Bear Bachmeier's Go-Ahead Touchdown to Walker Lyons Almost Hit a Referee

With 1:53 remaining in BYU's win over no. 2 Notre Dame, the Cougars were faced with a 3rd & Goal from the Notre Dame 6 yard-line. Notre Dame dialed up a blitz and Bear Bachmeier had to get the ball out quickly. Bachmeier threw a pass over the middle intended for Walker Lyons that was caught for the go-ahead score.

What you may have missed in the moment is how close Bachmeier's pass came to hitting a referee. The umpire, who stands in the middle of the field on the defensive side, stands a few yards behind the linebackers. The umpire ducked out of the way and narrowly avoided Bachmeier's pass.

This was impressive by the ref here 😂 pic.twitter.com/gfhXm9t3Lu
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) October 18, 2026

The umpire is part of the field of play, so if Bachmeier's pass would have hit the umpire, it would have been ruled an incomplete pass and BYU either would have settled for a field goal or had to go for it on fourth down. Credit to the umpire for successfully dodging the ball and allowing Lyons to make the catch.

On Monday's press conference, BYU tight end Walker Lyons was asked whether the referee influenced the play or not.

"Honestly, it's kind of a blur," Lyons said. "I don't even really remember the ref being there. I just remember snapping my head back, seeing the ball, tracking it, and making the catch."

Lyons didn't realize how close the ball came to hitting the referee until he saw the replay. "I saw the replay and I was like, 'Wow, that was actually kind of crazy.' But in the moment, it didn't really affect me and I didn't really notice it."

The throw to Lyons was the exclamation point on Bear Bachmeier's outstanding performance against Notre Dame. Bachmeier made plays from start to finish. When BYU needed him the most, he delivered one of the best drives of the season. The Bachmeier-Lyons touchdown capped a 10 play, 55-yard go-ahead touchdown drive. Bachmeier either threw the football or ran the football on all 10 plays during the final drive.

Bachmeier was nationally recognized for his performance - he was named the AP national player of the week on Monday. He also may have put himself in the Heisman race. After the game, multiple national analysts have put Bachmeier in the Heisman conversation.

BYU's Bear Bachmeier is AP's national player of the week in college football. The quarterback had a hand in all four of his team’s touchdowns in a 28-24 win over Notre Dame. pic.twitter.com/0wQtmcM6IR
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) October 19, 2026

BYU's signal-caller delivered a clutch touchdown drive with the college football world watching, and the referee nearly got in the way of a touchdown.

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