Kyler Kasper turned a gadget play into a game-changing touchdown Saturday, throwing a 15-yard double-reverse pass to Bear Bachmeier that put BYU ahead 14-10 in the first half and helped set up a 28-24 win over Notre Dame.
The play mattered because it came against then-No. 2 Notre Dame and helped BYU claim the No. 2 spot in the country after handing the Irish their first loss of the season. It also fit a game in which BYU needed every bit of creativity it could find, even while producing 360 yards of offense and leaning on a passing game that finished with 24 completions to six different receivers.
Aaron Roderick said Kasper won the trick-play quarterback job on his first throw and kept hitting the pass perfectly in practice all week. By the time the coaches called it in the game, the Oregon transfer had already made himself the obvious choice for the role. Roderick also said Kasper was already asking for more throws afterward.
That wrinkle was not pulled from nowhere. BYU modeled the play after a 22-yard score Chase Roberts and Jaren Hall connected on against Baylor in 2022, a reminder that the Cougars have used a similar concept before when they wanted to catch a defense leaning the wrong way. This time, the idea worked against the top-rated defense in the country, with Kasper’s throw arriving at a moment when the offense needed a spark more than a statement.
The friction is in what BYU had to do to win. The Cougars moved the ball well enough to control stretches of the game, but they also had to reach for a trick play to break through Notre Dame early, and they did it without injured running back LJ Martin for a second straight week. Bear Bachmeier finished with 224 passing yards and 45 rushing yards, and Walker Lyons later caught the go-ahead touchdown pass from Bachmeier with 1:47 remaining, underscoring how many different pieces had to work for BYU to survive the night.
Afterward, Kalani Sitake praised the offensive staff for the plan and said they were on point. That is the part that may matter most going forward: Kasper did not just land one throw, he gave BYU a usable answer on a stage that usually exposes teams. Whether he gets more chances remains open, but after a win like this, it is hard to imagine the Cougars forgetting the receiver who looked ready the first time the ball was put in his hands.
