Cougars come back to win Pop-Tarts Bowl 25-21 over Georgia Tech

ORLANDO, Fla. – No. 12 BYU finished its 2025 season with its sixth comeback victory of the year, finishing with a 12-2 record following a 25-21 victory over No. 22 Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

After trailing 11 at halftime, the Cougars surged late in the third quarter to spark a comeback, led by some big defensive stops and an offensive surge orchestrated by Bear Bachmeier and finished off with runs from Enoch Nawahine and Jovesa Damuni.

Bachmeier went 27-of-38 through the air for 325 yards and one touchdown. The game pushed him to over 3,000 yards on the season, becoming BYU’s second true freshman and 15th quarterback to do so. With his performance, Bachmeier was named the Pop-Tarts Bowl MVP.

Carsen Ryan led the receiving room with his career-high 120 yards on a career-high eight receptions. Today’s game also pushed him to over 1,000 career yards.

Parker Kingston and Chase Roberts finished with 76 and 57 yards, respectively. In the first quarter, Roberts recorded his sixth touchdown of the season and the 18th of his career.

Nawahine and Damuni combined for 80 rushing yards, 19 receiving yards and each notched a touchdown.

The BYU defense shut out Georgia Tech in the second half and were led by Nusi Taumoepeau, Evan Johnson, Faletau Satuala and Isaiah Glasker. Taumoepeau tallied six solo tackles, one tackle for loss, three quarterback hurries and one forced fumble. Satuala and Glasker each recorded six tackles, respectively. Additionally, Glasker recovered a fumble in the third quarter. Johnson sealed the game on a pick in the end zone with six seconds left, alongside his three tackles. The Monterey, Calif. product recorded a team-high five interceptions this season.

The victory pushes BYU to its first 12-win season since 2001 and fifth in school history (1980, 1984, 1996, 2001, 2025).

First Quarter

Georgia Tech won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball in the second half. Bachmeier and Ryan connected on a 12-yard pickup to open the first drive of the game. Bachmeier hit Roberts on back-to-back plays, totaling 21 yards, to move the ball to the BYU 48-yard line. On second-and-five, Kingston ran for 13 yards and added four on the ensuing play. From the Yellow Jacket 20, Bachmeier hit Ryan, who caught it at the 13 and advanced to the six-yard line. On third-and-five, Bachmeier completed a four-yard pass to Roberts, leaving the offense just short of the end zone and setting up fourth-and-one. Nawahine attempted to push into the end zone on the next play but was stopped, resulting in a turnover on downs with the clock at 8:39.

A false start penalty backed Georgia Tech up to its own half-yard line to open the drive. Running back Malachi Hosley gained eight yards, but an illegal touching penalty was called, which sent them four yards back to force a third down. Quarterback Haynes King’s pass was broken up and nearly intercepted by Evan Johnson, forcing the Yellow Jackets to punt.

BYU’s offense returned to the field and powered a five-play, 62-yard touchdown drive. Bachmeier’s pass intended for Roberts drew a pass interference penalty, which set the Cougars up at the Georgia Tech 47. Ryan caught a six-yard pass, and Nawahine tacked on three yards on the next play, bringing up third-and-one. The Kahuku, Hawaii native moved the chains with another three-yard carry. Bachmeier hit Kingston at the 22, and he charged to the seven for another first down. The true freshman quarterback and Roberts linked up for a touchdown on the following snap, and with Will Ferrin’s extra point, the Cougars opened with a 7-0 lead with 4:56 to play in the opening quarter.

The Yellow Jacket offense opened their drive with a 22-yard pass. Two consecutive carries earned them another first down to the BYU 41. King hit Dean Patterson for nine yards, and Hosley got the first down on his next carry. A 19-yard pass to Malik Rutherford set Georgia Tech up at the eight-yard line. The Cougars forced two incompletions and held Hosley to five yards to force fourth-and-three. The Yellow Jackets set up for a field goal, but the holders realigned at the snap to run a fake. Trelain Maddox rushed up the middle and barely reached the tip of the ball across the plane of the end zone. With its extra point, Georgia Tech tied the game at seven with 20 seconds left. 

On second-and-10, Bachmeier went to Ryan again for 35 yards before first quarter time would expire.

Second Quarter

After an incomplete pass, Nawahine earned six yards, moving the ball to the Georgia Tech 34 for third-and-four. Jojo Phillips captured Bachmeier’s pass at the 21 for a third-down conversion, and after two short gains, Ryan moved the chains again in a 14-yard pickup. One short gain and two plays with no gain forced the Cougars to settle for a field goal. The 22-yard field goal from Ferrin was good, keeping the Cougars ahead 10-7.

Georgia Tech opened its drive with a five-yard pass. Despite Glasker and Logan Lutui tackling King for a loss of two on the next play, a face mask penalty was enforced on Glasker to grant the Yellow Jackets 15 yards to their own 44. Two plays totaling 13 yards moved Georgia Tech into Cougar territory. After an incomplete shot deep, King found Patterson for 10 yards to pick up a first down. Jamal Haynes and King combined for 14 yards on the ground, and on third-and-eight from the 19, King’s pass fell incomplete but a pass interference penalty gave the Yellow Jackets a first-and-goal at the five-yard line. King found Eric Rivers at the one and he advanced into the end zone, giving Georgia Tech the lead, 14-10 with 5:28 left in the half.

