TheArizona State football team kept its Big 12 Conference title hopes alive with a thrilling 28-23 win over BYU at Mountain America Stadium before a capacity crowd Saturday.
Arizona State beat Kansas State last week, 24-14. BYU lost to Kansas, 17-13.
ASU football is now 9-2 overall and 6-2 in Big 12 play. BYU is 9-2 overall and 6-2 in conference play.
The Sun Devils now hold a 21-8 all-time series edge and snapped BYU's three-game winning streak in the series. This was their first meeting as Big 12 Conference rivals.
Read our full-game recap with the updates below.
BYU Hail Mary falls short, Sun Devils win
BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff did all he could, throwing a long Hail Mary attempt with one second remaining. It didn't cash in, though, and the ASU home crowd surged onto the field -- for a second time -- in celebration.
Javan Robinson picked off a Retzlaff pass and returned it to the BYU 7-yard line.
The Sun Devils then killed all but one second on their possession, setting up the Retzlaff last-gasp attempt.
BYU scores, makes it 28-23
BYU is back in this. After trailing by as much as 28-9 in the second half, BYU has clawed its way back into this game following a 1-yard run from Keelan Marion. That is Marion's second TD this game on a jet sweep run.
It was a 9-play, 88-yard scoring drive from the Cougars that took just 3:44 off the clock. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful.
Score: ASU 28, BYU 23 (8:44 left in the fourth quarter)
ASU punts, BYU gets ball back to cut it to one-score game
For the first time today, ASU was forced to punt. Kanyon Floyd had been on the sidelines all afternoon.
With 12:28 left in the fourth quarter and the ball at its own 12-yard line, BYU has the chance to make this a one-score ball game.
BYU answers with a quick TD of its own
After the quick score from ASU, BYU came back with a fast drive. Jake Retzlaff hit Jojo Phillips for a 21-yard TD pass. It was a 4-play, 73-yard drive that only took 1:17. The two-point conversion was successful.
Score: ASU 28, BYU 17 (43 seconds left in the third quarter)
Bang, boom! Leavitt hits Xavier Guillory in stride for a 61-yard TD
Just like that, the ASU offense answered immediately with a two-play scoring drive. After Cam Skattebo's 14-yard run to start the drive, the Sun Devils went no huddle and Leavitt connected with Guillory, who did the rest. ASU went 75 yards in 43 seconds.
A big play at the exact time that ASU needed it.
Score: ASU 28, BYU 9 (2:06 left in the third quarter)
BYU cuts into ASU's lead, makes it 21-9
Following the key goal line stop, BYU went all way the down and scored on a 10-yard run from Keelan Marion. It was an impressive drive from the Cougars, who went 96 yards on 12 plays that took 5:29. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful for BYU.
Score: ASU 21, BYU 9 (2:49 left in the third quarter)
BYU defense stops ASU at the goal line
After getting down to the 4-yard line, the ASU offense was stopped on 4th down following an incompletion from Sam Leavitt to start the second half. BYU takes over deep in its own terrority with 8:18 left in the third quarter.
ASU up big on BYU at halftime, leads 21-3
BYU was able to put together its best drive of the game to end the first half, scoring on a 49-yard field goal from Will Ferrin. But overall, the BYU offense is struggling against the ASU defense.
The Cougars have just 18 rushing yards at halftime. Retzlaff is 8 of 15 passing for 89 yards and 1 INT. BYU has 114 total yards of offense. The Sun Devils have four tackles for loss.
ASU's running game has been stellar with Cam Skattebo at 96 yards and 3 TDs on 16 carries. Leavitt is 6 for 11 passing for 96 yards while Jordyn Tyson has 5 receptions for 81 yards.
Halftime score: ASU 21, BYU 3
The "Middle Eight," again
A philosophy popularized by coach Bill Belichick, the term refers to the last four minutes of the first half and the first four of the second half. Kenny Dillingham and his team have embraced this philosophy, attacking this area of the game each week.
The goal is to score before getting the ball back in the second half. And it happened again as Skattebo scored his third touchdown of the game on a 3rd and 1, taking the ball 23 yards to go up 21-0. Skattebo earned a 15-yard penalty for signing fan's ball after the touchdown run.
ASU is in control of this game.
Score:Arizona State 21, BYU 0 (1:53 left in the second quarter)
The trickery works
ASU coach Kenny Dillingham dived deep into bag of tricks and called a surprise onside kick after scoring to go up 14-0. It was a short kick aimed at the front row and it caught BYU off guard. Plas Johnson came up with the fumble recovery. It's the first successful onside kick for ASU since 2017. A brilliant move from a coach who senses a momentum shift.
Arizona State takes over at the 50-yard line with 4:28 left in the second quarter with a chance to extend the lead to 21-0.
ASU builds on lead with another TD from Cam Skattebo
Skattebo finishes off the long drive with a 4-yard touchdown run, his second of the game. The Sun Devils, who started at their 5-yard line, got into the red zone on a massive 54-yard reception by Jordyn Tyson. It was a 12-play, 95-yard drive that took 6:50.
Score:Arizona State 14, BYU 0 (4:29 left in the second quarter)
Defense comes up big again, forces a punt
Following the interception from ASU, the BYU offense wasn't able to do much. The Cougars only gained 19 yards on 7 plays and were forced to punt. ASU takes over at its own 5-yard line at the 11:19 mark in the second quarter.
