No. 8 BYU beat Arizona State 27-20 at LaVell Edwards Stadium, and it did it with almost no running game. The Cougars averaged about 8 yards per pass attempt, roughly double Arizona State's 4, and that efficiency gap decided the game.
BYU's ground game gave it nothing, just 47 yards on 30 carries. The Cougars also lost the turnover battle, giving the ball away twice to the Sun Devils' once. They still never trailed, because every time they threw, they got more out of it than Arizona State did.
How It Happened
BYU scored first at 10:47 of the first quarter when Sione Moa recovered a fumble for a 1-yard touchdown. Matthias Dunn's kick made it 7-0, and that held through the opening quarter.
Carson Smith cut the lead to 7-3 with a 24-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Dunn answered from 28 yards at 6:22, and Bear Bachmeier found Kyler Kasper for a 13-yard touchdown with 1:55 left in the half. BYU went to the locker room up 17-3.
Arizona State owned the third quarter. Jake Fette hit Omarion Miller for a 20-yard touchdown at 6:30, then threw a 1-yard score to Anthony Miller with 1:15 left in the quarter. Smith converted both kicks, and the game was tied 17-17.
BYU retook control in the fourth. Dunn hit a 45-yard field goal at 12:08 for a 20-17 lead, and Moa added a 1-yard run with 2:09 left to push it to 27-17. Smith's 44-yard field goal with 57 seconds remaining made the final 27-20.
Key Performers
Sione Moa, BYU: 2 TD – 1 YD fumble recovery, 1 YD run
Matthias Dunn, BYU: 2 FG (28, 45 YDS), 3-3 extra points
Bear Bachmeier, BYU: 13 YD TD pass to Kyler Kasper
Jake Fette, ASU: 2 TD passes – 20 YDS to Omarion Miller, 1 YD to Anthony Miller
BYU passing: 19-30, 236 YDS, 7.9 YDS per pass
ASU passing: 22-42, 166 YDS, 4.0 YDS per pass
Moa bookended the day. He put BYU on the board in the first quarter and delivered the score that restored a two-possession lead in the final minutes.
Fette's two third-quarter touchdown throws were the reason Arizona State had a chance. The rest of the Sun Devils' passing game didn't hold up: 22 completions on 42 attempts is not enough to win on the road against a top-10 team.
What It Means
BYU moves to 7-1 and stays perfect at home at 5-0. The Cougars won this one with their kicker and their passing game, and that is a warning sign as much as a win. A ranked team averaging under 2 yards a carry has to be sharp everywhere else, and BYU was: just 2 penalties for 19 yards against Arizona State's 6 for 61.
For Arizona State, the split is the story. The Sun Devils are 3-1 at home and 0-3 on the road, now 4-4 overall. They held the ball longer, won the turnover margin and converted both fourth-down tries, and still left Provo with a loss.
The difference was the quality of their snaps. Arizona State converted 6 of 17 third downs and averaged just over 3 yards per carry, so most of its drives stalled before the end zone. Until that changes away from home, the road record will keep dragging the season back to .500.