On the kickoff, Cody Hagen muffed the kick and the Yellow Jackets recovered at the BYU six-yard line. On first-and-goal, Georgia Tech found J.T. Byrne in the end zone, and with the extra point, it advanced its lead to 21-10.

Bachmeier and Kingston connected for 19 yards, and Phillips added nine on the next play. On third-and-one, a false start penalty was enforced on BYU. The Cougars were unable to convert on third-and-six, forcing the punting unit out.

Sam Vander Haar punted it 49 yards to set the Yellow Jackets up at their own three. Hosley earned six yards on second-and-10, and he found 12 on the next play, but a holding penalty was enforced to set up third down again. King on a keeper picked up six yards to move the chains. Keanu Tanuvasa and Siale Esera dropped Haynes for a loss of two before King went deep to Rutherford, moving the ball to the Georgia Tech 43. Two short passes earned the Yellow Jackets another first down, but the BYU defense forced two-straight incomplete passes to close the half 21-10.

Third Quarter

Georgia Tech returned the ball to its own 35 to open the half. On the first snap, King stayed on the ground and earned 18 yards to move into BYU territory. After a gain of eight, John Taumoepeau stopped Haynes at the line of scrimmage but an unnecessary roughness penalty was ruled, resulting in an automatic first down and up to the 26. On third-and-six, King hit Haynes for 13 yards. Lutui tackled Hosley for a loss of two on the next play. On third-and-goal from the 11, King completed to Jordan Allen at the 15 but Nusi Taumoepeau forced a fumble, and after both teams were scrambling for the ball, Glasker recovered the ball at the Cougar 31.

Damuni and Nawahine opened the drive with gains of seven and four yards to move the chains. Bachmeier then hit Ryan for 18 yards for back-to-back first downs. Bachmeier’s next pass intended for Roberts fell incomplete and a pass interference penalty advanced BYU to the Georgia Tech 25. Phillips caught a 17-yard pass on first down to set BYU up at the eight. After an incompletion and a four-yard Nawahine carry, Bachmeier’s third-and-four pass was intercepted in the end zone and returned two yards. It was the second time in the game that the Cougars had the ball inside the Georgia Tech 10 and failed to score points.

The Yellow Jackets opened their drive with two long gains, totaling 29 yards. After moving the chains again through three downs, Hosley gained 15 yards up the middle. A 16-yard pass moved the Yellow Jackets to the BYU 26. The Cougar defense held the Yellow Jackets to an incomplete pass and two short carries to force the kicking crew to come out. Aidan Birr’s 36-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Tanuvasa, which kept the Yellow Jacket advantage at 11 with just under one minute remaining in the quarter.

Damuni earned two first downs for the Cougars to open the drive with carries of 12 and 19 yards, respectively. He would advance BYU to the Georgia Tech 49 before third quarter time would expire.

Fourth Quarter

On second-and-nine, Bachmeier found Roberts in a tight window for a gain of 18. Damuni added four yards, and on third down, Roberts caught a 7-yard pass to move the chains. Bachmeier and Ryan connected for the seventh time, this time for 13 yards to pin BYU at the Yellow Jacket six-yard line. After Kingston recorded a four-yard carry, Nawahine took the direct snap and plowed into the end zone. Keeping the offense on the field to go for two, Bachmier rushed it into the end zone to cut the deficit to three.

BYU forced the game’s first three-and-out. Kingston returned the punt 34 yards to set BYU up at its 45.

Bachmeier pitched to Damuni for a gain of five on first down. The freshman running back gained one yard on the next play, but the Cougars were unable to convert on third-and-four, and Vander Haar and the punting unit returned to the field, resulting in the second three-and-out of the game.

An illegal snap penalty pushed Georgia Tech back to its four-yard line. On second-and-14, King hit Rutherford for a gain of 12, and then another illegal snap penalty was enforced on the Yellow Jackets to set up third-and-seven. Haynes got just short of the line of gain before Glasker and Tanner Wall tackled him to force a punt. Kingston returned the punt four yards and set BYU up at its own 30 with 5:44 on the clock.

Following two incomplete passes, Bachmeier found Kingston at the BYU 34, and he advanced to the 43-yard line to grab the first down. Phillips secured a 14-yard pass from Bachmeier, and then Kingston caught a 15-yard pass to cap three consecutive first downs. After an eight-yard pass to Ryan to the Georgia Tech 20, the running back room led the way, kick-started by Nawahine picking up nine yards with a hurdle over a defender. Bachmeier passed to Damuni for a gain of seven, and then the Providence, Utah product powered into the end zone for his first career touchdown. Alongside Ferrin’s extra point, the Cougars took the lead, 25-21 with two minutes left.

Ferrin’s kickoff was returned 13 yards to pin Georgia Tech at its 21. Nusi Taumoepeau and Lutui hurried King and his pass fell incomplete on first down. On the next play, King lost the ball on a low snap but recovered his fumble for a loss of five yards. On third-and-15, another pass fell incomplete, forcing fourth-and-15. On the play, King went deep to Rivers for a gain of 66 at the BYU 18 with 52 seconds on the clock. The defense held the Yellow Jackets to three-straight incomplete passes, setting up fourth down with 14 seconds remaining. King attempted to hit Haynes in the end zone but his pass was intercepted by Johnson to seal the Pop Tarts Bowl victory 25-21.