On the heels of another stellar outing belying his true freshman status in which he again endured a lot contact, Bachmeier had the temerity to label himself as a “wuss.”

“You always like to think you’re a quote-unquote tough guy,” Bachmeier stated. “Actually I’m kind of mad at myself because I kind of wussed out on one of those runs trying to milk the clock. I slid down. So that was kind of a wussy move and I always pride myself in being very competitive and very tough. That’s just the way I was raised.”

Bachmeier was also raised to be smart, and considering the amount of contact he’s endured this season, avoiding contact by sliding effectively in front of two would-be tacklers is a heady move and a technique he’d do well to employ more. Throw in the fact that his slide came well after the loss of LJ Martin to injury, which perhaps had something to do with the bevy of physical contact he’s endured this season, and the slide made even more sense.

Granted that it’s tough to know just how serious Bachmeier was with his comment, and given his tendency to self-deprecate, we probably shouldn’t take it seriously, at all. One would have to be either dumb or blind to label Bachmeier as being a so-called wuss given the tremendous play he’s showcased this season, which includes an extraordinary level of toughness for a young quarterback, or any quarterback for that matter.

Iowa State Coach Matt Campbell certainly came away impressed, as has every coach Bachmeier has faced so far in his young career.

“He was able to extend some plays and make some plays down the field,” Campbell said of Bachmeier, who completed 22-35 of his passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns while running for another score. “There’s a lot of youth out there that’s playing, and we just have got to be better, but certainly tip your hat to him. He’s an outstanding football player”

Perhaps the most outstanding aspect of Bachmeier’s game has been his ability to adapt and exploit effectively what’s presented him by an opposing defense.

For most of the season Bachmeier has used his legs and remarkable physicality to keep opposing defenses off-balance, but according to the dictates of what transpired in the win over the Cyclones, the young freshman had to respond with his arm. Losing Martin early in the game to injury congruent to the large lack of quality depth and experience at the running back position, Bachmeier had to throw the ball effectively down the field, and responded by completing five of his six pass attempts over 20 yards for a 130 yard total.

“We lost a key component of our offense. I mean, (Martin) is a straight up dog, but we adapted and kind of threw it around the yard a bit more,” Bachmeier said. “I thought we adapted really well and I thought we were successful with that…I enjoyed it a lot and I think it’s a testament to the whole team, and the boys upfront and the boys on the perimeter making plays, so credit to them.”

Notice the complete lack of self-adulation with any of his comments, with Bachmeier immediately opting to answer questions utilizing the word ‘we’ rather than ‘I’ on every occasion when asked regarding his own performance while quickly crediting his teammates.

As for his remarkably cool and composed demeanor when presented the adverse circumstances of being down two touchdowns early on top of losing his highly-essential starting running back, Bachmeier revealed quite a bit in that regard.

“I like to just stay within myself and I don’t know, I like to sing songs to myself, and just chill,” he admitted. “It’s just a game and yeah, it’s nerve-wracking, but I know the guys have my back and I know my family is in the stands, and you just got to play the game.”

Sing songs? Well, yeah, and Bachmeier even recalled which songs he was singing along to during the game, both on the sidelines and while out on the field.

“I like listening to the songs that are playing,” Bachmeier said, specifically pointing out songs from country star Luke Combs, who he is apparently a fan of. “…They were playing ‘Hurricane’ and ‘Fast Car,’ so yeah.”

Indeed nothing about Bachmeier’s play and composure has been ordinary this season, and his complete lack of self-ingratiation on top of a his cool, calm, and maybe even a bit weird mental process have all combined to provide outstanding returns. And yes, the only one who should venture to label any of it as being ‘wuss-like’ would be Bachmeier himself.