Bear Bachmeier opened the season with a commanding performance, completing 16 of 20 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns while adding 30 rushing yards and a score on the ground.
Early Season Heroics
The outing was more than a flash in the pan; it built on a freshman year in which Bachmeier threw for over 3,000 yards, recorded 15 touchdowns and rushed for more than 500 yards with 11 scores, establishing him as one of the most productive dual‑threat quarterbacks in the Big 12.
His rapid ascent has already placed him among an exclusive quartet of Big 12 signal‑callers to achieve at least 18 passing and 12 rushing touchdowns in their first 15 career games, a list that includes Robert Griffin III, Bill Whittemore and Michael Bishop.
Now a true sophomore, Bachmeier has already silenced doubts about his ability to handle the pressures of early‑season competition, a factor that helped the Cougars crush Utah Tech 63‑7 in Week 1, a victory that largely obscured his individual brilliance.
The excitement now turns to Week 2, when Bachmeier will lead BYU into a high‑stakes showdown against the Arizona Wildcats, a program that garnered top‑25 votes and promises a rigorous test of the quarterback’s growing reputation.