With 1:53 remaining in BYU’s win over no. 2 Notre Dame, the Cougars were faced with a 3rd & Goal from the Notre Dame 6 yard-line. Notre Dame dialed up a blitz and Bear Bachmeier had to get the ball out quickly. Bachmeier threw a pass over the middle intended for Walker Lyons that was caught for the go-ahead score.
What you may have missed in the moment is how close Bachmeier’s pass came to hitting a referee. The umpire, who stands in the middle of the field on the defensive side, stands a few yards behind the linebackers. The umpire ducked out of the way and narrowly avoided Bachmeier’s pass.
This was impressive by the ref here 😂 pic.twitter.com/gfhXm9t3Lu
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) October 18, 2026
The umpire is part of the field of play, so if Bachmeier’s pass would have hit the umpire, it would have been ruled an incomplete pass and BYU either would have settled for a field goal or had to go for it on fourth down. Credit to the umpire for successfully dodging the ball and allowing Lyons to make the catch.
On Monday’s press conference, BYU tight end Walker Lyons was asked whether the referee influenced the play or not…