How Bear Bachmeier Stacks Up Against Big 12 Peers After Shaky Outing Against TCU

It was an up-and-down night for Bear Bachmeier at TCU. On one hand, Bachmeier and the BYU offense struggled to get anything going in the passing game. On the other hand, it was Bachmeier that put the offense on his back for the game-winning touchdown drive. In this article, we'll break down how Bachmeier compares to his Big 12 peers after a shaky performance against the Horned Frogs.

Touchdowns to Turnovers

It's been four games and Bear Bachmeier has committed one turnover. Protecting the football has been a strength of Bachmeier's since he became the starting quarterback at BYU, and protecting the football was one of the primary reasons BYU beat TCU over the weekend. There are certainly areas where he needs to improve (more on those in a moment), but his total touchdown to total turnovers ratio is second in the Big 12 behind only JC French IV.

Explosive Play Rate

Before the TCU game, Bear Bachmeier was in the top 15 in terms of explosive play rate by quarterbacks. Even after a game where BYU generated zero explosive plays in the passing game, Bachmeier ranks 36th nationally in explosive play rate which ranks fifth in the Big 12. We expect the big plays to resume when Bachmeier is playing in dry conditions.

Explosive plays by Big 12 quarterbacks | BYU On SI | Data credit: Sports Info Solutions

Accuracy

Bear Bachmeier wasn't as accurate as he normally is against TCU. This is a stat that you can directly point to the wet conditions. After the game, Bear Bachmeier and TCU quarterback Jaden Craig and the two quarterbacks discussed how hard it was to grip the ball on that night. Bachmeier is now in the middle of the pack in terms of on-target rate where he ranks 47th nationally. On-target rate is defined as a pass that hits a wide receiver in stride.

A ball that is catchable is not on target, but it's put in a place where a wide receiver can make a play on the ball. Bachmeier ranks 39th in catchable pass rate.

Big 12 quarterback accuracy | BYU On SI | Data credit: Sports Info Solutions

Play Action vs Non-Play Action

Since Bear Bachmeier has arrived at BYU, he has been more comfortable throwing the football on placy action instead of straight dropbacks. In yards per attempt, Bachmeier has been above average on play action and below action on non-play action. This is an area where Bachmeier will need to improve if he is going to take a big step forward in 2026 compared to 2025.

sis_qb_ypa_playaction_vs_none_2026 — QB play action vs non-play action YPA | BYU On SI | Data Credit: Sports Info Solutions

Expected Points Added

EPA is an advanced analytic that measures the impact a quarterback has on a team's chance to score. A third down conversion on 3rd & 8, for example, will be a big increase to EPA since that conversion extended a drive. It also penalizes things like turnovers and taking sacks. Bachmeier's EPA dropped to 60th nationally after the TCU game.

Big 12 QB EPA per dropback | BYU On SI | Data credit: Sports info solutions

Yards per Attempt

Bear Bachmeier threw for just 2.6 yards per attempt against TCU. In terms of yards per attmempt, it was his worst outing as a BYU quarterback. Going into that game, Bachmeier was in the top 25 in terms of yards per attempt, now he ranks 55th nationally and ninth in the Big 12. We expect Bachmeier to climb these rankings by season's end.

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