(Photo: Aiden Longbrake/WCSN)
Second-year quarterback Bear Bachmeier lined up in shotgun formation in a fourth-and-33 situation at BYU’s own 34-yard line with just three seconds left to play. As soon as he collected the snap, the signal-caller flung the ball towards the sidelines in an attempt to run out the remainder of the clock and seal what appeared to be an assured in-conference victory.
However, a moment of confusion over whether or not the pass reached out-of-bounds territory before time expired led to both teams gathering at midfield while the play was under review.
A sense of déjà vu washed over LaVell Edwards Stadium as the previous meeting between Arizona State and BYU during the 2024 season featured a premature conclusion. Fans at Mountain America Stadium rushed the field after former quarterback Sam Leavitt heaved an incomplete pass with the clock reaching triple zeroes, but a closer look from the replay booth gave the Cougars one last chance that fell two yards short of the end zone.
This time around, though, there would be no late-game theatrics as ASU (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) came out on the losing end of the review and can only lament the sudden comeback attempt that tapered off with one quarter left to play in a 27-20 loss to No. 8 BYU (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) on Saturday.
“We could have won this game tonight, and it pains me that we didn’t,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “Pains me that I didn’t give our players one more opportunity, that I couldn’t find one more advantage for them to win the football game because I thought they did it.”
ASU looked to be in no position to catch up to BYU after a sluggish first half. First-year quarterback Jake Fette, in the first start of his collegiate career, was sacked six times while the offense under his watch mustered just 93 total yards. Meanwhile, the Sun Devils’ secondary allowed Bachmeier to throw for 127 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown immediately after the two-minute timeout.
The third quarter, on the other hand, felt as if the team suddenly flipped a switch on both sides of the ball. A three-and-out from the Cougars to start the second half resulted in a 13-play, 81-yard drive which was capped off by Fette’s first career touchdown in the form of a 20-yard pass to fourth-year wide receiver Omarion Miller.
When third-year linebacker Owen Long recovered a fumble 12 seconds later, Fette found fourth-year tight end Anthony Miller all alone at the 1-yard line for a game-tying score. The two possessions combined took up 11 minutes and 11 seconds, bringing the tie of 17 points apiece into the fourth quarter.
“I was just being antsy in the first half, which isn’t me,” Fette said. “Having Cardae (Mack) in my ear all game, helping me, just telling me to calm down, play your game. That’s really what I needed.”
The Sun Devils had the opportunity to take full advantage of the momentum shifting in their favor with the Cougars facing a fourth-and-one at their own 44-yard line on the next possession. Instead, Bachmeier picked up the first down on a two-yard run before finding third-year tight end Walker Lyons for a 20-yard gain that put BYU in a position to eventually jump ahead 20-17 on a 45-yard field goal.
In response, ASU made it as far as the opposing 48-yard line until a fourth-and-four presented itself. Dillingham decided to trust his defense by punting the ball back into the Cougars’ hands with eight minutes and nine seconds left to go, and fourth-year punter Nick McLarty did his part by pinning them at their own 5-yard line.
Despite multiple opportunities to halt BYU’s ensuing drive and keep the contest within one score, the Sun Devils’ lack of execution cost them dearly. The Cougars appeared to be on the brink of an immediate three-and-out with a fourth-and-one at their own 14-yard line, yet head coach Kalani Sitake’s bold choice to go for it paid off with a short-yard conversion.
“I felt really good about the punt. I felt really good about putting them inside the five based off the clock,” Dillingham said. “We get a stop, we get it back around the 45 down three. Felt really good about that exchange, and kudos to Kalani. He had the guts to do that. That takes a lot of guts to go for it on fourth-and-one on your own 11-yard line in a three-score game, and he did it.”
The next play, fourth-year defensive back Ashton Stamps fell behind first-year wide receiver Legend Glasker on a 53-yard completion. A roughing the passer penalty called on fourth-year defensive lineman C.J. Fite moved the Cougars further down the field before ASU finally halted them at the 6-yard line. Again, Sitake made a major gamble by forgoing a field goal attempt in favor of sending the offense back out on fourth-and-four.
Just like the other two scenarios earlier in the game, all the Sun Devils required was one defensive stop. Bachmeier rolled to the left and threw a pass to third-year tight end Roger Saleapaga II that was short of the sticks, but resistance from first-year defensive back Daquwan Dunn and fourth-year defensive back Montana Warren wasn’t enough to prevent him from diving across the first down marker.
“Fourth down on the 10-yard line, that is a game-changing play and they made it,” Dillingham said. “They made an unbelievable play, and a gutsy call by their head coach. You’ve got to give Kalani a lot of credit for both of his fourth-down calls there. They’re both converted on that drive, and they absolutely changed the football game.”
BYU set up shop at the 1-yard line and took full advantage on a rushing touchdown, extending its lead to 27-17 just 10 seconds before the two-minute timeout.
Although four completions for 49 yards from Fette put sixth-year placekicker Carson Smith in position to hit a 44-yard field goal, the Cougars recovering the onside kick and successfully running the clock out brought confirmation that the Sun Devils let a monumental victory slip away in the waning moments.
The fact that ASU managed a 14-point swing and brought a contest against the No. 8 team in the country inside one of college football’s most intimidating environments down to the wire provides a silver lining that the team can take with it on the trip back to Tempe.
“Our guys had energy,” Dillingham said. “Our guys played with passion tonight. They played hard. They played physical. They played the way that I want us to play. They’re playing ASU football again.”
Nevertheless, such a positive takeaway still cannot mask the sting of a potential season-defining moment being reduced to a what-if scenario despite numerous opportunities within the last 15 minutes to reverse the true outcome in Provo.
“At the same token, we can’t give up a 95-yard drive at the end of the game with the game on the line,” Dillingham said. “We’ve got to make a play. I’ve got to be more aggressive. I’ve got to do something to get us off the field in that scenario.”
