By : Sabri Haidar
(Photo/Sabri Haidar- The Mojo Network)
Bear Bachmeier carried the Cougars with both his arm and his legs, throwing for 179 yards and two touchdowns while adding 103 yards on the ground. His dual-threat performance powered BYU to a hard-fought win over Colorado on Saturday night, keeping their perfect season alive.
The game still came down to the defense. Clinging to a three-point lead in the final two minutes, Kalani Sitake trusted his special teams to flip the field. Punter Sam Vander Haar pinned Colorado deep with a kick down to the 4-yard line, setting up the Buffaloes with 1:49 to mount a last-ditch drive. Four plays later, Isaiah Glasker stepped in front of a shaky throw and sealed the victory with an interception — a fitting finish for the same linebacker who torched Colorado in last year’s Alamo Bowl.
The Buffs actually punched first. Kaidon Salter opened with two quick scoring drives, including a three-yard keeper and a direct-snap score to converted receiver Dre’lon Miller, putting Colorado up 14–0 midway through the first quarter. But BYU’s defense, led by Jack Kelly’s sack and two tackles for loss, tightened up and gave Bachmeier a chance to respond.
The senior quarterback delivered right before halftime, orchestrating a 94-yard march capped by a five-yard strike to Chase Roberts. The Cougars went into the break down just 14–10 despite being even with Colorado at 188 total yards apiece.
Roberts found the end zone again after halftime, breaking loose on a fourth-and-2 conversion for a four-yard touchdown that gave BYU its first lead. Colorado briefly stole momentum back when Salter connected with Miller on a 19-yard score, but the Cougars’ defense shut the door from there. Glasker added a sack in the fourth quarter and then his game-clinching interception with less than a minute to play.
With the win, BYU moves to 4–0 heading into next week’s home matchup against West Virginia — and their first Big 12 road trip ends in celebration.