Cam Skattebo was once again the star for Arizona State, rushing for 147 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Sun Devils to a 28-23 win over No. 14 BYU on Saturday. His strong performance earned him two celebrations with the fans.
Skattebo had another excellent game, while Sam Leavitt passed for 247 yards. The game ended with a tense final minute, which included Arizona State’s fans storming the field prematurely. It took about 15 minutes to clear the field before BYU could attempt a last-ditch Hail Mary, which fell incomplete.
“We won the football game,” said second-year coach Kenny Dillingham. “We beat another ranked team at Mountain America Stadium. So this is all about the guys. These guys battled, these guys fought and found a way to win. Whatever happened at the end, it happened. You know what? We got to rush the field twice, how about that?”
With 1:04 left, Javan Robinson’s interception seemed like it would secure the victory for Arizona State. However, the Sun Devils’ offense stalled, and Leavitt threw the ball out of bounds on fourth down. Arizona State’s student section, thinking the game was over, rushed the field.
Officials ruled that there was still 1 second left, giving BYU a chance for a Hail Mary from its own 49-yard line. BYU coach Kalani Sitake asked for an unsportsmanlike penalty to move the ball closer, but was denied.
Thousands of fans had to be cleared from the field before Jake Retzlaff’s deep throw fell incomplete, just short of the end zone.
“This game didn’t come down to that,” Sitake said. “That’s just the game. This ref crew was awesome, they communicated well with me. We had a chance to snap the ball from the 49. We would have loved to have it closer, but that’s just the game. The game wasn’t won or lost in that moment. It was the 59 minutes and 59 seconds before.”
Arizona State (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) has won four straight games and is now on the edge of the College Football Playoff conversation. BYU (9-2, 6-2) has lost two consecutive games, hurting its CFP chances.
Arizona State extended its lead to 28-9 when Leavitt connected with Xavier Guillory for a 61-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. However, BYU quickly responded, cutting the lead to 28-17 less than 90 seconds later with a touchdown pass from Retzlaff to Jojo Phillips.
After a defensive stop, BYU scored again with 8:44 left on a 1-yard run by Keelan Marion, making the score 28-23. The Cougars’ 2-point conversion attempt failed, keeping the score at 28-23.
Retzlaff threw for 297 yards and a touchdown but had two interceptions. Darius Lassiter caught five passes for 103 yards.
The game began with Arizona State making a defensive stop on fourth-and-5 at midfield. The Sun Devils then responded with a powerful 10-play, 54-yard drive, capped by Skattebo’s 3-yard touchdown run. Skattebo rushed for 44 yards on that drive.
In the second quarter, Arizona State continued to roll, putting together a 12-play, 95-yard drive that ended with Skattebo scoring his second touchdown on a 4-yard run for a 14-0 lead.
Staying aggressive, Arizona State executed a successful onside kick recovered by Plas Johnson. Six plays later, Skattebo broke through the line again, running 23 yards for his third touchdown of the first half.
