(Notre Dame) — It took Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman 22 minutes of his press conference to finally make the admission.

Saturday’s road trip to #8 BYU is a big game.

“This isn’t something new to us,” smiled Freeman. “It’s a new environment because we haven’t been there, but this is what we do. This is what Notre Dame football does…we go into different places and it’s a big game. That’s why we’re here. That’s why we choose to come to Notre Dame. They love this. I LOVE it. This is exactly why we’re at Notre Dame.”

It will certainly be the biggest challenge to date for the 2nd-ranked Irish, who enter with a 6-0 record and 16 consecutive wins by double digits.  The Cougars are unbeaten and playing at home, where the altitude of Provo, Utah may be a factor.

“(Strength and Conditioning) Coach (Loren) Landow was in Colorado forever and certainly understands about playing at altitude,” notes Freeman. “So it’s re-educating about how you hydrate and how you fuel your body. They’re going to have to make sure they focus on recovery after each play.”

It’s not just the elements or the crowd that provide the challenge. The 5-0 Cougars have a solid defense and a quarterback in Bear Bachmeier, a 6-2, 230-pound sophomore, who poses a dual threat as a runner and a passer.

“(He’s) a special player,” describes Freeman, who recruited Bachmeier. “We have to make sure we have a great plan for him. They do some things schematically with how they utilize their quarterback in the run game that’s going to challenge you defensively about how you call things. It changes your game plan a little bit. He’s the real deal. He’s big, like he’s BIG, but he can still throw the ball well.”

Bachmeier was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week Monday. He sparkled last Friday in BYU’s win over Iowa State, throwing for 329 yards and running for 109. He’s the first BYU quarterback to do that since Taysom Hill in 2013.  Part of the reason Bachmeier is running so much is the absence of 2025 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, running back LJ Martin, due to inury.

Speaking of injuries, the Irish received some good news on that front, as linebacker Kyngstonn Villiamu-Asa is back in the lineup this week after missing the Stanford game with a thumb problem. All-America cornerback Leonard Moore remains questionable, recovering from a concussion suffered in the North Carolina game. Defensive tackle Jason Onye is upgraded to questionable as he recovers from an ankle injury.

Notre Dame and BYU play Saturday night at 7:30 on ABC.