It didn’t happen in 14 games last season, but Bear and Tiger Bachmeier believe the quarterback-receiver family bond will produce a touchdown this fall.
It’s just a matter of when and how.
Bear, who threw for 3,033 yards and 15 touchdowns last season, sees it happening in the slot where “(Tiger) has a lot of options to do whatever he wants,” the sophomore quarterback told the “Y’s Guys” livestream show earlier this week.
“We call it a middle-read route. Maybe (I’ll) hit him up in the seam for a touchdown.”
Tiger, who also moonlights as a punt returner, caught seven passes for 59 yards in 2025. He sees his first touchdown catch coming “on a corner route” and one that will send their mother “running up and down the halls” in celebration.
LaVell Edwards Stadium went nuts in 2021 when Baylor Romney connected with his younger brother Gunner on a 49-yard touchdown bomb against South Florida. Will they see a Bear-to-Tiger strike in 2026?
“Yes,” Tiger told the “Y’s Guys” livestream. “I can promise you that.”
Still stinging
During the Bachmeier boys’ BYU debut season, the Cougars went 12-2, competed in the Big 12 Championship Game, won the Pop-Tarts Bowl and finished with a No. 11 national ranking. In addition, Bear was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
However, those two losses to Texas Tech still haunt him.
“The two losses obviously hurt more than anything else,” Bear said. “For me personally, I’m so competitive it’s like that cliché, I hate losing more than I like winning. The two losses kind of resonate. We’ve got to be perfect this year.”
Before the Cougars can stage a rematch with the Red Raiders, they must first reach the Big 12 Championship Game and hope Texas Tech does, too.
Both Bachmeier’s have used the off-season to sharpen their skills.
“Pocket presence and being more deliberate with my reads,” has been on Bear’s to-do list. For Tiger, “It’s (coming) out of cuts, being really deliberate on breaking away from the defensive back and just making that small separation,” he said.
“There are a lot of routes we run where you are put in a good spot and then it’s up to you to put a little extra into your route and trusting Bear to get the throw there.”
Football camp
Before the Bachmeiers report to fall camp, they hope kids in the Provo area will report to the first Bear and Tiger Youth Football Camp on July 18 at Maple Mountain High School in Spanish Fork.
Additional details are available at flexworksports.com.
“Being at BYU, the mission statement is to be disciples of Christ and men of service,” Bear said. “We have realized we have a platform to give back and be inspirational to these kids, and that’s why we are doing it.”
Slimming down?
Bear tipped the scale at around 235 pounds last season. Some say he was lighter; others weigh in on the heavier side. His 6-foot-3 frame is robust and built to withstand the pounding that a running quarterback receives.
“I’ve slimmed down a little,” Bear said.
A surprised and light-hearted Tiger shot back.
“I’ve never heard those words come out of his mouth!”
Milkshakes remain the quarterback’s favorite, and a “Bear on the loose” at the BYU Creamery is not an uncommon sight.
“I’m limiting, not eliminating, the consumption of those milkshakes,” Bear said with a smile.
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.comtory Here