TopFrog
Lifelong Frog
How will freshman QB Bear Bachmeier respond to his first ‘bad’ game?
Story by Jay Drew
After joining a long list of quarterbacks who have struggled against Texas Tech’s well-built and well-compensated defense, BYU freshman Bear Bachmeier was “hard on himself” immediately following the Cougars’ 29-7 loss to the Red Raiders last Saturday, according to offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick.
“He felt like it was his fault,” Roderick said Tuesday. “I’m not surprised. As a freshman, he finally had a bad game. It is what it is. He’s played so well all year, and each week, he’s exceeded our expectations, and then this game, he had a tough game, just like all of us did, me included, and he felt really bad.”
Bachmeier committed two turnovers — an interception and a fumble — and was part of an offense that could generate only 255 yards in windy Lubbock. After playing brilliantly in 8-1 BYU’s first eight games, he looked like a freshman, at times, while battling the nation’s top defense, a raucous and rowdy crowd, and the ever-present wind at Jones AT&T Stadium.
“I’ve just been trying to let him know that it’s a team game. We need all 11 guys to play their best, and our coaches (to coach their best),” Roderick said of his chats with Bachmeier this week. “We all have to coach better, and I expect him to bounce back and play well this week.”
Although he was sacked just once, Bachmeier faced relentless pressure from Tech’s defensive front the entire game and could never get his running game going, either. He had 11 carries for 12 yards.
“I mean, you always want to compete, and you just hate losing, so yeah, you are always gonna look back (with some regret),” Bachmeier said Tuesday. “You shouldn’t harp on it forever. But you kind of look at the negatives early on, and kind of get emotional. But yeah, you turn that into gratitude and just being grateful for the moment. We just gotta bounce back.”
Bouncing back should be more doable this week as the Cougars, who tumbled from No. 7 to No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night, are back at LaVell Edwards Stadium for the first time since beating No. 13 Utah 24-21 on Oct. 18. They will face former Mountain West rival TCU (6-3, 3-3) at 8:15 p.m. MST Saturday knowing they can’t afford another loss if they hope to stay in the hunt for a spot in the CFP, or a place in the Big 12 championship game next month.
Read the rest at https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ot...ier-respond-to-his-first-bad-game/ar-AA1Qkk5p
