At least in the mind of BYU’s Head Coach Kalani Sitake, who exuded a strong amount of positivity when taking to the podium following his team’s gutty 24-21 win over Colorado on Saturday.

“It’s a huge move for our players and our program, and it’s a great step for our team,” Sitake said while his players were heard loud and clear celebrating in the close by locker room. “I want to credit the leadership of the program and our players. The veteran leadership took over and there wasn’t a lot of panic.”

Sure, multiple senior players rose to the occasion, such as receiver Chase Roberts, who hauled in two touchdown passes while making another two spectacular catches in snatching the ball away from defenders. And then there were linebackers Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker, both of whom seemed to make their best plays during the game’s most critical moments with Glasker effectively ending things with his interception late.

But proving as composed as anyone in what was the most raucous atmosphere encountered so far this season was true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier. Absent the Stanford transfer’s grit, extraordinary composure and confidence, Saturday’s game almost certainly would have dealt the Cougar’s their first loss of the season.

“I thought he did a great job,” Sitake appraised. “From my perspective, it didn’t ever look like he was frazzled or shell-shocked, at all. He came like that, so credit his family and the way he was raised. He was a cool customer and I love how he was leading out there. We just have to be better so we don’t put ourselves in a hole like that.”

The hole BYU dug for itself was relatively substantial, as it were.

The Buffaloes took the opening kickoff and gashed the usually stout Cougar defense for an 11-play touchdown drive that covered 75 yards. Following a BYU punt, the home team didn’t let up, this time needing just four plays to cover 62 yards for a second touchdown and a commanding 14-0 lead.

It was nothing short of a stunner for a Cougar defense that had proved so dominant through the first three games of the season.

“You have to give a lot of credit to Colorado,” Sitake said. “I think they gave us some different looks that we hadn’t seen and they utilized a lot of their skill talent…They’re not easy to play and not easy to match up against.”

Eventually the Cougar defense settled down and provided much of the dominant play it’s exhibited so far this season in limiting Colorado to just a single touchdown scored for the final three quarters. But as for what led the way for the entire team, on both sides of the ball, it was Bachmeier.

Sure, the freshman again started slow and inaccurate with many of his throws and reads, but just as he has through his four games played, he improved steadily throughout the course of play, providing his best for last. Overall Bachmeier finished with 19-27 passing for 179 yards and two touchdowns, along with 15 rushes for 98 yards.

“We’re going to do whatever it takes to win,” Sitake said of allotting Bachmeier an extraordinary amount of designed runs. “Bear is ready to carry it 40 times if he has to. So we’ll just see how it goes. Him and LJ (Martin) are like twins out there, so we feel good about their preparation and hard work.”

“I think it was just the way I was raised,” Bachmeier added when asked about the unique grit he showed in the win. “I grew up in a pretty competitive household and the mentality that was instilled in me…and I think it’s been instilled in everyone on the team, but once you step in between the lines (the mentality) is there’s nothing stopping you from getting a first down.”

Bachmeier contributed more than several key runs in the win, using his uniquely stout frame to take on contact and fall forward on most occasions. Some of his best work came toward the end of the second quarter, marching the offense on a 1o-play touchdown drive that covered 95 yards to close the gap to just 14-10 at the half.

“I think we needed some momentum, knowing that we could drive the ball and get something going, and get a little trust from our defense,” Roberts, who capped off the drive with a 5-yard touchdown reception, said. “We were able to do that and get a little momentum and calm things down a little bit…We just needed to play BYU football and we’re a great team, and it shows on our 95-yard drives.”

Bachmeier only improved his play from there, accounting for several big-time conversions both throwing and running the football.

Among his highlights were his second touchdown toss to Roberts during a 4th-and-2 situation early in the third quarter, which gave BYU its first least of the game, along with a big 16-yard scramble when faced with a 3rd-and-17 deficit to set up a first down run by running back Enoch Nawhine.

It was a level of play few true freshmen can bring to the type of environment BYU encountered on Saturday.

“When you run and throw the ball like that, you just get confidence in a guy,” Roberts said. “…To see someone so young and poised in the huddle and ready to get us going…You have to trust in a guy like that…That’s who we rally behind and he’s been awesome for us.”

Other offensive standouts included receiver Cody Hagen, who scored on a beautifully-executed 32-yard so-called tornado reverse run, which was brilliantly sent in by BYU Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick. Martin again provided standout plays at running back while receiver Parker Kingston had what could easily be considered his best game of the year.

But all factors considered, Saturday’s win was about Bachmeier, above all else and the extraordinary growth he’s shown since arriving in Provo just three months before the start of the season.

“Bear is just Bear,” Roberts said when asked regarding the growth he’s seen in Bachmeier. “…I’ve seen him grow in the little aspects of football, and how to lead the team and how to make plays. He’s very coachable, which is awesome, so he’s an easy guy to rally around…He’s grown a lot, not only as a football player, but as a great young man and a great representative of Jesus Christ and our culture here at BYU.”