BYU Defeats Baylor 28-7, Bear Bachmeier Scores Four Touchdowns

No. 10 BYU defeated Baylor 28-7 on Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah, as quarterback Bear Bachmeier ran for three touchdowns and threw for another.

The victory improved the Cougars to 8-2 overall and 5-2 in Big 12 play, keeping their conference title and College Football Playoff hopes alive. Baylor dropped to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the conference, snapping a two-game winning streak under interim coach Joe Klanderman.

Bachmeier Leads BYU Scoring During First-Half Dominance

BYU controlled the opening two quarters, running 21 minutes off the clock compared to Baylor’s 8:53. The Cougars scored on their first three possessions, utilizing long, clock-draining drives of 86 and 96 yards.

Bachmeier scored on runs of 8 and 5 yards in the first quarter before adding a 1-yard plunge just before halftime. He finished the night with 158 yards of offense and one touchdown pass alongside 54 rushing yards on the ground.

“It was probably a rhythm problem early,” Klanderman said.

“There were times in the second half I thought maybe we established a little bit of rhythm, but I think we’ve got a lot of work to do there.”

LJ Martin Leaves Game with Apparent Ankle Injury

Running back LJ Martin gained 49 yards on six carries for BYU before suffering an apparent ankle injury when a Baylor defender stepped on him near the end of the first half. Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake held Martin out for the remainder of the game as a precautionary measure.

“He’s got some hardware down there, so we have to be smart,” Sitake said.

“Having him come back early was good for the team and everything, but you can’t ask too much of him. I want him to be at 100%, so we just shut it down regardless of what was going to happen in the game.”

Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway was held to 159 passing yards on 21-of-37 passing with one touchdown and one interception. Tommy Prassas intercepted Lagway in the third quarter, ending BYU’s six-week drought without an interception.

Postgame Assessment in Provo

Baylor’s offense struggled to generate momentum until a late fourth-quarter touchdown drive. Tight end Matthew Klopfenstein pointed to execution issues following the loss.

“It’s pretty frustrating not to be able to really get anything started,” Klopfenstein said.

“Just from an execution standpoint, it just felt like we were kind of shooting ourselves in the foot.”

“We were able to do some really good things with field position. Just overall happy with all three phases,” Sitake said.

Entering the nighttime meeting at LaVell Edwards Stadium, Baylor had been averaging 41.5 points per contest following the dismissal of Dave Aranda, but the visiting offense managed only 238 total yards of offense.

BYU piled up a total offensive output of 312 yards, with 189 of those coming via the ground game as the home team leaned on a balanced rushing attack that also featured LJ Martin, Sione Moa, Preston Rex, Devaughn Eka, and Legend Glasker.

The Cougars established an early advantage as Bachmeier led three consecutive scoring drives that resulted in three rushing touchdowns.

Wide receiver Gavin Freeman was a primary point of emphasis for the BYU defensive backfield, which limited the slot receiver to six catches for 37 yards.

Freeman was flagged for a personal foul in the contest after swinging at Therrian Alexander III following the conclusion of a play.

Baylor’s lone touchdown came in the second half when Lagway connected with tight end Matthew Klopfenstein in the end zone.

Wide receiver DeBraun Hampton also chipped in for the Bears with three receptions for 31 yards, and Hawkins Polley recorded a single catch for 17 yards.

BYU’s special teams provided additional help in the field position battle, highlighted by Cannon DeVries returning a punt 44 yards in the fourth quarter to set up the final score of the night.

Other big returns by DeVries earlier in the game were wiped out by holding penalties on Miles Hall and Reggie Frischknecht.

Cougars offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick noted during the week that Bachmeier possessed the character and resilience to bounce back from his previous four-interception outing against Utah.

Following the conclusion of Saturday’s matchup, BYU prepares to hit the road to face Kansas next Saturday, while Baylor returns home to host Texas Tech.

Earlier coverage: BYU-Baylor Kickoff Moves to 5:00 PM Following FAA Ground Stop

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