BYU beats Arizona State 27-20 on a 95-yard Halloween drive built on two fourth-down gambles

With 5:52 left on Halloween night and 63,000 fans on their feet at LaVell Edwards Stadium, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake called a timeout — then made the call that defined the game. His team led Arizona State 20-17, but they were pinned at their own 14-yard line, facing fourth-and-1. The obvious move was to punt. Sitake sent the offense back out instead.

What followed was an 11-play, 95-yard scoring drive — BYU's third-longest since 2016, according to the Deseret News — that ended with a Sione Moa touchdown run and a 27-17 lead the Cougars would not surrender. The final score: BYU 27, Arizona State 20.

The drive hinged on three plays. The first was the fourth-and-1 conversion itself. Quarterback Jake Bachmeier took a shotgun snap and drove his 230-plus-pound frame toward the first-down marker. Moa, at 220 pounds, followed like a booster rocket. They got it — barely.

I think a lot of people were nervous about the fourth-and-1. The team was all for it. That was a good moment for us. I'm just glad it worked out.— Kalani Sitake, BYU head coach

Kudos to Kalani. It takes a lot of guts to go for it, but he did it and it was the right decision for his football team, and it ended up helping him win.— Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State head coach

On the very next snap, Bachmeier went deep. Freshman receiver Legend Glasker ran past the Arizona State secondary and hauled in a 53-yard bomb to the Sun Devils' 31-yard line.

As soon as I lined up, I knew the ball was coming. Me and Bear, we just have a connection, I don't know how to explain it. When there is a deep post call, I know 90 percent of the time it's coming to me. I just run fast and go get the ball.— Legend Glasker, BYU wide receiver

The drive stalled again at the Arizona State six-yard line — fourth-and-4, 2:30 remaining. A field goal would have made it a two-score game. A touchdown could effectively end it. Sitake kept the offense on the field a second time. Bachmeier threw left to tight end Roger Saleapaga, who caught the ball at the five and lunged for the marker. He got it — barely again — and was hit so hard he was knocked out of the game.

Moa punched it in on the next play to make it 27-17, and BYU's defense held from there.

It was a very rewarding, long drive and we converted on conversion downs. It was a great drive.— Jake Bachmeier, BYU quarterback

The win moves BYU to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in Big 12 play, keeping the Cougars in the conference championship race. It also extended their winning streak on Halloween to nine straight games.

Glasker finished with four receptions for 87 yards and 14 rushing yards Saturday. According to the Deseret News, that performance makes him just the fifth true freshman in Big 12 history to accumulate 600 receiving yards and 100 rushing yards in a season.

Why it matters — Two back-to-back fourth-down conversions deep in BYU's own territory kept the Cougars unbeaten at home and alive in the Big 12 Championship race with half the conference season still to play.

⚠ Based on a single source (deseret.com). Independently unverified — details may change.

Reported by deseret.com