BYU freshman QB passing right tests as Big 12 exam nears

PROVO — If BYU's first road trip to East Carolina was considered a test for quarterback Bear Bachmeier to see what he'd do away from the friendly confines of LaVell Edwards Stadium, the true freshman passed.

But then again, Bachmeier probably doesn't have much of an issue earning passing grades.

That's not just a reference to the former Stanford enrollee's academic pedigree or his final stat line, when he completed 18-of-25 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown and ran for 26 yards that included a 16-yard score in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 34-13 win in Greenville, North Carolina.

The first true freshman starting quarterback in a season opener took his act on the road, and showed his experience against a poor FCS team in Portland State and a power conference opponent in Stanford (that fell to 1-3 through four games) weren't aberrational with what he did against the Pirates (2-2), who gave NC State all they could handle before overpowering wins over FCS Campbell and Coastal Carolina.

To paraphrase offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick before the Cougars (3-0) made their two-time zone trip, Bachmeier was just Bachmeier — and that proved to be good enough.

"In the first half, you saw him miss some throws. I know he wishes he could have those back," BYU coach Kalani Sitake told reporters after the game. "But I thought in this environment and the hostility here, it was a good step in the right direction."

And then, Sitake noted, "we saw him play much better in the second half."

Indeed, after figuring things out on 9-of-14 passing for 146 yards and a 13-3 halftime lead, Bachmeier found his footing.

His first attempt of the game was a 41-yard strike to Parker Kingston, and after the veteran wide receiver struggled to keep balance on the play, Bachmeier slowly started to find more range.

The freshman from Murrieta, California, averaged 13.7 yards per completion, which won't jump off the page but was significant enough to allow LJ Martin to average 7.2 yards per carry for 101 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown.

What stands out more is Bachmeier's accuracy. At one point in the second half, he completed his second consecutive pass attempts and nine of his final 10 tries, including a 20-yard touchdown to Carsen Ryan that helped open up the game.

He also found Kingston, running back Sione Moa and Chase Roberts — who led all receivers with five catches for 97 yards in that run.

If Bachmeier heard the East Carolina coaching staff's commentary that the freshman has a tendency to "lock on" a single receiver, he gave no indication of it postgame. On the field, he let his play talk, connecting with five receivers, including five times each with Roberts and Kingston, and four more with Ryan.

The latter scored his second touchdown of the season, which is twice as many in three games as the American Fork product had in 12 games a year ago at Utah.

"He's a 'security blanket,' a bigger body with a bigger catch radius," Bachmeier said of Ryan. "Our relationship is great, he's a great dude, and very deserving of what he gets."

Bachemeier admits he's still a work in progress, and that should be expected for a true freshman who has scored a rushing touchdown in each of his first three starts.

But he's also got the benefit of a top-25 defense — one that leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring defense and ranks second in total defense, led by the likes of Jack Kelly and Raider Damuni, who had a team-high eight tackles in the win.

And Bachmeier is only getting better. At least, that's his head coach's hope.

"I think, hopefully, he's turned the corner, and we can rely on him a little more as a veteran," Sitake said. "He's got three games under his belt; he's no longer a true freshman."

So maybe Bachmeier's first true road test was always an A+. But in guiding BYU's offense to 34 points, 418 yards and no turnovers, he certainly passed the exam.

The next test is immediate, as the Cougars open Big 12 play Saturday night at 2-2 Colorado (8:15 p.m. MDT, ESPN).

"I think we've got to just continue what we're doing — offense, defense and special teams," Bachmeier said. "We'll flip the page and get going on Monday to keep the momentum, and keep doing what we're doing."

Related topics