Last season, there was a ‘Bear on the loose.’ This year, he’ll be on the hunt

When you’re hunting history, it’s nice to get off to a fast start.

Twelve wins for true freshman Bear Bachmeier in 2025 has the BYU quarterback on pace to dethrone Max Hall as the Cougars’ all-time winningest QB.

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Catching Hall is possible, but it won’t be easy.

Across three seasons (2007-09) in Provo, Hall won 32 games — more than legends Gifford Nielsen, Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Robbie Bosco and Ty Detmer.

Hall did it with a supporting cast that featured running back Harvey Unga, receiver Austin Collie and tight end Dennis Pitta — three of the best Cougars to ever suit up at their respective positions. Hall also enjoyed a huge offensive line and formidable defense.

Along the way, the former Arizona high school star threw for 11,363 yards and 94 touchdowns, while rushing for 204 yards and seven more scores.

A trio of memorable battles highlight Hall’s pedigree of big moments:

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• On fourth-and-18 in the fourth quarter against Utah in 2007, Hall, playing with an injured throwing shoulder, hit Collie on a 49-yard bomb to set up Unga’s game-winning touchdown run.

• In 2008, Hall set a school record with five first-half touchdown passes during BYU’s 59-0 blowout of UCLA.

• To open Hall’s senior year in 2009, he connected with McKay Jacobsen in the back of the end zone with 3:30 remaining to upset No. 3 Oklahoma 14-13 in the first college game played at newly-opened AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Like Hall, Bachmeier is also surrounded by weapons, such as running back LJ Martin (Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year), receiver JoJo Phillips and tight end Walker Lyons (USC transfer). Bachmeier too has a massive offensive line and a defense that ranks among the best in the Big 12.

Despite his youthful start as a true freshman from Murrieta, California, Bachmeier has already assembled his own collection of greatest hits:

• Trailing 24-14 at Arizona with under five minutes to play, Bachmeier led the Cougars to a field goal and then to his own 2-yard touchdown run with 23 seconds remaining to force overtime. During the second overtime period, Bachmeier ran for a 7-yard touchdown, diving over the goal line to clinch a 33-27 win to keep the Cougars undefeated (6-0).

• In his first taste of the BYU-Utah rivalry, Bachmeier ran 22 yards through the Utes’ defense for a late fourth quarter touchdown in the eventual 24-21 victory. As he rumbled past Utah defenders into the end zone, Fox play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti aptly proclaimed, “There’s a bear on the loose in Provo!”

• Playing on a badly sprained ankle and without Martin in the backfield, Bachmeier peppered No. 22 Georgia Tech’s top-ranked ACC pass defense for 325 yards and a touchdown to claim the Pop-Tarts Bowl, 25-21, finishing the season with a No. 11 national ranking.

Comparing Hall and Bachmeier is hard to do. It’s like comparing a sports car to a jeep. While both can get you where you need to go in style, they’re each built differently.

At quarterback, the two signal callers play the same game, but in different bodies. At 6-foot-1 and 201 pounds, Hall shined with his distribution. Bachmeier’s 6-foot-3, 235-pound frame gives him options to attack on the ground or through the air.

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Hall went 11-2 in his debut season as a redshirt sophomore. He completed 60.1% of his passes for 3,848 yards and 26 touchdowns, while rushing for 14 yards and another score.

During Bachmeier’s 12-2 freshman campaign, he completed 64.9% of his passes for 3,033 yards and 15 touchdowns, while running for 517 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Any comparison must also include the level of competition. As a member of the Mountain West, only nine of Hall’s 39 games were against teams from a power conference.

As a member of the Big 12, Bachmeier had a dozen matchups with Power Four programs last year alone. BYU will face at least 10 more this fall, including Notre Dame.

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The big question is whether Bachmeier can do it again. What’s put Hall in his legendary perch is the fact that he followed up his sophomore season with a 10-3 junior year and another 11-2 run as a senior. That’s a lot of winning.

As humble as he is, there’s a chance Bachmeier has no idea of his current pace to unseat the winningest quarterback in BYU history. To pull it off, he will need health, good fortune and outstanding teammates.

He already has a fast start.

Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.