Cougars shifting focus to UCF despite rise to No. 2 in national rankings
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- BYU tight end Walker Lyons celebrates his game-winning touchdown reception versus Notre Dame. October 17, 2026
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- BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier (center) and his brother Tiger Bachmeier (left) take a moment before the game against Notre Dame at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.
If BYU head coach Kalani Sitake is excited about his team rising to No. 2 in the AP poll after Saturday’s 28-21 upset of Notre Dame, he’s keeping it hidden inside.
Deep, deep inside.
“Nope, never cared about it (the rankings) before,” Sitake said during Monday’s news conference. “So why should I start now?”
It’s likely just a message to his team to focus on the next game, coming up Saturday across the country at the Bounce House against UCF.
“You guys like it (the Top 25) so I’ll let you guys handle that stuff,” Sitake said. “Just keep the rat poison away from the boys, we’re fine. No disrespect to the voters and everyone that puts it together. We appreciate it. But we’re just talking about ‘humble and hungry.’ Talking about rankings isn’t going to get us there. We are halfway through the season. We plan on 12 regular season games and then we do our part. We’ll see how it goes.
“Right now, it’s a week-to-week type of deal and we don’t really have time for that stuff, to be honest with you. We had a good weekend, and guys had a good day of worship yesterday, so now it’s going to be a day of work. We’ve got to get back to work, and the work doesn’t care what number you’re ranked.”
Freshman wide receiver Legend Glasker, who caught five passes for 66 yards against the Irish, was probably a little more excited about the hype because he said he only learned about what ESPN College GameDay was last Wednesday in leading up to the Notre Dame matchup.
“Those are the games I live for and just can’t wait to go out there and shine,” he said.
BYU tight end Walker Lyons caught the go-ahead touchdown pass with just 1:47 to play.
“It was surreal for sure all weekend,” he said. “We had a devotional last night that a lot of us were at, which was cool. I’m just happy to be a part of this team, to be part of this university and it meant a lot to me. I’ve played Notre Dame three times now and that was the first time I’ve been able to beat them.”
Safety Faletau Satuala added: “That was a big win and there were a lot of emotions. I feel like having that day off yesterday just to to kind of calm down and just see everything that happened throughout the game, and just being ready for this week (was good). I think just staying humble and hungry, like Coach Kalani preaches, and knowing that there’s a lot more to come in this season … just winning, winning is the name of the game. So as long as we can be ready this week and prepare well, we’ll be good.”
The Lyons have it
Lyons was asked about his touchdown catch and how the back judge was able to narrowly avoid getting hit with the pass.
“Honestly, it was kind of a blur,” he said. “I don’t even remember the ref being there. I just remember snapping my head back, seeing the ball, tracking it and making a catch. I saw the replay. I was like, ‘Wow, that was actually kind of crazy.’ But in the moment, it didn’t really affect me. I didn’t really notice it.”
Lyons’ younger brother, five-star BYU quarterback commit Ryder Lyons, is serving his church mission in Orlando. Walker Lyons said he didn’t know if he was going to be able to meet up with Elder Lyons on the road trip this weekend but said he talked to his brother Monday morning.
“I talked to him this morning a little bit, just briefly,” Walker Lyons said. “It’s P-Day, and he was just happy for me. He just had genuine joy for me and he was proud of me, so it was a cool moment that we shared.”
Injury update
BYU saw the return from injuries by senior linebacker Isaiah Glasker and senior safety Raider Damuni for the Notre Dame game and both played major roles. Glasker finished with six tackles and three passes defended, and Damuni had seven tackles and one pass defended.
With second half injuries to cornerbacks Trey Alexander III and Jayven Williams, redshirt sophomore Matthias Leach and redshirt freshman Jordyn Criss had to step up and played well.
Sitake said Alexander and Williams should be available for Saturday’s game at UCF. Meanwhile, senior running back LJ Martin remains unavailable due to a lower body injury.
Honors
Sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and was also tabbed as the AP Player of the Week.
Bachmeier completed 23 of 36 pass for 224 yards and a touchdown in the Cougars’ win. He also ran for 45 yards and two rushing touchdowns, while catching a pass for a fourth score. He is the first BYU quarterback to record a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game since consensus All-American quarterback Steve Young accomplished the feat in the 1983 Holiday Bowl.
Senior linebacker Cade Uluave was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week. Uluave, a 6-foot-1, 235-pound senior from South Jordan, Utah, recorded a team-high nine tackles, including six that were solo, in the win over the Irish. He also had a season-high three quarterback hurries and a tackle for loss in the game.
One more award: BYU also earned Big 12 Offensive Line of the Week. Notre Dame was rated as the No. 1 defense in the country coming into the game but the Cougars gave up zero sacks and rushed for 115 yards on 30 attempts.
