Shanna Rose I WV Sports Chat
PROVO, Utah- Freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier had a career-high 351 yards and a touchdown as No. 23 BYU downed West Virginia University 38-24 on Friday night.
The Cougars (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) piled up 517 total yards of offense and had two takeaways. Chase Roberts had a career-high 161 yards on four receptions and Parker Kingston picked up a career-high 111 yards and a touchdown on four catches.
Bachmeier’s 351 passing yards were the most for a BYU quarterback in a victory since the Cougars joined the Big 12.
“We made him look like a Heisman winner in the first half,” Mountaineer head coach Rich Rodriguez said, “but I thought he was outstanding.”
Bachmeier’s first pass of the game went for 47 yards to Roberts, and he continued pushing the ball down the field in the first half. Then Bachmeier hit Parker Kingston, who outran WVU’s defense for a 54-yard touchdown with 3:41 left in the first quarter.
The young quarterback continued to look like a seasoned vet as he found Roberts for an 85-yard pass completion. LJ Martin then found the end zone on a 4-yard touchdown run.
At the 1:58 mark, Diorre Hubbard scored on a 3-yard touchdown run after Fred Perry recovered a fumble to make it a 21-10 contest. However, the Cougars immediately answered.
With 19 seconds left in the half, BYU took a 28-10 lead after Bachmeier’s 2-yard touchdown run.
Khalil Wilkins had 170 yards of offense and threw two interceptions in his first career start for the Mountaineers (2-4, 0-3). He rushed for 81 yards.
While WVU’s defense forced three turnovers, it was repeatedly burned by BYU’s explosive passing plays.
Scotty Fox Jr. played in the second half and completed 3-of-3 passes for 54 yards and a touchdown.
The Mountaineers have a bye week next week and return to action against UCF on Oct. 18.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
