In a game where BYU was scripted to handle their battered West Virginia adversaries, Kalani Sitake's side never trailed as the Cougars rolled to an easy win over the Mountaineers.
The scoreboard read 38-24 as the clock hit 0:00, and for a game where the Cougars coughed up possession three separate times, that's an encouraging indicator of where the program stands overall. West Virginia is a team tormented with injuries and a squad that entered this game as 20-point underdogs. Coming off back-to-back brutal defeats in Big 12 play, this third loss to BYU is a suckerpunch right after absorbing two haymakers.
It is with great sorrow that we mourn Bear Bachmeier's first interception of his BYU career. On a misdirected drag route, the QB attacked a tight window that closed the moment the leather left his fingertips. A Mountaineer linebacker graciously received the gift and Bachmeier's unblemished record. I feel partially to blame, as I wrote an article praising his poise and decision-making ability just a few hours prior to kickoff. Whoops.
Still, this was overall Bear's best passing night of the year, as he slung 18 for 25 of his attempts for 351 yards. Receivers Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston absolutely feasted on their quarterback's surgical display, picking up 161 and 111 yards through the air respectively. That sundae was topped by the football equivalent of hot fudge, which as we all know is an 86 yard completion to Chase Roberts.
Bear's accuracy on long throws was eyebrow raising in this one, hitting Roberts and Kingston for long-balls into rapidly-closing gaps in coverage.
The defense was excellent throughout, with two interceptions and a goal line stand in the fourth quarter, Jay Hill's unit proved capable of holding down the fort. BYU struggled with penalties, turnovers of their own, and a few (hopefully minor) injuries, but still dominated this one from the jump. Save for a garbage time touchdown from West Virginia after the Cougars' effort to run out the clock and a fumble-induced drive that started inside the 5 yard line, the defense allowed just one touchdown and a field goal.
BYU pulls off a perfect fake field goal 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NlXfhn1xdf
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) October 4, 2025
But turnovers and penalties will be the points of concern moving forward. Aaron Roderick's offense was explosive and unstoppable for much of this game -- but self-inflicted harm will come back to bite the Cougars in more competitive games. They'll surely make that a point of emphasis in practice this week.