BYU Sweats Out a Win Over Arizona State Before the Holy War
It took a fourth-down gamble from its own 14-yard line and a Sione Moa touchdown with two minutes left for BYU to finally breathe. The No. 8 Cougars beat Arizona State 27-20 on Saturday in Provo, in a game they seemed to control at halftime (17-3) before the Sun Devils, led by a true freshman making his first career start, pulled even. A useful win, but hardly a reassuring one, a week before a trip to unbeaten rival Utah.
Kickoff was in front of 63,332 fans at LaVell Edwards Stadium, according to the Deseret News. Favored by about 17 points and coming off a loss at UCF, BYU wanted to get back on track in the Big 12 title race. It did, without convincing anyone.
Six Sacks in One Half
The opening minutes looked like a defensive showcase. On Arizona State's third play, Nusi Taumoepeau stripped the quarterback, and Isaiah Glasker recovered at the ASU 29. Six plays later, Bear Bachmeier lost the ball himself near the goal line, but Moa fell on it in the end zone. The touchdown stood: 7-0.
Arizona State took a while to get going. Its first long drive, 13 plays and 53 yards, stalled a few yards from the end zone, and Carson Smith settled for a 24-yard field goal at the very start of the second quarter (7-3). Matthias Dunn answered from 28 yards, and Bachmeier then found Kyler Kasper for a 13-yard touchdown with 1:55 left in the half: 17-3.
At halftime, Arizona State had just 93 yards of offense. Six different BYU players had recorded a sack: Taumoepeau, Isaiah Glasker, Cade Uluave, Ace Kaufusi, Miles Hall and Bodie Schoonover. According to the Deseret News, that is a school record for a single half. The only blemish came just before the break, when Montana Warren intercepted Bachmeier and kept BYU from stretching the lead.
Jake Fette, the Third Quarterback Who Revived Arizona State
The context made the Sun Devils' comeback even more unexpected. Jake Fette, 19, was Arizona State's third starting quarterback of the season: Cutter Boley lost the job, then Mikey Keene hurt his knee against Kansas State. Kenny Dillingham handed the offense to the true freshman, whose first series ended with the fumble that gave BYU its first touchdown.
After halftime, Fette was a different player. On a 13-play, 81-yard drive, he found Omarion Miller for a 20-yard touchdown with 6:30 left in the third quarter (17-10). On BYU's next possession, Owen Long forced a Kasper fumble that Adrian Wilson recovered at the BYU 39. The Sun Devils finished the drive on fourth down with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Miller Jr. with 1:15 left in the quarter. 17-17.
Fette finished 22 of 42 for 166 yards and two touchdowns, the first two of his career, despite being sacked six times. The bigger threat came on the ground: Cardae Mack, also a freshman, ran 23 times for 123 yards and added five catches for 47 yards, 170 yards in all. After halftime, the BYU defense did not record a single sack.
The Fourth Down That Swung the Game
The fourth quarter turned on two sequences. First, a 45-yard field goal by Dunn with 12:08 left put BYU back in front (20-17). Then came a 95-yard, 11-play drive that took six minutes, starting from the Cougars' 5-yard line. Facing fourth-and-1 at the BYU 14, Kalani Sitake kept the offense on the field. The gamble paid off, and Bachmeier then hit Legend Glasker for a 53-yard gain. Moa finished it from a yard out with 2:09 left: 27-17.
"I think a lot of people were nervous about that one," Sitake said of the fourth-down call, according to the Deseret News. Bachmeier said there was "no hesitation." BYU converted three of its four fourth-down attempts, which made up for a dismal showing on third down (3 of 13).
Carson Smith cut the gap again with a 44-yard field goal with 57 seconds left, but BYU recovered the onside kick. Bachmeier finished 19 of 30 for 236 yards, a touchdown and an interception; Legend Glasker led all receivers with 4 catches for 87 yards.
The overall numbers sum up the afternoon: 283 yards for BYU, 279 for Arizona State, which ran 76 plays to BYU's 60. "Third down was not good for our offense, and we could not run the ball, for some reason," Sitake admitted, as quoted by the Deseret News, which put the Cougars' rushing total at 47 yards, a season low.
Before the Holy War, BYU Under Pressure
BYU moves to 7-1 (4-1 Big 12) and stays in the conference title race. Utah, ranked sixth and unbeaten (8-0) after a lopsided 49-25 win at Cincinnati, leads the way. Texas Tech, which beat Arizona 34-26 earlier in the day, has the same conference record as BYU (4-1).
That makes next week the state's biggest rivalry date: the Holy War, next Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. In the Deseret News' view, BYU will need to win out to have a shot at the College Football Playoff. The Cougars then host Baylor on Nov. 14. Injured running back LJ Martin could return against the Utes, according to the same paper.
Arizona State falls to 4-4 (2-3 Big 12) and has now lost three road games this season to top-10 opponents. The Sun Devils host Colorado (3-5) next Saturday. They leave Provo with a loss, but also with a quarterback who stood up to a top-10 team.