Déjà vu as BYU comes up with a tipped pass for an interception
Just after BYU turned the ball over on a tipped pass, ASU did as well. Sam Leavitt's pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Tanner Wall. It is Leavitt's first turnover in the past three games. BYU takes over at its own 35-yard line with 14:49 left in the second quarter. The Cougars came in tied at the top of the NCAA interceptions list.
Tip drill! ASU gets the interception
Just like last week against Kansas State, the ASU defense comes up a tipped interception. Defensive end Prince Dorbah tipped BYU's Jake Retzlaff's pass at the line of scrimmage and linebacker Jordan Crook came up with the interception. Last week, Shamari Simmons tipped the pass and it was caught by Xavion Alford.
ASU takes over at its 35-yard line with 2:22 left in the first quarter.
ASU capitalizes on prime field position, scores to go up early
After getting the ball near midfield, the Sun Devils quickly marched down the field to establish an early 7-0 lead on 3-yard run by Cam Skattebo. A big run by Skattebo started the drive, who had 7 carries for 44 yards. The touchdown builds on a trend for ASU this season, which has been tremendous on drives to start games.
It was a 10-play, 54-yard scoring drive that took 4:48. An ideal way to begin for the Sun Devils.
Score:Arizona State 7, BYU 0 (6:41 left in first quarter)
ASU forces a turnover on downs on BYU's first drive
Sun Devil defense comes out hot, forces a turnover on downs from the BYU offense to open the game. The defense held firm after an offsides penalty and giving up a third down conversion. ASU takes over at its own 46-yard line.
ASU vs BYU game airing on ESPN
The game is now airing on ESPN. ASU won the toss and deferred to the second half.
Ticket prices remain high
Despite the sellout, ASU-BYU tickets can be found on the secondary market on sites such as StubHub and SeatGeek.
Those seats continued to be a pricey option, however.
A few minutes before kickoff on SeatGeek, the least expensive price for one ticket for the game was $266, including fees, while a pair were running $281 each.
Contract extensions for Marcus Arroyo, Brian Ward
The day got off to a great start for the ASU football program. ASU offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo and defensive coordinator Brian Ward have each been given three-year contract extensions, athletic director Graham Rossini confirmed to The Arizona Republic.
"We have been working on this," Rossini told The Republic. "Everybody is all in. The administration and Dr. Crow are all in, boosters are all in. The community is behind this. We've been working on building a war chest to get this done. This is an important step for everybody to see the commitment to this program."
With the Sun Devils in the middle of the best season in recent memory, the extensions signal a serious intent from school officials to keep building up the football program.
What's at stake in ASU football vs BYU game today
What's at stake today in Tempe?
Everything.
This is essentially an elimination game for ASU. A loss would knock the Sun Devils out of the Big 12 Conference championship hunt, and thus end their hopes of making the College Football Playoff.
ASU (8-2 overall, 5-2 Big 12) is tied for third in the conference. BYU (9-1, 6-1) sits atop the Big 12.
Colorado (8-2, 6-1) is second in the Big 12. Colorado plays Kansas today, who beat BYU last week. Iowa State (8-2, 5-2) is tied with ASU. The Cyclones take on Utah today.
ASU ends the regular season next week on the road against Arizona in the Territorial Cup. BYU hosts Houston next week.
This is the biggest game for ASU in a decade.
Uniforms: What ASU, BYU are wearing today
The Sun Devils are wearing their maroon jerseys with yellow pants. The helmet is a throwback with Sparky as the main logo and a white face mask. It's the first time since 1995 that ASU has worn this helmet, according to ASU Uniformity.
BYU is sporting its classic look with their road white uniforms with blue pants.
Desmond Howard, College GameDay highlight ASU
After ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard questioned why the College GameDay crew was being asked to give picks on ASU's game against Kansas State, his tune was much different this week.
"Last week," Howard said, "when we did the picks, I jokingly talked about 'Why are we picking Arizona State versus Kansas State?' Boy did I find out how great Arizona State is ... they had two losses but they were off everybody's radar."
Even the living legend that is Nick Saban — who won seven national titles as a coach — chimed in as well, heaping praise on coach Kenny Dillingham and his motto "Activate the Valley."
"When your team buys into something like Coach Dillingham said, 'Activate the Valley' ... that reminds me of our team last year," Saban said. "That became a rallying cry. 'Activate the Valley' is kinda their rallying cry, and when teams come in ... you never know what can happen."
Watch BYU vs ASU football live on FUBO (free trial)
How to watch ASU football vs BYU game
The game can be seen at 1:30 p.m. MST time on ESPN.
Dave Pasch (play-by-play) and Dusty Dvoracek (analyst) are scheduled to be the announcers for the Big 12 Conference game.
Arizona State vs BYU tickets:Prices surging for Big 12 college football game Saturday
Arizona State vs BYU football game odds
ASU is a 3-point favorite over BYU in college football Week 13 odds for the game,according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
The Sun Devils are -160 on the moneyline. The Cougars are +135.
The over/under for the game is set at 48.5 points.
Whop wins game?Arizona State vs BYU picks, predictions, odds
BYU vs ASU football predictions
ESPN gives Arizona State a 55.8% chance to defeat BYU football in the Week 13 college football game today.
Other sites' Big 12 picks and predictions for the contest think that it will be a close game between the Sun Devils and Cougars.
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Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, ASU and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@gannett.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@LSscribe.
