Notre Dame suffered its first loss of the 2026 season on Saturday night in Provo, falling 28-24 to BYU. Bear Bachmeier proved too much for the Irish defense, totaling four touchdowns to secure the victory for the Cougars.
The game was marked by early missed opportunities for the Irish offense and a significant disciplinary event. Boubacar Traore was ejected from the game after a hit on Bachmeier resulted in a helmet collision with the quarterback's facemask. Following the ejection, Bachmeier scored a five-yard rushing touchdown.
CJ Carr and the Notre Dame offense struggled in the first half, including a missed touchdown pass to Jordan Faison and a fumbled spike at the end of the half that allowed BYU to recover the ball. While Spencer Porath added a 46-yard field goal and Carr later found Jonaz Walton for an eight-yard touchdown run to give the Irish a 10-7 lead, the Cougars responded with a 15-yard touchdown reception by Bachmeier following a double pass from Kyler Kasper. Bachmeier added a second rushing touchdown later in the half to give BYU a 21-10 advantage at halftime.
The second half saw a shift in momentum. After BYU muffed a punt that was recovered by Bubba Frazier, Notre Dame managed to cut the deficit to five points through another Porath field goal. Carr then led a drive featuring a 38-yard completion to Jaden Greathouse and a fourth-down keeper, resulting in a touchdown run by Walton to give Notre Dame a 24-21 lead.
However, Bachmeier reclaimed control for BYU, completing a six-yard touchdown pass to Walker Lyons with under two minutes remaining. Despite a final drive by Carr that included completions to Greathouse and Faison, a last-second pass intended for Greathouse fell out of reach, ending the Irish comeback attempt.
BYU's Bachmeier finished the night with 128 passing yards on 72% completion and 47 rushing yards on six attempts. The Cougars' victory in Provo served as a significant test for the Irish offense.
Notre Dame will enter a bye week before scheduled to play Navy at Gillette Stadium on Oct. 31 at 12:00 p.m.
