The BYU Cougars (#8 AP) hosted the #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, one of the best matchups in a day full of them. It was an electric atmosphere, with ESPN's College GameDay in town, a military flyover from Utah's Hill AFB, and a blessing on the Pope by the BYU as a sign of true sportsmanship.
And the game started with a bang. More apt, with a targeting penalty that cost Notre Dame their best defender, evening things out a bit as BYU was missing their best offensive player, running back LJ Martin.
BYU struck first, getting a rushing TD from star QB Bear Bachmeier. The Irish answered with a field goal shortly thereafter, and BYU led 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.
Notre Dame fought back with a TD by N. James to take the lead 10-7 in the second quarter, before BYU answered with another Bachmeier touchdown, making it 14-10 for the Cougars. And a TD pass to Legend Glasker gave BYU a 21-10 advantage at the half.
The third quarter was a slugfest, with the defenses holding serve. BYU had a touchdown wiped out by offensive pass interference, costing them a potential 28-10 advantage, and the Irish took advantage to narrow the lead with two field goals, trailing 21-16 entering the final quarter.
Notre Dame scored a TD early in the fourth quarter after forcing a three and out, taking a 24-21 advantage as the BYU crowd quieted a bit.
An interception by the Irish ended up as another three and out, and BYU capitalized with a 10 play, 55 yard drive and a Bear Bachmeier TD pass to Walker Lyons to give the Cougars back the lead inside of two minutes left.
The Irish responded with a hurry-up drive - 14 plays and 67 yards to get in scoring position, but faltered on the final play - a pass to the end zone that was well-defended and fell to the ground as time expired. BYU's crowd rushed the field and it was bedlam in Provo.
BYU now has the inside track to a CFP berth
No matter how you slice it, BYU just bolstered its resume for the CFP in a big way.It will be hard to leave the Cougars out now, should they keep winning. Beating a Top-Two team while missing your running game (LJ Martin) will go a long way with the committee.
BYU will have other tests along the way - #11 Utah in Salt Lake City on the first weekend in November looks like another Top 10 clash, and Martin should be healthy for that one, but the Utes are hungry to reverse a recent three-game skid to the Cougars.
But the biggest question about the Cougars has been answered - could they beat a true CFP contender after years of not answering the bell? The answer is YES, as predicted by Steve Young and Pat McAfee on Gameday. The Cougars are in the CFP conversation now, and their fans couldn't be happier.
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