Bachmeier’s 329 passing yards and 109 rushing yards carry BYU past Iowa State

Bear Bachmeier threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a career-best 109 yards as No. 8 BYU beat Iowa State 24-10 on Friday night. The Cougars improved to 5-0 and 3-0 in the Big 12, keeping their unbeaten start intact before next week's home game against Notre Dame.

Bachmeier completed 22 of 30 passes without an interception. His production mattered with running back LJ Martin sidelined by a lower-leg injury: the quarterback accounted for 438 of BYU's 506 total yards, with long gains through the air and on the ground helping the Cougars move past several missed scoring opportunities.

BYU scored on its opening possession. Bachmeier completed his first seven passes, the Associated Press reported, and his 26-yard run helped set up Journee Tonga's 6-yard touchdown. Matthias Dunn's extra point put the Cougars ahead 7-0 with 8:52 left in the first quarter.

Iowa State answered with Kyle Konrardy's 40-yard field goal early in the second quarter. BYU then failed twice on fourth down before finding another route to the end zone. Bachmeier escaped pressure and connected with Roger Saleapaga II for 63 yards to the Cyclones' 5. Two plays later, he hit Kyler Kasper for a touchdown and a 14-3 halftime lead.

BYU's defense gave the offense room to recover from those empty possessions. Iowa State gained just 49 yards before halftime and finished with 200 total yards. Jaylen Raynor completed 16 of 29 passes for 98 yards and one touchdown; Aiden Flora ran for 86 yards, with 75 coming after the break.

The Cougars left another opportunity behind in the third quarter. They took a made field goal off the board following an Iowa State offside penalty, then failed to convert fourth down near the goal line. The 12-play, 97-yard drive produced no points.

Bachmeier and Legend Glasker supplied the separation later in the quarter. Their 75-yard touchdown connection made it 21-3. Glasker finished with five catches for 99 yards, while Walker Lyons added five receptions for 61.

A fumbled BYU punt return gave Iowa State possession near midfield early in the fourth quarter. Raynor's 1-yard touchdown pass to Christian Greenlaw cut the deficit to 21-10, but the Cyclones could not finish their next scoring chance. Konrardy missed a 46-yard field goal, and Bachmeier's 39-yard run helped BYU set up Dunn's 38-yard field goal with 1:51 remaining.

BYU finished 0-for-3 on fourth down despite its 306-yard advantage in total offense. Iowa State fell to 3-3 and 1-2 in conference play, with a trip to Arizona next on October 24. The Cougars host Notre Dame on October 17.