No. 15 BYU beats Arizona 28-17 behind Bear Bachmeier's four scores

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Bear Bachmeier threw for 217 yards and accounted for all four touchdowns as the 15th-ranked BYU Cougars defeated the Arizona Wildcats 28-17 on Saturday afternoon in Provo.

Arizona was held scoreless in the second half after taking a 17-14 halftime lead. BYU's defense clamped down as the game progressed, sacking Noah Fifita three times. The Wildcats quarterback threw for 230 yards and a touchdown. He added another score on the ground, accounting for both of Arizona's scores.

The Wildcats held the ball nearly 22 minutes in the first half while forcing two long scoring drives in a combined 22 plays. This was definitely a tale of two halves with the Cougars making adjustments after falling behind at halftime.

BYU came into the game needing to force Fifita into uncomfortable situations. This was an outstanding game plan by Cougars defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga, who had an answer every time the Wildcats seemed to get momentum in the game.

The Cougars held the Wildcats to minus-2 rushing yards in the second half and sacked Fifita on consecutive plays in the fourth quarter. Twice the total BYU has mounting against him in his entire career. After handling Utah Tech last week, there was no letdown with BYU's defensive front. Fifita threw just his third pick in the past nine games dating back to last year.

Bachmeier shined against a real opponent and played a relatively mistake-free game. He threw a pair of short touchdown passes to Kyler Kasper to give BYU a 28-17 lead with 6:10 left. Arizona was shut down and couldn't make it interesting at the end.

BYU's offense racked up 365 yards with no turnovers. LJ Martin led the team with 98 yards on 20 carries. The preseason Doak Walker Award favorite has yet to break the century mark in yards during the first two games of the season.

There were no late-game theatrics like the end of last year's contest with Bachmeier and the Cougars overcoming a double-digit deficit to beat the Wildcats 33-27 in double overtime.

Arizona came into the game knowing the importance of upsetting BYU in the early-season Big 12 affair. Some Wildcats players considered this a "revenge" game. But BYU was determined to make a statement by coming away with the win. The Cougars have now won six straight over the Wildcats, including the last four in conference play.

BYU travels to Colorado State for a meeting with the former Mountain West Conference foe next Saturday.