No. 8 BYU rallies, outlasts No. 2 Notre Dame to move to 6-0 - ESPN

PROVO, Utah — In 1990, Kalani Sitake was in high school when he rushed the field after BYU, led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer, took down No. 1 Miami for its first win against an AP top-2 opponent.

Thirty-six years later, BYU secured its second such victory, shocking No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24 as Sitake coached from the sideline and then celebrated with the cascade of fans pouring onto the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The most anticipated BYU home game since possibly 1990 ended with another of the program's most historic victories.

«I got really emotional thinking about it in the locker room,» said Sitake, a former BYU fullback who has led his alma mater's program since 2016. «Just so much gratitude. Why do I get to be the one who's the head coach and have the best seat in the house? I've just had a lot of really good people around me that sacrificed for me to be here.»

Sitake «grew up a BYU fan first,» before becoming a Cougars player and coach, and said that he's «trying to make sure that the fan doesn't interrupt the coach,» which might have happened at times Saturday night. BYU was aggressive with certain calls, including a failed fake punt from its own 28-yard line with a 21-13 lead, which led to a Notre Dame field goal.

But the Cougars' pedal-down approach helped them convert 8 of 12 third-down attempts and turn back the talented Irish, including on the game's final drive, which reached the BYU 8-yard line before quarterback CJ Carr's pass to wide receiver Jaden Greathouse fell incomplete.

«We're not playing to lose, so we put our balls on the chopping block, and we're going to be aggressive,» quarterback Bear Bachmeier said.

Bachmeier, in his second year as BYU's starter after transferring from