BYU football became a part of a chaotic Saturday in college football. The Cougars joined Ole Miss, Alabama, Colorado, and Texas A&M as one of the five nationally ranked teams that fell in their contests. But it’s how BYU lost to Arizona State that got the college football world talking.
Arizona State, at first, thought it had milked all the time away on a Sam Leavitt incomplete heave. Kenny Dillingham lost his temper, though, when the referees ruled there’s one second left. Jake Retzlaff of BYU threw one last desperation Hail Mary with the added second left. That pass fell short of the goal line.
That wild sequence grabbed the spotlight in the aftermath of the Sun Devils’ victory. However, there’s multiple other reasons why BYU lost in stunning fashion. Who should take blame? Time to take a dive into it.
BYU offense loses turnover battleÂ
Anytime a team loses the football more times than the other, the turnover-prone team becomes the one in most danger of losing.
The Cougars lost the ball the most. Retzlaff tossed two interceptions total — one to Jordan Crook and the other toward Javan Robinson, the latter snatching his with under two minutes to play.
Two turnovers hurt BYU last week too. Retzlaff threw a pick and Evan Johnson lost a fumble in that 17-13 upset loss to Kansas.
BYU and head coach Kalani Sitake now have ball security to address moving forward.
BYU is struggling with starting fast
The turnovers aren’t the only thing burying BYU the last two weeks. So are slow starts.
Arizona State jumped out to an impressive 21-3 lead at halftime. BYU also fell behind 7-0 after the first quarter against Kansas. Even against Utah, the Cougars fell behind 21-10 at halftime before pulling off the comeback.
This time, BYU’s latest slow start resulted in a five-point loss. BYU showed resiliency in the end, but it wasn’t enough even with the added extra second. Sitake and his staff will additionally need to address fast starts for the remainder of the season.
Cougars run defense got gashedÂ
Dillingham and ASU brought a physical offensive balance to Tempe. The Sun Devils piled 166 rushing yards on 42 carries, while adding 247 yards through the air.
But the former is most alarming for Sitake and his team. Arizona State averaged four yards a carry, with Cameron Skattebo wearing down the Cougars with 28 carries, 147 yards and scoring three times. Worse for BYU, Skattebo blew through arm tackles.
BYU came to the desert with a top 30 defensive unit. But they’ve allowed 140.6 rushing yards per game. Their flaws defending the run showed at Mountain America Stadium.
Cougars surrendered one too many big playsÂ
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Consider BYU lucky that the defense capped ASU at 28 points, plus helped mount a comeback attempt. Because this defense surrendered way too many plays that gained 20 yards or more.
Skattebo’s biggest scamper was a 23-yarder. Melquan Stovall caught a 25-yard pass from Leavitt. Leading wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (nine catches for 125 yards) racked up 54 yards on his longest reception of the afternoon. Xavier Guillory snuck behind the Cougars on his lone touch of the game — a 61-yard touchdown reception.
Missed tackles and blown coverages plagued the visitors. Meanwhile, BYU’s longest play from scrimmage on offense was a 36-yard Darius Lassiter catch. ASU simply delivered the most big plays when it had the football.
Lack of pass rush dooms BYU
Finally, here’s a major reason behind ASU racking up the big plays. Leavitt never went down for a sack.
BYU never saw any of its defenders tussle down the ASU QB while the ball was in his hands. The Cougars have struggled with delivering sacks, in general.
They only got one in the loss to Kansas. BYU even delivered zero sacks against Utah in the comeback win. The Cougars haven’t delivered multiple sacks since the Sept. 28 victory over Baylor when they grabbed three. The lack of pressure came back to haunt BYU Saturday.