Provo • Despite all of his struggles on the road against No. 3 Utah, Bear Bachmeier had BYU in position for a potential game-tying touchdown in the final moments of Saturday’s rivalry game.
Yes, the sophomore quarterback had already thrown three interceptions. But Bachmeier had also led a 20-0 first-half run that turned a 14-0 deficit into a 20-14 halftime lead and had the Cougars in scoring position multiple times in the second half.
Of course, you know the ending by now. Bachmeier thought he saw Kyler Kasper open in the end zone, unleashed a bomb ... and watched as Utah safety Nate Ritchie entered the frame, rose up, and pulled down the Utes’ fourth interception of the day before kneeling on it in the end zone.
Ballgame.
Bachmeier’s uncharacteristic turnover performance left the signal-caller with a sour taste in his mouth and a broken heart in the visiting locker room at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
He wasn’t alone.
“I don’t think anybody was too stoked in the locker room following the game,” BYU center Bruce Mitchell said. “But I know Bear, I know the character he has, and I know he’s going to bounce back.
“It’s not just his fault,” he added. “He’s taken a lot of heat in the media, and he’s taking it personally. But it’s not just his fault. If we were able to run the ball better, I’m sure he would’ve been able to pass the ball more efficiently. I’ve got no doubt in Bear. He’s going to bounce back.”
The Cougars (7-2) dropped to No. 12 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 rankings after absorbing their second loss of the season, falling to 4-2 in Big 12 play ahead of Saturday’s home date with Baylor (6-3, 4-2 Big 12).
But as the visitors returned home to prepare for the Bears, they found a season that is far from over.
College Football Playoff? Big 12 title? Sure, BYU’s hopes at both took a hit. The Cougars are two games behind Utah atop the conference and one behind 8-1 Texas Tech for what would be the second spot in the final Big 12 championship game in Arlington, Texas.
BYU is one of five 4-2 teams in the conference standings, a group that includes this week’s opponent.
Texas Tech still has to play Oklahoma State and Baylor, and Utah faces a tricky trip to Tucson on Saturday night as part of back-to-back road games.
The Cougars are far from out of the picture, or at least they shouldn’t be when the CFP selection committee updates its weekly rankings Tuesday night.
BYU will need to be in the top 12 — or more likely the top 11, with an automatic berth awarded to the highest-ranked Group of Six team after the regular season.
They also got a boost Saturday in the return of LJ Martin, who ran for 19 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown during a 17-0 second quarter.
Bachmeier still led BYU in rushing with 59 yards and didn’t take a sack as he tried to will the Cougars to a win with his arm. But BYU coach Kalani Sitake called Martin’s a “great morale boost” for his team, even with just seven carries.
“Obviously, he wasn’t 100%,” Sitake added, “and I’m looking forward to seeing him work this week.”
As uncharacteristic as Saturday’s performance may have been, Bachmeier — whose four picks matched his season total in the first eight games of the year — knows as well as anyone that he has to be better.
He also knows that he has a team ready to shoulder the loss as he takes it on the chin.
“There’s a factor of everybody to take care of the blame,” Sitake said Monday. “But the bulk of it is on the quarterback, and nobody is harder on him than he is on himself right now.
“This game, he understands it,” he added. “It’s an uncharacteristic part of Bear and what he’s done before.”
BYU’s biggest weapon will be an ability to stick together, said fifth-year senior kicker Matthias Dunn.
“There’s not a lot of people who believe in us outside of the building,” Dunn said, “and we’re totally fine with that.
“I think what carries us through over the next three games is we’ve just got to bond together and attack, and give our best regardless of what the outside noise might be.”
Down but not out, BYU has exhausted its mulligans. The Cougars have one of the best wins in college football this season with a 28-24 victory over then-No. 2 Notre Dame that aged up after the Fighting Irish upset former No. 1 Miami 31-24.
BYU’s 28-17 win over Arizona is one of just two losses on the year for the 22nd-ranked Wildcats, who host No. 2 Utah on Saturday night.
It’s a one-game season for three straight weeks for the Cougars, beginning Saturday against the Bears, who have won back-to-back games since firing head coach Dave Aranda.
“Everybody’s going to put that game behind us,” Mitchell said, “and I look forward to going 1-0 this week.”