BYU versus Notre Dame was one of the most anticipated BYU home games since 1990. So, when they finally defeated Notre Dame 28-24, head coach Kalani Sitake felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Not to forget, he was always a BYU fan.
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“I’ve just had a lot of really good people around me that sacrificed for me to be here,” he said, looking back at how aggressive his players looked on the field. It goes without saying that this game had plenty of instances that are worthy of a debate. Let us look at those aspects.
Notre Dame didn’t have a great start
Notre Dame, unfortunately, lost its best pass rusher barely minutes into the game.
“Notre Dame star DT Boubacar Traore has been ejected after being called for targeting on BYU’s Bear Bachmeier,” TSN reported via X.
Traore was disqualified less than three minutes into the game after officials upheld a targeting call for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Bachmeier. In fact, even ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit noticed it.
“At the very end right there, lowering the helmet, that’s going to be targeting,” he said during the broadcast.
Traore’s early ejection was a significant blow to the Fighting Irish, as BYU turned the 15-yard penalty into a 75-yard touchdown drive. Bachmeier finished it with a five-yard run, while Notre Dame’s remaining pass rushers failed to record a sack.
But Traore’s ejection wasn’t the only officiating decision that left Notre Dame frustrated.
Here’s the thing: No. 2 Notre Dame entered Provo undefeated at 6-0, only to leave with a 28-24 loss to No. 8 BYU, a snapped 16-game winning streak, and an officiating controversy that isn’t going away anytime soon.
The refs denied the final play
The final play was an embarrassment for the officiating crew. After driving Notre Dame to BYU’s 7-yard line with four seconds left and no timeouts, CJ Carr faced an all-out blitz. He floated a fade toward Jaden Greathouse, who appeared to be contacted by defender Evan Johnson before the ball fell incomplete. No pass interference flag.
And despite the clock showing one second remaining when the ball hit the ground, officials declared the game over. BYU celebrated, while Notre Dame was denied another shot at the end zone. So much for getting the final call right.
Analyst Warren Sharp also reported on the one-second controversy via an X post: “There is CLEARLY 1 SECOND LEFT. Just watch it back in slo-mo; it’s not close. clock doesn’t even get to 0:00 as I replay it.”
Sports analyst Chase Snyder’s X post read: “Forget the BYU pass interference for a second… how did they NOT review an obvious second left on the clock for Notre Dame????”
The Big 12 acknowledged the officiating error after reviewing the controversial finish. The conference confirmed that one second remained on the clock and that the replay crew incorrectly ruled the game over.
“Following the Big 12’s review of the final play of Saturday’s Notre Dame-BYU game, it was determined 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 will conduct a complete review of its end-of-game officiating process in advance of next week’s games,” the statement mentioned.
Notre Dame had also squandered scoring opportunities earlier. Trailing 21-10 just before halftime, Carr attempted to spike the ball at BYU’s 5-yard line but lost possession. After a review, officials ruled it a fumble, and BYU recovered, costing the Irish at least three potential points.
Notre Dame bounced back with 14 unanswered points to take a 24-21 lead with 9:31 remaining. Jayden Sanders later intercepted Bachmeier, but the Irish offense failed to capitalize. Bachmeier eventually found Walker Lyons for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:47 left. Carr finished 27 of 49 for 261 yards, while Greathouse had eight catches for 125.
For Bachmeier, however, the victory was about more than just beating the No. 2 team in the country.
“We’re tired of being disrespected, and I don’t know, maybe because we’re the color blue, ‘nothing will happen,'” Bachmeier said. “But that was a bad joke, but we’re tired of being disrespected. I mean, we know who we are, and man, this was a great win for sure.”
“Kalani [Sitake, BYU’s head coach] won’t like this because I’m talking about myself, but out of high school, Notre Dame disrespected me and my family pretty badly, and I wasn’t going to lose to those guys. There was no way I was going to lose to those guys tonight.”
Bachmeier finished with four total touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving, and the game-winning passing touchdown). He also confirmed that he had “receipts” regarding the recruiting issues, making the victory personal.
All that said, Notre Dame’s first loss has complicated its College Football Playoff outlook, leaving the Fighting Irish with little room for another setback. The Irish have a bye next week, followed by a Navy matchup on October 31 and Miami on November 7, while BYU (6-0) is set to face UCF next.