BYU beats Iowa State 24-10 as Bear Bachmeier piles up 329 yards

Bachmeier does it all

Bear Bachmeier went 22 of 30 for 329 yards and two touchdowns, his fourth career 300-yard passing game and the second straight season he has topped 300 against Iowa State. He also carried nine times for 109 yards, the first 100-yard rushing game of his career, mixing scrambles with called runs to keep the Cyclones guessing.

Bachmeier opened the game four for four on BYU's first drive and added a 26-yard run before Journee Tonga capped it with a 6-yard touchdown run. His two scoring passes went to Kyler Kasper for five yards and Legend Glasker for 75 yards, with Glasker finishing as the top receiver at five catches for 99 yards.

BYU coach Kalani Sitake said after the game that he trusts Bachmeier with the offense no matter what a defense takes away. "I trust Bear and his ability to make the right call," Sitake said.

BYU's defense suffocates Iowa State

Iowa State finished with 200 total yards, its lowest output since 2018. The Cougars were especially stingy in the second quarter, allowing just six total yards on Iowa State's snaps. Linebacker Ace Kaufusi had a sack, and safety Faletau Satuala led all tacklers with seven.

Jaylen Raynor threw for 98 yards and a touchdown for the Cyclones, and Aiden Flora ran for 86 yards, though he had just 11 of those before halftime. Iowa State committed six penalties for 27 yards and turned the ball over once. Bachmeier credited the defense for the cushion it gave the offense. "They never made it feel like something was wrong," he said.

How the scoring went

Tonga's 6-yard run on BYU's opening drive made it 7-0 in the first quarter. Iowa State answered with a Kyle Konrardy 40-yard field goal early in the second quarter to cut it to 7-3, but Kasper's touchdown catch right before halftime pushed BYU back up 14-3.

Glasker's 75-yard touchdown catch with 1:09 left in the third quarter made it 21-3. Iowa State got a fourth-quarter touchdown when Christian Greenlaw caught a 1-yard pass from Raynor, trimming the gap to 21-10, but Matthias Dunn's 38-yard field goal with 1:51 left closed it out at 24-10.

Where both teams stand

BYU moves to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12, staying unbeaten without starting running back LJ Martin. Iowa State drops to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play. Cyclones coach Jimmy Rogers did not sugarcoat the result afterward. "3-3 is where we're at," Rogers said, adding that it is not where the program wants to be.

For BYU, the win keeps the Cougars perfect and leaning on Bachmeier as both a passer and a runner. For Iowa State, the offense needs to find answers after managing only 98 passing yards and 102 rushing yards against a defense that controlled the game from the opening series.

Facts per ESPN box score. Opinion is the taproom's.