Is it fair? Not really, as the quarterback is just one of 22 position players that take the field on every snap, but it doesn’t change the fact of just how important the quarterback position is.

For most of the season BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier’s plays has been nothing short of exemplary, all factors considered. Since BYU’s 24-21 road win over Colorado, the young freshman has firmly established himself as a legitimate playmaker capable of taking the onus on himself to lead a team to victory. He’s proved resilient, composed and remarkably tough at sustaining a bevy of hits due to his full-back running style, which he employed often the season.

But Texas Tech got the better of him on two occasions, and in so doing were able to procure two dominating win totals.

The numbers speak for themselves. Exactly half of his six interceptions thrown on the season were incurred during the two losses, along with scoring just one of his 25 total touchdowns against the Red Raider’s crushing defense. The yardage wasn’t much better, with Bachmeier accumulating just 188 yards passing the first time around and a paltry 115 yards during Saturday’s 34-7 loss in the Big 12 Conference Championship.

Of course all of it requires a lot of qualification. First, Texas Tech is really that good defensively, and both games were played in truly tough road environments. The first game in Lubbock with relatively little BYU fan support present, an then in the the Big12 Championship held at AT&T Stadium where Texas Tech fans probably accounted for around 65,000 of 85,000 fans in attendance.

But the bigger qualification, at least during the latest loss, was Bachmeier playing through a clearly debilitating ankle injury which caused throws to be inaccurate while cutting down on his lateral movement considerably.

Both players and BYU Coach Kalani Sitake mentioned Bachmeier’s injury issues, but preferred to focus on just how well the Red Raiders were in taking away offensive opportunities, and on themselves.

“I could have gotten opened more, and they did have that Cover 6 that makes it hard,” said BYU receiver Chase Roberts, who finished with just three receptions for 32 yards. “They get deep, and Bear’s getting pressure; it’s hard for him to find openings. They have a great D-line that is tough and strong and gets pressure on the quarterback. So everything combined — I think the first drive we were able to kind of find a rhythm. We were hitting those ends and running the ball, and it felt good. We just couldn’t maintain that the rest of the game. They were able to take that away and get pressure on the QB, and we just couldn’t find our flow the rest of the game, unfortunately.”

So again, it’s not all on Bachmeier, and no one should suggest otherwise.

And considering what the freshman transfer from Stanford has shown for most of the season, the future is one that’s very bright.

“He’s only going to get better, obviously. As a freshman, there’s a lot of learning curves, and I couldn’t imagine getting thrown into a position like this as a freshman kid,” Roberts said. “He knows and he understands his role, and as he matures and grows and just gets more

experience, he’s going to be that much better, and the toughness is there, everything is there to be a great football player, to be one of the best quarterbacks in college football. And as we keep building and get those recruits and everyone building and growing and learning, as Bear leads the way, it’s going to be a hard team to beat. So I’m excited for the future and for Bear.”

And BYU fans should be, too.