BYU QB Bear Bachmeier Has Been Elite in Three Stats as a True Freshman

BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier against Utah | BYU Photo

Bear Bachmeier is doing things that true freshman quarterbacks shouldn't be able to do. The California native has led BYU to a perfect 7-0 start and no. 11 ranking in the AP Poll. He has slowly been getting better and better each week, and most impressively, he has carried the offense in late-game situations.

Bachmeier's greatest strengths are, frankly, things that can't always be quantified. His poise and his ability to make clutch plays are one of the core reasons for BYU's undefeated start.

Still, there are a few areas where Bachmeier has been statistically elite. In this article, we will go over three in particular.

1. Play-Action Passing

BYU's rushing attack has been consistently productive all season long. The rushing attack has helped Bachmeier become one of the most efficient passers in the country on play-action. Bachmeier ranks fourth nationally in yards per attempt on play-action among qualified quarterbacks - he is averaging 12.3 yards per attempt. Bachmeier is also ranked third in PFF grades on play-action passes.

Bachmeier has thrown six interceptions and no interceptions on play-action passes.

2. Average Time to Throw

Bear Bachmeier has been decisive in the pocket all season long. His average time to throw is currently 2.5 seconds which ranks 15th nationally and second fastest in the Big 12. Bachmeier's ability to get rid of the ball quickly has neutralized some defenses with really talented pass rushers like Utah. For example, Bachmeier was pressured on 36% of his dropbacks against the Utes. Prior to that game, Utah was averaging a 49% pressure rate this season.

Bachmeier does have the ability to create and make throws on the run - and that's probably the next evolution of his game that will be unleashed - but his decisiveness has limited true freshmen mistakes. He will slowly start to hold onto the ball longer as he learns to safely extend plays. We already saw glimpses of that against Utah when he escaped pressure and found Carsen Ryan for the first down.

Bear makes another big play for the @BYUFootball first down 👉 pic.twitter.com/AIqMu5LdfP

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 19, 2025

3. Rushing Touchdowns

Before the season started, we went through Bachmeier's high school rushing production, pointing out that his ability to find the endzone was elite at the high school level. Bachmeier ran for 1,700 yards and 33 touchdowns on 163 carries in his high school career. Bachmeier averaged 10.6 yards per carry and he had a nose for the endzone, averaging a touchdown every 4.9 carries. For context, Zach Wilson had fewer rushing touchdowns (11) on 211 carries.

Turns out, his ability to punch the ball in the endzone has translated to the college level. Bachmeier is currently tied for 15th nationally among all position groups with 8 rushing touchdowns. He is 6th nationally in rushing touchdowns among quarterbacks.

The rushing touchdowns have come at extremely critical moments, too. Bachmeier scored the game-tying touchdown against Arizona to send the game to overtime, and he scored the eventual game-winning touchdown on the ground as well. No touchdown this season has been more important than Bear's touchdown run against rival Utah last weekend. Utah made multiple defenders miss before dragging the Utah defense into the endzone to seal the game.

THERE'S A BEAR ON THE LOOSE IN PROVO 🐻🔥@BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/MnjRfYa2Tr

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 19, 2025