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Five Things For Bear Bachmeier to Prove Against Stanford

Joe Wheat|
BYU Quarterback Bear Bachmeier against Portland State
BYU Quarterback Bear Bachmeier against Portland State | BYU Photo

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By all accounts, Bear Bachmeier’s debut couldn’t have gone much better. Afterall, who can complain about 5 touchdowns on 30 plays. In fact, the only real complaint that can be made about Bachmeier’s debut was that there wasn’t enough of it. 30 plays is hardly a big enough sample size to evaluate anything, much less the future of the program. Another opportunity, though, is on the horizon against the Stanford Cardinal, a clear step up from what Bachmeier saw last week. So, what does Bachmeier need to accomplish next to prove himself before the Cougar faithful? Let’s discuss.

1. Stop diving head first into defenders

Bear’s jersey number is indicative of his mentality once he leaves the pocket. This is not a young man who shies away from contact. That’s beautiful, but while Bear can lay the wood against an opposing defender, that doesn’t mean he should. While Bear should absolutely do what’s required to make the play, very rarely should that involve lowering your shoulder into a P4 linebacker with cruel intentions. Bachmeier’s availability is more important than the extra yard he will gain by going headfirst into oncoming traffic. So, when Bachmeier is wrapped up and the play is over, just let it be over. Instead, let that shoulder be used to dice that defender up through the air on the next play.

2. Connect on at least two 20+ yard throws

This might be ambitious, but Bear is capable of doing it. For the offense to reach its full potential this season, Bachmeier is going to need to demonstrate that he can stretch defenses down the field. Stanford’s defense will give him that opportunity. Stanford allowed 3 passes of 20+ yards against Hawaii and were the 18th worst coverage unit in the country in 2024 according to PFF. On multiple occasions, Hawaii’s receivers were able to get behind the Cardinal defense before fellow true freshman Micah Alejado would miss the throw. If Bear can hit those throws when the are available, it will go a long way of answering whether he can be the guy this season to help the offense reach its ceiling.

3. 60%+ completion percentage on throws between 10-20 yards

Say what you will about Jake Retzlaff, the guy was money on intermediate throws. Retzlaff ranked 20th nationally in completion percentage on throws between 10 and 20 yards and allowed BYU to be one of the most explosive offenses in the FBS. Retzlaff was tied with Ohio State's Will Howard for 6th in total completions over 10 yards last season. That is arguably the biggest aspect of the offense that BYU should hope in can replicate this season. This also an area Bachmeier was a little shaky in on his first few drives before ultimately settling in as the game went on. Starting 0/2 on these concepts, Bachmeier finished 3/3 with some really nice, layered throws to Cody Hagen and Carsen Ryan. That is great. Duplicate that this week and BYU fans will start thinking the QB factory is up and running.

4. Keep making the layups

The most important attribute Bachmeier can continue to demonstrate is making the easy throws look easy. Bachmeier was 3/3 on throws that traveled under 10 yards. While that is obviously a limited sample size, Bachmeier was on time and on target with every short throw he made, which is more than can be said for his predecessor. While Jake Retzlaff shined in the intermediate pass game, on short throws he ranked 107th in completion percentage and 123rd in turnover-worthy play rate among eligible quarterbacks, which put BYU in some perilous situations last season. Bachmeier doesn’t need to be a superhero to beat Stanford. Just put the ball where it needs to be and let your studs at WR do the rest.

5. Don’t think so much

While there isn’t a stat to measure this, Bachmeier admitted in postgame pressers that he was a little nervous on BYU’s first few drives which is totally understandable. It was also visible early on, as it felt like Bachmeier was trying to prove something, whether that be going a little harder for extra yards or aiming his throws a little too much deep down the field. Again, totally understandable. Against Stanford, though, I hope to see him let it rip through the air.

Improvise a little. Throw a ball into a tighter window than he did last week. Now is the time to make mistakes when the competition is a lighter so he can know what he can get away with and what he can’t. Bachmeier is an exceptional decision maker. That isn’t a concern. While he wasn’t perfect against Portland State, he didn’t make a single bad read. The hope now is that he realizes that his decision making is instinctual and not something he needs to force. Our gut feeling is that playing this way will yield better results than some might think.

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Joe Wheat
JOE WHEAT

Joe Wheat has covered BYU since 2020. He specializes in passionate opinions fueled by statistics and advanced analytics. Joe’s goal in writing is to celebrate the everyday fan by understanding what they are feeling and giving them the data to understand why.

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