Bear Bachmeier threw a late go-ahead touchdown and BYU's defense held at the eight-yard line as time expired to hand Notre Dame its first loss.
BYU beat Notre Dame 28-24 on Saturday, handing the No. 2 Fighting Irish their first loss of the season and pushing the Cougars to 6-0.
BYU scored first on an 11-play, 75-yard drive and led 14-7 at halftime. Notre Dame clawed back after the break, outscoring the Cougars 6-0 in the third quarter, but the deficit from the first half proved too much to overcome. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier threw a costly interception in the fourth quarter just after BYU had surrendered its lead, but he responded by leading a go-ahead touchdown drive that finished with less than two minutes left.
That set up one last stand for the BYU defense. Notre Dame drove all the way to the eight-yard line, but the Cougars stopped them with an incompletion as time expired to seal the 28-24 win.
The loss drops Notre Dame to 6-1 on the season. BYU, now the No. 8 team in the country, moved into strong position for a College Football Playoff push after a program-defining win over a top-tier opponent.