It was arguably the best throw of Bear Bachmeier’s college career thus far.
The sophomore BYU quarterback, clinging to a four-point lead in the fourth quarter against Arizona this past Saturday, faked a handoff, shuffled back a few steps and launched a 61-yard strike to freshman sensation Legend Glasker, sending the Provo faithful into hysterics and setting up a crucial insurance score two plays later.
Bachmeier let it rip on his own 19-yard line, perfectly placing the football in Glasker’s breadbasket 58 yards away at the Wildcats’ 23 before a sprinkling of YAC gave Glasker his 61 yards and put the Cougars in the red zone.
“Let’s do that more,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said postgame regarding Bachmeier’s bomb, a sentiment Cougar Nation undoubtedly shares.
Never before in his 16 BYU starts had Bachmeier completed a pass with more air yards on it prior to his connection with Glasker.
And frankly, he could probably still throw the ball even farther.
Through six quarters of action in 2026, Bachmeier is completing just under 70% of his passes for 415 yards, six touchdowns and a 188.2 rating. His yards per passing attempt are up more than a yard from 2025, and his passer rating has risen nearly 50 points.
But outside of basic statistics, anyone’s eye test would agree that Bachmeier has already proven to be a much more capable, proficient passer as a sophomore than his freshman self a year ago.
He appears to be processing at a higher level and making his reads with greater authority.
There’s a more noticeable zip on his passes, and he’s elevating his new-look, somewhat unproven receiving corps — Glasker has already racked up 139 receiving yards, and Kyler Kasper caught his first two career collegiate touchdowns against Arizona.
Spending a full offseason in Aaron Roderick’s offensive program has clearly gone a long way. To borrow from 2014’s “Draft Day,” Bachmeier has become some of Roderick’s finest work.
According to voice of the Cougars Greg Wrubell, Bachmeier is the only FBS quarterback this season with a passer rating above 185.0, more than five passing touchdowns, a completion rate greater than 65%, no interceptions and a rushing score.
Additionally, BYUtv’s Jarom Jordan shared that Bachmeier is one of six power conference players since 2000 with at least three passing touchdowns and at least one rushing touchdown across the first two games of the season, joining the likes of Heisman winners Tim Tebow and Baker Mayfield along with living NFL legend Patrick Mahomes.
In his first battle with Arizona last year as a freshman, Bachmeier completed 41% of his passes and threw two interceptions in eking out a double-overtime win in Tucson.
On Saturday, the Wildcats attempted to terrorize him again, blitzing heavily and almost daring Bachmeier to throw downfield. Despite the near-constant pressure, he avoided distress on his dropbacks, picking apart Arizona for 217 yards, three touchdowns and a 90.7 QBR mark.
None of this is to say Bachmeier wasn’t a solid passer in 2025. Throwing for 3,000 yards in the Big 12 as a true freshman is no small feat, and comeback victories at Iowa State and in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against Georgia Tech came largely by relying on his arm.
But the early returns on Bachmeier’s sophomore leap feel better than initially expected. His Arizona success outed him as a far more sophisticated passer who still possesses the same game-changing rushing ability that put him on the map as a freshman.
Oh, and Bachmeier can still hand the ball off to LJ Martin whenever he wants. These Cougars may be the toughest to defend since the Zach Wilson or Jaren Hall days.
If the goal is a return to Arlington, a CFP berth and beyond, this version of Bachmeier should be good enough to check each of those boxes.
Just ask Arizona’s secondary.
