BYU is headed to the Big 12 title game.

Led by true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier, the 11th-ranked Cougars started slowly before cruising to a 41-21 victory Saturday afternoon at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

The win marked several milestones for the Cougars who are headed to their first conference championship game in more than 25 years. The victory secured the program’s 14th campaign with 11 or more wins in a single season. It was also just the seventh time the Cougars have finished the regular season with 11 victories, and the third 11-win season under head coach Kalani Sitake.

Bachmeier finished the game throwing for 289 yards and a touchdown, including completing 21-of-25 passes passes. At one point he completed 15 passes in a row without a drop. The true freshman also passed the 2,500 yard mark, and now has more than 2,600 yards through the air.

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LJ Martin had another monster game as the junior running back finished with 95 yards rushing yards and three touchdowns. It was the first time in his career the the 6-foot-2, 220-pound back had three touchdowns in a game.

Meanwhile, without Chase Roberts — who is still nursing a hamstring injury — Parker Kingston stepped up and added 181 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, including a 55-yard punt return for a score. It marked his third career punt return for a touchdown after two touchdowns last year, putting him in a tie for second place and just behind Golden Richards’ four touchdowns.

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Defensively, the Cougars couldn’t get anything going in the first quarter as UCF quarterback Tayven Jackson shredded BYU’s secondary for 110 first-quarter yards while completing 10 of his first 12 attempts.

After that, it was all BYU as defensive coordinator Jay Hill made adjustments which led to UCF being unable to do much of anything after that. The defense added two more sacks today, pushing its season total to 28 — the most since 2016 when they recorded 29 sacks.

With the loss, the Knights (5–7, 2–7) will miss a bowl appearance for the second straight season. With the win, BYU heads to the Big 12 Championship game in Arlington, Texas against Texas Tech. Depending on the committee rankings and if there are any upsets, next Saturday’s game could be another Top 10 showdown between the Cougars and Red Raiders.

Here’s a look at the reactions from around the country in BYU’s win over UCF:

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