BYU - Notre Dame Game @ Provo - October 17, 2026

 BYU - Notre Dame Game @ Provo - October 17, 2026

Ethan, Joshua, and Beth at the game.

Doug and Shannon at the BYU-Notre Dame game.

Kyle and Ryan also at the game.

Doug and Shannon were at the north end and got to walk in with Elder Uchtdorf!

Watching the game with us from our home (no photo):  Curtis and Marla in our living room; and watching on the TV downstairs were Jamon and Zack with some of their friends.

PROVO — Dressed as Spider-Man, Brigham Young University student Carter Smith missed his first field goal attempt Saturday morning but connected on his second, winning $3 million during ESPN's College GameDay broadcast ahead of the Cougars' matchup against Notre Dame.

Smith made the 33-yard kick on the lawn at Heritage Halls, sending the surrounding crowd of BYU students into celebration. The prize included $1 million from ESPN analyst Pat McAfee, $1 million from Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth owner Ryan Smith and $1 million from Ryan Sweeney, Smith's business partner.

The winning kick came during McAfee's "Kicking is Easy" contest, a recurring segment on the college football pregame show. The competition gives a selected fan the opportunity to attempt a 33-yard field goal for a cash prize.

Carter Smith is stydying biology at BYU and hopes to become a dentist.

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No. 8 BYU beat No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24 on October 17, 2026, at LaVell Edwards Stadium. 

Key Plays and Performances

Bear Bachmeier's Unique Game: BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier scored in three different ways—throwing for 224 yards, running for two touchdowns, and catching a touchdown pass on a double/throwback screen play. He became the only FBS quarterback in the last 30 seasons to record both a rushing and receiving touchdown against a top-25 opponent.
The Go-Ahead Score: Bachmeier threw a crucial go-ahead touchdown pass to tight end Walker Lyons with 1:47 remaining in the fourth quarter to put BYU ahead 28-24.
First-Half Blunder: Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr committed a costly error at the end of the first half when he fumbled away a spike attempt with nine seconds left on the 9-yard line, wiping out potential points and leaving the Irish down 21-10 at halftime
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Notre Dame's Second-Half Rally: The Fighting Irish fought back with 14 unanswered points, taking a 24-21 lead with 9:31 left in the game on a 3-yard touchdown run and 2-point conversion by Jonaz Walton. 

Controversial Finish

The Final Sequence: Down by four points with five seconds left, Notre Dame reached the BYU red zone. On the final play, Carr threw a fade pass to Jaden Greathouse in the end zone that fell incomplete.
The Clock and No-Calls: Replays showed one second remained on the game clock when the ball hit the ground, and BYU cornerback Evan Johnson made heavy contact with Greathouse without a flag being thrown for pass interference.
The Official Acknowledgment: The replay booth cleared the play and allowed BYU fans to storm the field. The next day, the Big 12 Conference admitted that its replay officials made a mistake by not stopping the game and putting one second back on the clock for Notre Dame to have one final snap.