BYU opened Big 12 play with exactly the kind of win that tells you something about a team: 28-17 over Arizona in a tough, physical game that never got easy.
The Cougars are now 2-0 overall and 1-0 in league play, and the result also marked BYU’s sixth straight victory over Arizona.
One of the game’s biggest swings came in the fourth quarter with BYU clinging to a 21-17 lead and Arizona driving in Cougar territory. On 3rd & 9, Noah Fifita completed a five-yard pass to set up 4th & 4, then hit Rodney Gallagher III on the next snap for what initially looked like enough for the first down. The spot and a chain measurement gave Arizona the conversion, but after review, officials overturned it and ruled a turnover on downs.
FOX rules analyst Mike Pereira said he felt Gallagher was short, and BYU’s Tommy Prassas and Cannon DeVries helped finish the stop with the tackle. It was the kind of call that can flip a game, and this one did.
BYU answered two plays later with the play that stretched the margin and gave the Cougars breathing room. Freshman Legend Glasker, who had been relatively quiet while Arizona focused heavily on him, got loose behind the defense and hauled in a 61-yard strike from Bear Bachmeier. Glasker’s speed turned the deep shot into a major moment in Big 12 play, adding to the buzz around him after last week’s three-touchdown debut.
That wasn’t the only wideout making noise for BYU. Kyler Kasper, the Arizona native, scored the first touchdown of his collegiate career and was a key target for Bachmeier throughout the game.
The former Oregon receiver, who battled multiple foot injuries, had said during fall camp that he “felt better than ever” and believed the BYU receiver group would be one of the best in the Big 12. Through two games, that claim is holding up.
Even with BYU taking the win, this had the feel of a heavyweight league matchup. Chris Petersen called it a “sneaky huge game” in the Big 12 race during halftime, and both teams looked the part of squads capable of making a run to the Big 12 Championship Game.
Arizona, though, will have to deal with the sting of another loss to BYU. The Wildcats had spent months preparing for this one, starting 48 hours after the 2025 season ended, and the setback has to land hard.
Still, the source of the season isn’t gone. If Arizona bounces back, there’s still a path to seeing BYU again in Arlington.
The second half also turned into a flag-filled mess. Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales had said he wanted officials to keep the flags in their pockets and let the teams “kill each other,” but that didn’t happen. On one drive with BYU backed up near its own end zone, four straight flags were thrown, and BYU was charged on three of them.
Andrew Gentry had a rough afternoon, drawing three penalties on his own. Then with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Prassas was flagged for pass interference on a call that was questionable, and moments later Arizona’s Matthew Lado was hit with a false start as the BYU crowd roared on second down.
In all, the teams were whistled for 14 penalties.
In Other News...
BYU Showed Something Different In The Second Half At Arizona
Down at halftime in Tucson, No. 15 BYU came out of the break looking like a different team and finished with a 28-17 win over Arizona. The Cougars leaned on a strong rushing drive to open the second half, got meaningful production from players such as Kyler Kasper and Tausili Akana, and began to tilt the game with a steadier, more physical approach after the intermission.
Arizona still had a chance to flip the pressure back onto BYU before the Cougars defense shut the door with a key fourth-down stop. From there, BYUs pass rush started to squeeze the Wildcats late, and the Cougars spent the final stretch controlling the flow instead of chasing it, a meaningful shift for a team that had to answer a few questions after the break. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Keeps Winning Big Games Even When The Start Looks Familiar
For a while, it looked a lot like one of those nights when BYU would have to grind through familiar frustration before finding its footing. The Cougars still came away with a Big 12 win over Arizona, and the familiar part of the story was how much the game changed after halftime. Kelly Poppingas defense settled in and Aaron Rodericks offense found better answers after a slow start, giving BYU the kind of second-half control that has started to define these bigger nights.
Tommy Prassas also ended up in the middle of the decisive sequence late, when a key fourth-quarter tackle helped seal the result. It was another reminder that BYU keeps finding a way in these matchups, even when the opening stretch suggests the game might go another direction. The win was Kalani Sitakes sixth straight over Arizona, which says plenty about how often the Cougars have been the team making the right adjustments when these teams meet. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Arizona Win Put A Promising New Core On Display
BYUs win over Arizona offered a useful snapshot of how the Cougars are starting to piece together a new-look core on both sides of the ball. The second-half surge was powered by a defense that kept tightening the screws, with Tausili Akana making his presence felt, Uluave and Cannon DeVries adding key support, and the offense finding enough balance to pull away. It was the kind of performance that suggests the roster is settling into a clearer identity early in the season.
The more interesting part for BYU is how many different names are starting to matter in meaningful spots. Isaiah Glasker emerged as a steady target in the passing game, and Kyler Kaspers scoring impact showed how quickly the receiving group can tilt a game when it gets rolling. Akanas production up front only adds to the sense that this team may have more emerging pieces than expected, which makes the next stretch of games worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]