No. 8 BYU faced a difficult task on Friday night. Their first full game without star running back LJ Martin, and questions about their offense's struggles in their previous game after his injury. Not to mention the looming Top 10 matchup with #3 Notre Dame was also on their minds, making Iowa State the ultimate trap game.
Enter Bear Bachmeier.
The wunderkind sophomore quarterback, who had been averaging a subpar 176 passing yards per outing in four games so far, was forced to shoulder more of the load and step up to keep BYU's undefeated season alive.
Bear nearly doubled his typical output against the Cyclones, going 22-30 for 329 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air, and added 9 carries for 109 yards on the ground in a Heisman-worthy performance.
Bachmeier didn't stare down his receivers either - he found seven different BYU players for catches on the night, led by Legend Glasker, who had five catches for 99 yards and a TD.
BYU punted only twice on the night, moved the ball when it mattered, and handled Iowa State 24-10 in a game that wasn't that close.
The Cougars can now turn their full attention to their October 17th matchup with Notre Dame. A win against the Fighting Irish would go a long way to bolstering BYU's CFP hopes.
Notre Dame awaits BYU in a clash of teams hungry for the CFP
Both the Cougars and the Fighting Irish felt snubbed last season when they were left out of the College Football Playoff. BYU was 11-2, with both losses to Texas Tech (12-2 and a CFP entrant), while Notre Dame was 10-2 and lost to Miami (a CFP finalist) and Texas A&M (another CFP team).
This year, both teams have run the table, and should be top 10 ranked going into next weekend, giving the winner a massive boost with the voters and the CFP committee.
BYU needs to capitalize on this moment if they want the CFP to take them seriously. Not just this year, but moving forward. They have had a bit of history of wilting under the spotlight in recent years, and there is no better way to turn that around than beating Notre Dame.
For Bear Bachmeier, he will need to take the team on his back again and get a statement win. His Heisman chances might be buried, but the CFP is still within reach.
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