Ty Detmer loves the idea of BYU getting a second chance to upset another No. 1

There is a lot of football to be played between the opening weekend of the college football season and Oct. 17, but the chance to beat a second top-ranked team is a strong possibility for BYU.

Notre Dame is expected to start the season ranked among the top five and the Irish will be favored in all six games leading up to the showdown in Provo. In fact, if Notre Dame isn’t 6-0 by mid-October, that storyline alone will be a big surprise. The Cougars could also be favored in their first five games before the Irish come to town.

The possibilities present the makings for a memorable night, like when BYU upset No. 1 Miami 28-21 in 1990 to kick-start Ty Detmer’s Heisman Trophy season.

“It would be awesome. There is no better place to take down a No. 1 than in Provo,” Detmer told the “Y’s Guys” livestream show this week. “I think you get the grass, the altitude and the atmosphere — it will be rocking for sure if that’s the case. Either way it’s going to be a packed house and an exciting night. If they are both undefeated and Notre Dame is No. 1, look out! Anything can happen in Provo.”

As a junior, Detmer lit up Miami’s highly touted defense for 406 yards passing and three touchdowns. The win transformed the San Antonio marksman into a national story that culminated in his winning the premier national award as college football’s best player.

“That’s something you don’t think is really a possibility coming in. You just want to play football,” Detmer said. “Especially with all the greats that had come before that finished second, third and fourth. Steve (Young), Jim (McMahon), Robbie (Bosco) and those guys, to be able to win (the Heisman Trophy) was the biggest shock. As a kid growing up, you don’t dream of things like that happening to you. It was special for everybody involved with BYU and our family. That was definitely a dream come true.”

A second-ever clash in Provo against a potential top-ranked Notre Dame squad might also sound a little dreamy, but the possibility for the Cougars is real and so are the national accolades that could follow a win like that — as Detmer showed 36 years ago.

Impressed by Bear

As an underrated and undersized recruit, Detmer redshirted his first season at BYU and enjoyed a thorough tutorial from quarterbacks Bob Jensen and Sean Covey before ever stepping on the field.

“I played here and there my freshman year. I got to start one game and came in at halftime in quite a few games, so I got a chance to get my feet wet,” he said. “For what Bear (Bachmeier) did as a true freshman coming in, with the poise he had, he showed a lot of maturity and a lot of leadership for a young guy. It looked like the team gravitated toward him and really loved playing with that guy.”

Bachmeier went 12-2 and earned honors as the Big 12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year. Fresh out of high school, he threw for 3,033 yards and rushed for 527 and accounted for 26 touchdowns en route to leading BYU to a No. 11 final ranking in the AP Top 25.

“I think it’s (his) poise, number one,” Detmer said. “He’s also got the skill set to be able to pull it down and run if he doesn’t like something, which is a bonus for any quarterback. I think with him in the quarterback run game, that takes the pressure off some of the other guys, it keeps defenses honest and he’s able to throw it.”

Second act

Bachmeier stole the show by winning more games than any freshman quarterback in program history. The Oscar-like performance set the stage for a highly anticipated second act.

“This year you are looking to see the next jump. Every quarterback that played at BYU, that second year of having time in the offense, you see a jump in the passing game,” Detmer said. “You’d love to see (Bear) more comfortable in situations where maybe they aren’t running really well, and they have to throw it to win and him to be that guy. I think in Year 2, you will see that and you will see the progression in his game and I think that’s what everybody is looking for.”

Meeting or exceeding expectations isn’t easy, as Detmer learned following his Heisman season.

“My senior year, the expectations were to do more, and we weren’t the same team. We were young with new guys in place all over the field,” he said. “For me, it was to manage that and try to bring the young guys along.”

Detmer sees Bachmeier in a relatable spot with new tight ends, unproven receivers and a fan base that has grown comfortable with watching him win.

“The expectations are to see more. I think for him is not to try to do more — it’s to go run the offense and continue doing what you have been doing,” Detmer said. “Really dive into being a team leader and make the plays that are there and not try to overdo it and do too much even though the expectations are there. Those are always things you have to fight as a player — the expectations grow, but it’s not always easy.”

Ty’s 5 favorites

• Favorite place to hunt: 1. South Texas, 2. Iowa, 3. Africa
• Favorite bait to catch a rainbow trout: Nightcrawler worm
• Favorite cut of beef: Ribeye
• Favorite household chore (assigned by Kim Detmer): Taking out the garbage cans on Friday mornings
• Favorite thing about being a grandparent: “They are special miracles. When you are raising your own kids, you don’t have a chance to step back and watch them, watch them interact, watch them grow and watch them try new things. Being a grandpa is the best. It’s a slower pace. You can sit back and enjoy them.”

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