The No. 10 BYU Cougars (8-0, 5-0) head into their final bye week riding a 10-game winning streak. A large chunk of the credit for the eight games won this year goes to true freshman QB Bear Bachmeier.
The Murrieta, CA, native originally signed with Stanford in the spring. However, he utilized the spring transfer portal window to transfer to BYU with his brother, Tiger, on May 4, 2025.
At the time of the transfer, Bachmeier expected to compete for the backup QB position behind starter Jake Retzlaff. However, Retzlaff announced he was withdrawing from BYU after being suspended for seven games for violating the school’s honor code.
Bachmeier was named the starter on August 19, 2025. Bachmeier became the first QB in BYU history to start the opening game as a true freshman.
Bachmeier’s choice of jersey number, 47, has been a topic of conversation. That number is typically reserved for running backs, linebackers or defensive backs. Bachmeier gave some insight as to the reason he wears number 47 as a quarterback when speaking with the media before the season started.
“Me and my dad joke around. I used to play running back when I was younger or when I started playing football. And then when I made the transition to quarterback, I just kept the number, and I continued to play middle linebacker up until 8th grade. I don’t know, I just kind of like the number and it kind of brings you back to your primitive nature when you’re playing, so it’s cool.”
Cool would be the exact opposite of the way to describe Bachmeier this season. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder has been red hot for the Cougars, taking the Big 12 Conference by storm.
Bachmeier has thrown for 1,693 yards with 11 TDs and 3 INTs. On the ground, Bachmeier is second on the team with 408 yards and leads the team with 9 TDs.
Bachmeier led the Cougars to a come-from-behind win at Iowa State on Saturday. The frosh had 307 passing yards with 2 TDs while chipping in 49 rushing yards and 1 TD.
Head coach Kalani Sitake has done a tremendous job with Bachmeier this season. The run game, led by LJ Martin with his 789 yards and 5 TDs, has been spectacular.
Bachmeier has also benefited from one of the better defenses in the country. BYU is No. 15 in the FBS in scoring defense, surrendering only 17.0 points per game. The Cougars are tied for fourth in the FBS with 12 INTs. Safety Faletau Satuala leads the team in tackles with 59 and also has 2 INTs and 2 forced fumbles.
BYU is on a bye this week and then faces a tough stretch in the schedule. The Cougars’ November games are at No. 13 Texas Tech (7-1, 4-1), against TCU (6-2, 3-2), at No. 17 Cincinnati (7-1, 5-0) and against UCF (4-3, 1-3).
In the spring, nobody thought a true freshman would be leading the BYU Cougars to a top 10 ranking and undefeated season heading into the second bye week. Least of all, a true freshman who wasn’t even on the BYU roster during the spring.
Yet here we are in Week 10 with BYU 8-0, ranked No. 10, tied for the conference lead with Cincinnati, and led by a true freshman QB. With the toughest part of the schedule ahead, the best is yet to come for Bachmeier and the Cougars.
Another week of Big 12 Conference football is in the books. Week 10 was marked as a key week for the conference, and it did not disappoint.
Bryson Blue
Writer
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