Can Bear Bachmeier bounce back against Baylor?
· Yahoo Sports
Three days after throwing four interceptions in BYU’s 28-20 loss at now-No. 2 Utah, sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier met with reporters Tuesday after practice and called the subpar performance a “great learning experience” and a “humbling experience.”
Bachmeier also dispelled internet rumors that he sustained an injury that limited what he could do in Saturday’s rivalry game at Rice-Eccles Stadium, saying he is “feeling good physically” and accustomed to taking hits in every game.
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“You gotta be tough,” he said. “… We got Baylor on Saturday, and we got to bounce back. … The locker room (mood) was tough. But yeah, we got a team coming in here on Saturday, and we got to be ready to play.”
The No. 10 Cougars (7-2, 4-2) host unranked Baylor 6-3, 4-2) on Saturday, and the sobering thought for Bachmeier and the BYU offense is that the Bears have the No. 18 scoring defense in the country, giving up just 17 points per game.
“They are physical and they know their scheme well and they just play ball,” Bachmeier said.
Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick also spoke to reporters Tuesday and said that Bachmeier was one of the reasons why the Cougars gave the Utes their biggest test of the season, throwing for 272 yards and rushing for 59 in BYU’s first loss to Utah since 2019.
“He just had a tough day, man. Bear’s been such a good player for us and is still a good player,” Roderick said. “I mean, he made so many good plays in that game that gave us a chance to win, and then just a few bad plays that were costly. But that hasn’t diminished our faith in him one bit.”
Monday, offensive lineman Bruce Mitchell said teammates began rallying around Bachmeier and other guys who struggled in front of 52,901 and a national television audience of more than 4 million immediately after the game and continued that throughout the weekend.
“I don’t think anybody was too stoked in the locker room following the game, but man, I know Bear, I know the character he has, and I know he’s going to bounce back,” Mitchell said. “It was not just his fault. He’s taking a lot of heat on it, and taking a lot of heat in the media. He’s taking it personally.
“You know, if we are able to run the ball better, I am sure he will be able to pass the ball more efficiently,” Mitchell continued, lamenting BYU’s 119 rushing yards. “He’s going to bounce back. He’s going to have a great game this Saturday, and I’m sure he’s fully focused on Baylor.”
Bachmeier credited Utah’s crowd for delivering a “crazy” and “loud” environment in Salt Lake City, but noted that the Cougars were prepared for it and made the right adjustments after a rough start that included a few procedural penalties and a disputed delay of game penalty that wiped away a first-down run in the first quarter and led to BYU’s first field goal.
The quarterback, who on Wednesday was named to the Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2026 list, said he leaned on his family, which was out in full force at Rice-Eccles, to get him through the weekend. His teammates were “great” as well, he said.
“Yeah, that’s the culture at BYU, and it’s a true brotherhood, and it’s love and learn,” Bachmeier said. “We got a lot of guys that love each other, and I’m incredibly honored to be the quarterback of this team and to be surrounded by these guys. I love these guys, and yeah, we got to respond.”
Kalani Sitake stands behind his standout QB
Monday, Sitake said that the performance was “uncharacteristic of what we’ve seen from Bear” and that he fully expects the sophomore who has led BYU to 19 wins in 23 starts will play better against the remaining teams on the schedule — Baylor, Kansas and Cincinnati.
“There’s a lot that goes into a game. I know a lot of the attention goes to the person throwing the ball, but a lot of it involves protection. It’s not like Bear was untouched throughout the whole game,” Sitake said. “Everybody has a part in taking responsibility. The bulk of it falls on the quarterback, but nobody is harder on him than he is on himself right now.
“We just have to be better with our reads and have all 11 guys doing their jobs. We need to improve in the passing game,” Sitake continued. “I believe in his talents, and I believe in what we’re doing as an offense. … We’ve got to look at how we can be better and put more points on the board.”
More from Roderick on Bear’s bad day, road ahead
Roderick said it is important to remember that Utah also has a top-20 defense (No. 15 in points allowed, 16.33 ppg.) and deserves a lot of credit for making plays, including linebacker Trey Reynolds’ interception at the goal line.
“Bear’s one of the best QBs in the country, and he’s done a great job here for us, and we’re gonna (stick with him),” Roderick said. “I’ll go to battle with him any day.”
Roderick said Bachmeier made “two decisions that were questionable,” but the throw Reynolds picked off wasn’t one of them.
“Just got to put a little more air under the throw, but I thought No. 10 (Reynolds) made a great play,” Roderick said. “He kind of came out of nowhere to go for that ball. We had Kyler (Kasper) open in the back of the end zone. The play worked as planned, except for we just got to get the ball up a little higher.”
Finally, Roderick said Bachmeier had a great practice Tuesday and that the vibe around the program remains positive.
“I will say that after the game, he was devastated. He felt like it was his fault, and he was really down, and put a lot of responsibility on himself,” Roderick said. “He was pretty down Sunday, and then by Monday it was back to showing his real character. Bear’s a tough guy, and he has real character. … I am really confident he’ll bounce back and play well.”
On the injury situation, Roderick said tight end Roger Saleapaga is still being evaluated and is questionable to play vs. Baylor. Running back Preston Rex is expected to play, and running back LJ Martin is “not even close” to being 100% but will probably be used more and more as the season wears on after getting seven carries against Utah.
“He’s still got a ways to go,” Roderick said, noting that Rex and Saleapaga “are big losses, by the way. We’re down some guys. That’s one of the things (holding the offense back). This doesn’t want to sound like an excuse, but one of the things that we’ve been good at is personnel groupings. We do a lot of different things with personnel, and we’ve been pretty limited the last few games. So yeah, it is a challenge.”
BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick fields questions on March 2, 2026, in Provo. | Aaron Cornia, BYU Photo