Drew Pyne threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns to lead Notre Dame to a 28-20 victory over No. 16 BYU in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Michael Mayer, who finished with 118 yards and two touchdowns on 11 catches, became the all-time leader for receptions by a tight end at Notre Dame.
Audric Estime and Logan Diggs combined for 190 rushing yards for the Irish.
Notre Dame (3-2) totaled 496 yards while improving to 7-2 all-time against the Cougars.
Jaren Hall threw for 120 yards and two touchdowns to lead BYU. Chris Brooks added 90 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries for the Cougars. Kody Epps was the top receiver with 100 yards and two touchdowns on four catches.
The loss snapped BYU’s (4-2) two-game winning streak.
BYU rallied from a 19-point deficit with back-to-back touchdown drives. Epps scored on a 53-yard catch and Brooks followed with a score on a 28-yard run to trim Notre Dame’s lead to 25-20 early in the fourth quarter.
The Cougars had a chance to tie it up late after driving inside the Notre Dame 30-yard line. But Lopini Katoa got stuffed for no gain on fourth-and-1 at the Irish 27 with 3:37 left.
Hall struggled to get going in the first half. He threw an interception on the game’s first play and completed just three passes before halftime.
Still, BYU took a 6-3 lead into the second quarter after scoring on a 2-yard pass from Hall to Epps. Hobbs Nyberg returned a punt 42 yards to the Notre Dame 26-yard line to set up the Cougars’ scoring drive.
The Cougars did virtually nothing on offense in the second quarter. BYU ran only nine plays, totaling 21 yards, and one drive ended in a safety when Jack Kiser sacked Hall in the end zone.
It opened the door for the Irish to take control. Notre Dame went ahead 10-6 on Pyne’s 24-yard scoring pass to Mayer a minute into the second quarter. The Irish extended their lead to 18-6 when Pyne connected with Jayden Thomas on a 30-yard touchdown pass with 1:03 left in the first half.
Mayer’s second touchdown grab — a 19-yard catch — put Notre Dame ahead 25-6 midway through the third quarter.
–Field Level Media
