Tempe, Ariz. • Amid the chaos of fans storming the field, then being escorted off, then storming the field again, BYU center Connor Pay delivered a message.
He sifted through the sea of maroon, found a few players on Arizona State’s team, and said two things.
First, he offered congratulations after the Sun Devils knocked off the No. 14 Cougars 28-23.
But then…
“I told [one player] I hope to see him again in two weeks,” Pay said.
Wide receiver Chase Roberts did the same — only with a slightly different variation.
“I really, really hope we see them in the Big 12 championship,” Roberts said. “I think we’ll take it to them.”
BYU certainly could end up in Arlington in two weeks against the same team — even after it dropped its second game in as many weeks. It will take some help. But not all is lost for a team that now sits 9-2.
“I don’t know all the scenarios that go into it, but we’ll see what happens,” BYU coach Sitake said.
Essentially, it boils down to BYU beating Houston and needing somebody else to lose.
After both Colorado and BYU lost this week, there are four teams in the conference with two losses. That list includes Arizona State, BYU, Colorado and Iowa State.
If all of those teams win in the final week of the regular season, BYU would be left out. Instead, it would be Arizona State and Iowa State heading to the Big 12 title game. The Cougars would lose the tiebreaker to both ASU and ISU.
So, BYU needs a win and some help to punch its ticket.
If BYU beats Houston, it then needs either Iowa State or Arizona State to lose. BYU does hold a tiebreaker over Colorado because it has a better record against common opponents.
So if Iowa State loses, BYU could see ASU in the title game. And if ASU loses and goes to three losses, BYU could play ISU in Arlington. But all of those hinge on BYU beating Houston.
“Obviously we’re going to need some chips to fall for us,” Pay said. “But in a very real way, we’re still very much in the hunt, you know? For a bid to a championship game. We got to go take care of business against Houston and let the cards fall where they may.”
BYU players walk off the field as Arizona State fans and players celebrate an interception during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State won 28-23. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Other takeaways from Tempe
Stopping the run
BYU’s inability to stop the run plagued the Cougars in 2023. But this year, defensive coordinator Jay Hill turned the run defense into a strength. Against Kansas, BYU held one of the most potent rushing attacks to 73 yards. It was their lowest output of the season.
But when Sitake really needed the run defense to show up, it let BYU down. Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo ran all over the Cougars for 148 yards, three touchdowns and 5.3 yards per carry. BYU couldn’t get off the field on third down because of it. The Sun Devils went 7 of 13 on third down. It had six drives of over 50 yards.
Hill’s unit came up with a few stops late to give the offense a chance. But overall it was too little, too late.
The last time Hill’s unit gave up 400 total yards was against Oklahoma State. This is only the second time this year.
“Is he a senior this year? Good,” Sitake said of Skattebo. “Good for us and everyone else. He is a good player.”
The final sequence
Kalani Sitake didn’t seem upset that Arizona State’s fans rushed the field prematurely. There was one second left on the clock when the Sun Devil’s faithful poured onto the playing surface. BYU still had a Hail Mary left in a 28-23 game.
“I hate getting mad at the fans. I mean, they’re so excited to get the wins. It’s two ranked teams that were playing,” Sitake said.
But some of his players were less than thrilled. Wide receiver Chase Roberts thought the final Hail Mary was blown dead too early because fans were rushing onto the field as the play was happening.
“It was crazy. I actually wasn’t down, you know? They blew the ball dead, and I was still up on top of their players, but everyone was rushing the field, so they blew the ball dead,” Roberts said.
Arizona State fans run on the field following a 28-23 win over BYU in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz.
Upon review, it did look like Roberts was tackled by an Arizona State player at the 2-yard line. Then the fans came onto the field.
Still, Roberts seemed upset. When the fans originally stormed the field, not all of them went back to their seats. They were on the sidelines for BYU’s Hail Mary.
“It was crazy to have the fans on the field surrounding us,” Roberts said.
Did he want the game to wait until everyone was back in their seats?
“It wasn’t something that was on my mind. No,” Roberts said. “I don’t care. I just wish we got a different ending.”
Jake Retzlaff’s critical interception
For a little bit, it looked like Retzlaff was going to lead his third game-winning drive of the year. He had the ball at the 39-yard line, already leading a 50-yard series. There was one minute left.
But Retzlaff threw an interception on an errant throw to Darius Lassiter. It was nearly a pick-six.
On the play before, too, Retzlaff had JoJo Phillips wide open. It would have been a go-ahead touchdown. But he overthrew him.
“I don’t want to be too critical, but it seemed like it went straight to the defender,” Sitake said. “Dang it. I mean, I love Jake and the guys are clicking. Everything was working. Felt like we had the momentum. And credit to Arizona State. They got the stop.”
