(Photo: Jack Simon/WCSN)
TEMPE — Nov. 23, 2024, is a day etched into Arizona State football lore.
With 51 seconds left, ASU stared at second-and-goal on BYU’s 3-yard line as it clung to a 28-23 lead. The Cougars burned their final timeout. Rather than score, the Sun Devils intentionally lost yardage on three straight plays, setting up fourth-and-goal from the Cougars’ 44 with the clock down to seven seconds.
Former ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt scrambled backward and threw the ball away. Sun Devil fans stormed the field and tore down a goalpost. From there, it was time to celebrate on the field, ring the victory bell and head to the locker room.
Well, not quite.
The officials gathered to determine whether any time remained on the clock when the ball sailed out of bounds. If so, BYU would get one last shot. As he watched the review unfold, head coach Kenny Dillingham stood beside his wife, Bri, surrounded by a sea of fans chanting “ASU.”
When word came that one second remained on the clock, Dillingham let the referees hear it. Two words stood out:
“That’s bull—-.”
Ultimately, the Cougars’ Hail Mary fell short, and the Sun Devils were victorious. More than 700 days have passed since that game. And on Saturday, ASU (4-3, 2-2 Big 12) and No. 8 BYU (6-1, 3-1) will meet again.
To this day, Dillingham looks back on the first bout as a wake-up call.
“We didn’t execute the three plays prior,” Dillingham said. “Since then, we’ve added a little period at the end of our Thursdays where we do a mock two-minute drill or a mock four-minute drill.”
Both teams were ranked inside the top 25 when they last squared off. The Cougars have maintained that success, going 18-3 across the 2025 and 2026 seasons. The Sun Devils, meanwhile, are 12-8 over that span.
BYU is back home following last Saturday’s stunning 39-31 double-overtime loss to UCF. The Cougars’ pass defense turned in an uncharacteristically rough outing, allowing 8.4 adjusted yards per pass attempt. Coincidentally, the last time that figure exceeded eight came against ASU in 2024.
The Sun Devils called on three quarterbacks in their win over Kansas State, and they combined for 6.84 adjusted yards per attempt. Sixth-year signal-caller Mikey Keene got the start but left the game with an ankle injury. First-year Jake Fette closed it out after third-year Cutter Boley was benched for the second time this season.
Keene, who participated in practice this week, is listed as questionable heading into Saturday. ESPN college football writer Pete Thamel reported Friday morning that Fette is in line to make his first collegiate start, though a final decision is expected at game time.
Keene will start if he’s healthy enough to play. To explain his availability, Dillingham pointed to an analogy New Mexico head coach Jason Eck used earlier in the week involving the football video game Madden.
“A guy gets injured on Madden, you got to make a substitution,” Eck said. “It comes up on the screen, your starter’s usually a 90 (overall) and your backup’s an 80. But because of the injury, the 90 guy is down to 78 … the backup’s a little better than the guy without practice and has an injury.”
BYU doesn’t have the same uncertainty at quarterback. Second-year Bear Bachmeier has been the Cougars’ starter since 2025. Up until eighth grade, Bachmeier was a running back, and that shows in his playing style. His 321 rushing yards rank second-most on the team.
For the second straight week, ASU’s run defense, which has struggled at multiple points, catches a break. Last Saturday, Kansas State’s leading rusher, fourth-year quarterback Avery Johnson, missed the game because of injury. This week, BYU’s leading rusher, fourth-year running back LJ Martin, will remain sidelined.
With Martin out, the Cougars’ offense has leaned more on Bachmeier’s arm. He didn’t drop back 30 times once during BYU’s opening four-game stretch. Since Martin’s injury against TCU, Bachmeier has averaged 34.7 dropbacks per game.
Last season, Bachmeier put the ball in harm’s way a fair amount. Pro Football Focus charted his turnover-worthy play rate at 4.3%, the fifth-highest mark in the Big 12. This year, he’s cut it down to 2.9%.
One of Bachmeier’s calling cards is his ability to avoid sacks. His 10% pressure-to-sack rate is sixth-lowest in the Power Four. A year ago, it was 11.8%, the 14th-lowest mark.
“Can you get this guy taking negatives? Well, he doesn’t take sacks,” Dillingham said. “The first thing I look for with quarterbacks is do they turn the ball over? He does not turn it over.”
Bachmeier’s top target is first-year wideout Legend Glasker, who operates primarily out of the slot due to his 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame. His 498 receiving yards are 11th-most in the Big 12.
The Cougars’ offense also features third-year tight end Walker Lyons, whose 206 yards trail just three Big 12 tight ends. With a deep group of pass catchers, BYU frequently uses pre-snap motion. The movement is designed to deceive defenders.
“You’re not going to see the whole picture,” Dillingham said. “You’re going to be able to see a piece of the picture, and you’ve got to anticipate what the other side of the picture is doing.”
On the other side of the ball, Glasker’s cousin, Isaiah, is a fifth-year linebacker for the Cougars. He occupies the rover spot in BYU’s defense, a hybrid role with responsibilities all over the field — he’s lined up outside the offensive tackle 52 times.
Alongside him is fourth-year linebacker Cade Uluave, who handles the more traditional middle-linebacker duties. He’s earned a 75.4 PFF grade, the second-highest mark among 16 Cougar defenders who’ve played at least 150 snaps.
Fifth-year defensive lineman Bodie Schoonover holds the top spot with a grade of 77. His 82.9 run defense grade is also the team’s highest. BYU is coming off its worst run-defending performance of the season, allowing season highs of 170 rushing yards and 4.1 yards per carry.
Still, 4.1 being a season-high is a testament to the unit’s consistency. Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake has a defensive background, and he’s established a defensive identity that’s followed him throughout his career.
Dillingham was introduced to Sitake’s defense in 2014, when he was a graduate assistant with the Sun Devils, and Sitake served as Utah’s assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. ASU won that matchup 19-16 in overtime.
“I remember him having one of the better defenses,” Dillingham said. “Coach Sitake’s one of the best coaches in college football; he’s been very successful in defense for a long time.”
Saturday marks the third time Sitake has faced the Sun Devils as BYU’s head coach and his fourth matchup with ASU as a Cougar. A fullback during his playing days, he recorded 27 scrimmage yards when BYU defeated the Sun Devils 26-6 in 1998.
ASU’s most recent trip to Provo was in 2021, and it left in bad spirits following a 27-17 loss. Sitake is unbeaten against the Sun Devils at home, whether the game was played in Cougar Stadium or LaVell Edwards Stadium.
However, Dillingham hasn’t seen a loss to Sitake from ASU’s sideline. One of those streaks will end Saturday. And if the Sun Devils find themselves in a similar late-game situation, Dillingham promises not only execution changes, but that he’ll be on his best behavior.
“How I acted was not okay,” Dillingham said. “That could have come back as a negative on me, and that would have been 100% my fault if we didn’t get that done.”
