacks and only two tackles for loss, BYU scored touchdowns on all four of its red zone trips against Notre Dame. But just the week before against Iowa State, the Cougars had failed to score on two of five red zone drives.
“We were horrible,” Bachmeier said.
BYU has scored touchdowns on 21 of 27 red zone opportunities, which ranks No. 9 nationally. The problem: The Cougars have failed to score at all on four such possessions, dropping their overall scoring percentage to 71st nationally. BYU’s 28 points against Notre Dame tied for its highest of the season against a Power 4 defense, and its third-down success continued a seasonlong theme, as BYU rose to No. 3 nationally (56.5%).
The next step will be maintaining efficiency as Big 12 play resumes.
“The entire offensive staff did a great job game-planning this one,” Sitake said Saturday night. “They were on point. We had some amazing practices this week, I think they were the best practices of the year. So we need to have those practices show up again next week and find ways to get better.”
BYU also can be increasingly reliant on a defense that has been the team’s best unit this season, giving up no more than 24 points in any game, and rising to No. 14 nationally in points allowed. The back seven has been especially strong with Uluave, a first-team All-ACC transfer from Cal, as well as holdovers such as safeties Faletau Satuala and Damuni, cornerback Evan Johnson and linebacker Isaiah Glasker. Both Glasker and Damuni returned from injuries and were effective Saturday, combining for nine tackles and four pass breakups. BYU also needed contributions from younger defensive backs such as safety Matthias Leach and cornerback Jordyn Criss.
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr had a career-high 10 overthrows and completed just 3 of 16 attempts 15 yards or longer downfield.
“We have a lot of bodies we can use,” Sitake told ESPN. “When you go against teams like Notre Dame, you might have to use fresh bodies and different types of bodies. You might have to do different things in different sets.”
BYU’s adaptability on both offense and defense will factor into its Big 12 push. The Cougars won’t face a team with as much NFL-level talent as Notre Dame the rest of the way, but they will be challenged, most notably Nov. 7 in the Holy War at Utah, which has three consecutive single-digit losses to the Cougars (the past two by a combined four points) after winning nine straight in the series.
The Cougars don’t face defending league champion Texas Tech in the regular season but now will be viewed as the team to beat in the Big 12. They were also a 10-point home underdog three days ago.
“We can play with anyone in the nation, [but] the job’s not finished,” Rex said after the Notre Dame game. “It was a great win, we’re going to celebrate it, but come Monday, we’re going to make the necessary preparations for the next game. … We’re a real contender.”
BYU is in a place it hasn’t been in decades, guided by a coach well-versed in the program’s past. Sitake very much coaches in Edwards’ image, especially in how he deals with players. He saw how Edwards empowered those in his program, from future coaches such as Andy Reid and Kyle Whittingham to the quarterbacks — Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Detmer, Steve Sarkisian — who ranged in personality and play style.
Sitake sees the coach-player relationship as “a partnership,” not a dictatorship.
“There’s a reason why we had a bunch of guys that could have gone to the league and should be on NFL rosters right now,” he said. “They came back for a purpose, and so I want them to lead the way, because their purpose will probably be more important than mine.”
BYU holds its highest AP ranking since 1984, when Edwards coached the team to a national title, but Sitake doesn’t get wrapped up in the polls, saying Monday of BYU’s position, “Never cared about it before, so why would I start now?” The Cougars are only halfway through the regular season, and Sitake wants to maintain the right mental mix as they chase the highest goals.
“In a time where a lot of people go through anxiety and stress you get to do something that a lot of people wish they could do, so you might as well enjoy it,” he said. “It’s going to be tough. It’s going to be fun at the same time. We can do tough things, but we can have fun while we’re doing it.”
