No. 8 BYU secured a 28-24 victory over No. 2 Notre Dame on Saturday night, Oct. 18, 2026, in Provo, Utah, after stopping the Fighting Irish at the goal line to preserve the win. Bear Bachmeier led a go-ahead touchdown drive with 1:47 remaining in the game to help the Cougars reach a 6-0 record for the third consecutive season.
Bachmeier recorded 224 passing yards and contributed three touchdowns through the air, on the ground, and as a receiver. He became the first quarterback since Steve Young in the 1983 Holiday Bowl to record a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown in a single game. His performance included a five-yard touchdown run and a six-yard touchdown pass to Walker Lyons with 1:47 left. The victory also ended Notre Dame's 16-game winning streak.
Notre Dame attempted a final drive late in the game, including a fourth-down pass to Micah Gilbert that reached the BYU 9-yard line with four seconds left. The drive ended in an incomplete pass in the end zone. However, the Big 12 issued a statement following the game noting that time remained on the clock when the ball hit the ground and the play was incorrectly cleared by the replay officiating crew. The conference stated it will conduct a complete review of its end-of-game officiating process before next week's games.
The game featured several critical momentum shifts. Notre Dame cut an 11-point halftime deficit to five in the fourth quarter following field goals after a muffed punt return and a failed fake punt by BYU. Jonaz Walton scored a 3-yard touchdown run to give the Irish a 17-16 lead with 9:31 remaining.
Earlier in the first half, Bachmeier scored on a five-yard run and a one-yard dive. He also caught a short pass from Kyler Kasper for a 15-yard touchdown. Preston Rex contributed 66 yards on 10 carries for BYU. For the Irish, CJ Carr threw for 261 yards, while Nolan James Jr. added a rushing touchdown and 77 yards on the ground.
The outcome was part of a significant day in college football where five of the top eight teams in the AP Top 25 lost on the same regular-season day. This included No. 1 Georgia's 27-24 loss to Auburn, marking the first time the top two teams in the country lost on the same day during the regular season since Nov. 17, 2012.
BYU is scheduled to play at UCF on Oct. 24. Notre Dame is scheduled to play at Navy on Oct. 31.
