PROVO, Utah — Sione Moa scored two rushing touchdowns and Bear Bachmeier threw for 236 yards as No. 8 BYU edged Arizona State 27-20 on Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium, surviving a second-half rally in a matchup shadowed by an acknowledged replay mistake.
Hours after the game concluded before a crowd of 63,332, the Big 12 Conference issued a formal statement admitting that replay officials erred by awarding the Cougars a first-quarter touchdown, Yahoo Sports reported. On a quarterback sneak attempt near the goal line, Bachmeier fumbled and Moa scooped up the ball before crossing the plane. Under college football rules, an unadvanced fumble recovery by a teammate cannot be advanced once replay intervenes; the conference noted the football should have been marked down at the 2-yard line for a third-and-goal snap instead of an immediate score.
Cougars Build Early Cushion
BYU (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) sought to rebound from a double-overtime road defeat against UCF the previous week. The Cougars seized an early advantage when Nusi Taumoepeau strip-sacked Sun Devils true freshman quarterback Jake Fette on the game’s third offensive snap. Isaiah Glasker recovered at the Arizona State 31-yard line, leading six plays later to Moa’s disputed score.
The Cougars’ defense dominated the first two quarters, registering six sacks before halftime, according to the Deseret News. Following a 24-yard field goal by Arizona State kicker Carson Smith, BYU extended the margin to 10-3 on a 28-yard field goal from Matthias Dunn. Bachmeier subsequently connected with Kyler Kasper on a 13-yard touchdown pass to send the Cougars into the locker room ahead 17-3.
Sun Devils Stage Second-Half Surge
Making his first career collegiate start, Fette replaced injured Mikey Keene and helped ignite a third-quarter resurgence for Arizona State (4-4, 2-3). Fette tossed a 20-yard touchdown pass to Omarion Miller to trim the deficit to 17-10. Shortly after, Sun Devils defender Owen Long punched the ball loose from Kasper, and Adrian Wilson recovered to hand possession back to the visitors.
Arizona State capitalized when Fette found Anthony Miller for a 1-yard touchdown pass on fourth down, tying the contest at 17-17 with 1:15 remaining in the third period. Cardae Mack bolstered the Sun Devils by rushing for 123 yards on 23 carries, marking his third consecutive 100-yard rushing performance, AZCentral reported.
“Just putting it up to my guys and trusting them, especially Cardae,” Fette said of the second-half adjustments, as reported by AZCentral. “Just coming out and putting it in a spot where they can make a grab in the second half really changed the outcome.”
Late March Decides Contest
Dunn nudged BYU back ahead with a field goal early in the final quarter, but the decisive series came when head coach Kalani Sitake opted to go for a fourth-and-1 from the BYU 14-yard line. Bachmeier gained the necessary inches before hitting Legend Glasker on a 53-yard completion on the subsequent play. That 11-play, 95-yard march concluded with Moa plunging into the end zone from 1 yard out with 2:09 remaining to secure a 10-point cushion.
Smith added a late field goal for Arizona State, but BYU recovered an onside kick attempt to seal its 12th consecutive victory at home. BYU managed just 47 rushing yards on the day, playing without injured starting running back LJ Martin.
“We were stopping the run. That’s how we should have been playing all year,” Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham said, according to AZCentral. “At the same token we can’t give up a 95-yard drive at the end of the with the game on the line.”
Sitake acknowledged his team’s offensive hurdles on third down and the ground game while praising the Sun Devils’ effort. BYU now prepares for its annual rivalry showdown on the road against No. 6 Utah, while Arizona State returns to Tempe to host Colorado.
