Provo • What the BYU Cougars did against Kansas State seemed almost impossible to replicate.
Three weeks ago, BYU forced three turnovers in six minutes and piled on 28 points to break the game open against the then-No. 13 team in the country.
Then the second half of the Cougars’ showdown with Arizona kicked off Saturday afternoon.
On the first play after the intermission, defensive back Jakob Robinson came screaming off the edge to get a deflection and rip down an interception. That gave the Cougars the ball at the 9-yard line, and gifted Chase Roberts a touchdown.
A minute later, Isaiah Glasker forced a fumble of quarterback Noah Fifita and BYU had the ball again inside the red zone and set up a field goal.
Maybe it wasn’t a Kansas State-level flurry this time, but those turnovers — two of the four BYU had on the day — broke the game open and helped the No. 14 Cougars cruise to a 41-19 win over Arizona.
The Cougars are now 6-0 and at the top of the Big 12 standings.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brigham Young Cougars wide receiver Parker Kingston (11) catches a pass before scoring a touchdown as he is defended by Arizona Wildcats defensive back Owen Goss (27) during the game between the Brigham Young Cougars and the Arizona Wildcats in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024.
They’ve also punched their ticket to the postseason after failing to reach a bowl game last year.
“Just proud of the guys,” BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said during his walk-off interview on FOX. “The guys worked hard in the offseason. There’s only one way to fix things and that’s work.”
He added: “Great things happen when you just do your job.”
Quarterback Jake Retzlaff finished with 218 yards and two touchdowns on 18-32 passing. BYU racked up nearly 400 yards of offense.
“I love him,” Sitake said of his quarterback. “The guy’s been amazing. He’s a great leader for our team. We’re just going to keep rolling and see what happens.”
Coordinator Jay Hill’s defense tightened up after the half. Even as Hill brought pressure on Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, BYU couldn’t bring him down in the first half. He scrambled away and led Arizona on a 95-yard scoring drive to open the game. He ripped off a 39-yard completion to Tetairoa McMillan on a third-and-nine to set up the score.
It set the stage for a first half where Arizona was four-of-six on third down. McMillan finished with four catches for 67 yards. Fifita had 193 yards and two touchdowns.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brigham Young Cougars safety Crew Wakley (7) celebrates an intrerception with Brigham Young Cougars safety Tanner Wall (28) during the game between the Brigham Young Cougars and the Arizona Wildcats in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024.
But Hill eventually tightened the screws after a Tanner Wall interception at the one-yard line. And BYU’s offense took advantage of the break.
“Jay Hill and his defensive staff did an amazing job,” Sitake said. “The frustrating part is there are still a lot of plays we left on the field.”
Retzlaff commanded two scoring drives to keep the game close before the turnover flurry. He threw a 20-yard touchdown to Parker Kingston on a one-on-one at the goal line.
Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick went back to Kingston later on a trick play. Kingston threw a 33-yard touchdown to LJ Martin to give BYU its first lead at 14-7. And then BYU’s defense did the rest.
LJ Martin sealed the win in the fourth quarter with a one-yard touchdown. In his first game in over a month, he accounted for 95 total yards.
With Arizona trying to make something happen with time running down, Fifita threw his third interception of the game. Glasker grabbed the errant pass and returned it for a touchdown to add an exclamation point to the Cougars’ day.
Darius Lassiter led BYU in receiving with 86 yards on five catches.
The Cougars will host Oklahoma State next Friday in Provo.
