Some untimely injuries and illness hit the Cougars this week and UCF made them pay.

The Golden Knights marched into the Smith Fieldhouse and drilled BYU 3-1 (27-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-21) on Wednesday in front of 2,562 fans not used to seeing the Cougars lose at home: BYU had lost only 15 times in the Fieldhouse in the past 11 seasons.

BYU (17-5, 5-5 Big 12) was out-hit (.112 to .301), out-killed (56 to 43) and out-attacked (116 to 123) by the Knights in the contest. They had 12 aces to UCF’s three, and just five service errors the the Knights’ 17, but had 30 attack errors to UCF’s 19.

BYU was led by freshman Suli Davis, who posted 19 kills, eight digs, four assists and two blocks. The outside hitter recorded a team-high .256 hitting clip in the matchup.

Sophia Callahan marked eight kills and Alex Bower had 30 assists, reaching the 2,000-assist mark on her career. Lulu Uluave led the match in digs with 11, and Brielle Kemavor had a match-high seven blocks.

UCF’s Avah Armour was unstoppable, with 24 kills and a .449 hitting percentage.

BYU returns to the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday, Oct. 31 for a Halloween matchup against Kansas State. The game is set for 6 p.m. MDT and will be streamed on ESPN+.

Bachmeier honored by Davey O’Brien Foundation

FORT WORTH, Texas — The Davey O’Brien Foundation today announced BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier has been named to the Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2025. Each member of the elite class is now officially a candidate for the 2025 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award.

The Davey O’Brien Award is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. The 2025 Davey O’Brien QB Class features 17 seniors, 11 juniors, five sophomores and three freshmen.

Bachmeier, a 6-2, 230-pound true freshman from Murrieta, California, has started every game for No. 10 BYU, leading the Cougars to a perfect 8-0 start. Through eight games, he has completed 126-of-201 passes (62.7 percent) for 1,693 yards and 11 touchdowns. Bachmeier is averaging 211.6 yards per game passing, with an efficiency rating of 148.5.

In addition, Bachmeier is second on the team in rushing, with 94 carries for 408 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and nine additional touchdowns. Bachmeier has six games this season with both a passing touchdown and rushing score, the most in the FBS. Against Portland State on Aug. 30, he became the first true freshman quarterback ever to start a season opener for BYU.

In addition to Bachmeier, four other Big 12 Conference quarterbacks were named to the Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2025, including Josh Hoover (TCU), Sawyer Robertson (Baylor), Brendan Sorsby (Cincinnati) and Conner Weigman (Houston).

Semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien Award will be named on Nov. 12. The foundation will then announce three finalists on Nov. 25. The winner of the 2025 Davey O’Brien Award will be unveiled live on ESPN on Dec. 12, during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show. Fan voting on social media will earn players bonus selection committee votes during the semifinalist and finalist voting periods.

Dybantsa makes NABC preseason watch list

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – BYU’s AJ Dybantsa was named to the NABC Division I Player of the Year Preseason Watch List on Thursday morning.

The 2026 NABC Division I Player of the Year — to be selected by a nationwide vote of Division I head coaches at the conclusion of the regular season — will be announced the week of the 2026 Men’s Final Four.

The preseason accolades continue to roll in for the freshman from Brockton, Mass., as he was named to the Naismith Starting 5 – Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year preseason watch list on Wednesday. Earlier in the month, he also became just the second player in program history to earn AP Preseason All-American honors.

The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 24.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.0 blocks per game in BYU’s two exhibition contests. He finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and three steals in the Cougars 78-76 win over Caleb Wilson and No. 25 North Carolina.