BYU’s 27-20 win over Arizona State came with a late wrinkle from the Big 12 on Saturday, and it wasn’t the kind the conference wanted to explain.
The Cougars, ranked No. 8, moved to 7-1 after the victory and kept themselves in the College Football Playoff conversation, but the game ended with another officiating admission from the league. Postgame, the Big 12 said BYU’s first-quarter touchdown should not have counted because of how the fumble was handled under the rulebook.
The sequence started on BYU’s opening drive, when the Cougars had second-and-goal from the one-yard line. Bear Bachmeier tried to drive in the score himself, but the ball came loose. Sione Moa then picked it up and crossed the goal line for a touchdown, though officials initially stopped the play and ruled Bachmeier down at the one.
After the first review, the ruling changed to a Bachmeier fumble with BYU recovering at the one-yard line. A second review from the Big 12 replay operations center then overturned the play to a touchdown.
Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham was seen arguing the call, but the score stood at the time. After the game, the Big 12 said the ruling was wrong.
Under conference rule 12-3-3-d-2, once replay determines the ball was not dead, the recovering team gets the ball at the spot of recovery and cannot advance it. In this case, that meant Moa’s recovery should have ended the play.
Instead of a touchdown, BYU should have faced third-and-goal at the two-yard line.
Dillingham said after the game that the call mattered in the outcome.
"I was trying to argue that he does have the right to recover it post-whistle, but that's not a clear advancement, which means the ball should be at the 3," Dillingham said, per ESPN. "Obviously, that wasn't what happened.
It's not the officials' fault. Those officials don't have say in that.
That's all back home."
It’s the second time in three weeks the Big 12 has had to issue a statement about an officiating mistake in a BYU game. On Oct. 17 against Notre Dame, the conference said one more second should have been added to the clock for the Fighting Irish, which would have given them another shot to win. BYU still came away with the upset.
Now the Cougars turn to another major test, with No. 6 Utah waiting on the road next week.
In Other News...
Arizona States Quarterback Decision Just Got A Lot More Complicated
A freshman quarterback making his first college start is rarely a neat process, and Jake Fettes debut fit that script. Thrown into the job against BYU, he worked through an early rough patch and multiple sacks before settling in enough to finish 22 of 42 for 166 yards and two touchdowns, giving Arizona State a glimpse of both the promise and the volatility that comes with handing the offense to a young player.
The bigger picture only adds to the intrigue. Arizona State fell 27-20, slipping to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in Big 12 play, and Fette was part of a little bit of program history along the way with fellow freshman Cardae Mack, as the two became the first freshman quarterback-running back duo to start a game for the Sun Devils. For a team still sorting out its direction, the performance did not settle the quarterback question so much as make it more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona State Fans May Need To Brace For More Dillingham Chatter
Florida States decision to move on from Mike Norvell after a 3-5 start and a rough run since 2023 has already sent the coaching rumor mill into overdrive, and Kenny Dillingham is bound to be part of that conversation. The Arizona State coach has become one of the more recognizable names in the sport, which means whenever a major job opens up, his name tends to surface alongside bigger established figures and splashier possibilities.
For Sun Devils fans, that is the reality of success in the modern coaching carousel. A search like this can include familiar names such as Jimbo Fisher, Deion Sanders, Mark Stoops and Mario Cristobal, but Dillinghams presence in the mix is the part Arizona State followers will be watching most closely. Nothing is confirmed, and these lists are still speculative, but the chatter alone is enough to keep this one on the radar. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona State Let Another Elite Team Slip Away Late
Arizona State had enough offense to make No. 8 BYU sweat deep into the fourth quarter, with Cardae Mack piling up 170 all-purpose yards and Jake Fette throwing for 166 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start. For long stretches, the Sun Devils were right there with one of the Big 12's best teams, trading blows and finding enough production to keep the game within reach.
Then BYU took control with the first ten points of the fourth quarter, turning a tight contest into a 27-20 finish. Bear Bachmeier managed the Cougars with 236 passing yards and a touchdown, while Matthias Dunn's 45-yard field goal and Sione Moa's rushing score provided the late separation Arizona State could not answer. [Read more 🡒]