Bear Bachmeier and LJ Martin lead No. 11 BYU past UCF for a 41-21 victory

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Bear Bachmeier threw for 289 yards and a touchdown to help No. 11 BYU beat UCF 41-21 on Saturday.

LJ Martin added 95 yards and three touchdowns on the ground for the Cougars (11-1, 8-1 Big 12, No. 11 CFP) who clinched a spot in the Big 12 championship game next Saturday. Parker Kingston added 181 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.

Tayven Jackson threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns to lead UCF. The Knights (5-7, 2-7 Big 12) did not qualify for a bowl game for a second straight season after giving up 31 unanswered points to the Cougars.

Jackson picked apart BYU’s secondary in the first quarter, throwing for 110 yards while completing 10 of his first 12 passes. He tossed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Wade to put the Knights on the board and followed with a 20-yard strike to Agyeman Addae, giving UCF a 14-0 lead. Both receivers were wide open on their respective scoring plays.

BYU rallied before halftime after allowing UCF to gain only 16 total yards during the second quarter. The Cougars forced an interception on a trick play and allowed only minus 4 yards on the ground.

Meanwhile, Martin punched it into the end zone twice from a yard out to level the score. Will Ferrin then gave BYU its first lead at 17-14, connecting on a 26-yard field goal right before halftime.

The Cougars extended their lead to double digits on Martin’s third touchdown carry. Martin dragged several would-be tacklers to the goal line with him on a 4-yard run off a direct snap. Kingston made it 31-14 midway through the third quarter after returning a punt 55 yards for a touchdown.

The Takeaway

UCF: A second-quarter turnover and an inability to get stops siphoned away any momentum the Knights built from a pair of first-quarter scoring drives.

BYU: The Cougars once again rallied from a double-digit deficit to keep their slim CFP at-large hopes alive going into their first Big 12 title game. BYU has trailed by 10 or more points in four of its eight Big 12 wins this season.

Up Next

UCF: Season is over.

BYU: Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday.

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