BYU’s Late Surge Sinks West Virginia, 38–24

PROVO, Utah — West Virginia couldn’t survive a barrage of big plays and a fourth-quarter finish from №23 BYU on Friday night, falling 38–24 at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier stole the show for the Cougars, throwing for 351 yards with a touchdown and adding a rushing score. His vertical passing set the early tone: a 47-yard strike on the game’s first snap, a 54-yard catch-and-run to Parker Kingston for six, and an 85-yard bomb to Chase Roberts that set up a short LJ Martin touchdown. A 49-yard interception return to the WVU 3 also teed up another BYU score, helping the Cougars build a multi-possession cushion before halftime.

West Virginia punched back with a Kade Hensley 45-yard field goal and a 3-yard Diore Hubbard touchdown run, the latter coming moments after safety Fred Perry blew up an option pitch, recovered the fumble near the goal line, and nearly took it in himself. After the break, BYU controlled the clock and tacked on points with a field goal following a fake, then answered a Mountaineer push with a 12-play, 75-yard march capped by Martin from a yard out.

WVU had its chance to flip momentum with a 74-yard drive late in the third, but was stonewalled inches from the goal line on fourth down. The Mountaineers still found life when quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. returned and went 3-for-3 on a quick series, finishing with a 29-yard touchdown to Cam Vaughn.

The quarterback workload otherwise fell largely to freshman Khalil Wilkins, who battled on the ground (23 carries, 89 yards) and scored on a 6-yard scramble but finished 7-of-15 passing for 81 yards with two interceptions — one coming on a tipped ball that slipped through Vaughn’s hands. West Virginia’s offensive issues — protection versus BYU’s press-man looks and missed explosives — kept the Mountaineers chasing the game.

BYU, which entered leaning on a powerful run game, won this one through the air and timely defense, improving to 5–0 (2–0). West Virginia drops to 2–4 (0–3) with lessons learned the hard way: finish red-zone chances, protect the passer, and cut down the self-inflicted wounds that turn tight spots into two-score holes.