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The BYU football team beat Big 12 rival Arizona in overtime, 33-27. Controversy in the final minutes of regulation has many on the losing end peeved.
The Cougars appeared to be rewarded with an unearned first down on a game-tying touchdown drive. The Wildcats believe they should’ve had an opportunity to end the contest.
The game was full of drama, seeing scoring bursts from each team. BYU jumped out to a 14-0 lead before Arizona stormed back with 24 straight points.
The Cougars then erased a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to tie the matchup and force overtime.
Did BYU football have help?
Arizona fans have pointed to a late game sequence that claims so. They say the Cougars were awarded a first down on a third-down fumble that was recovered by their offense deep in the redzone.
BYU running back LJ Martin popped a 13-yard run with just over a minute left in play to set his team up with a fresh set of downs at the 14-yard line.
The ball was set at the 14-yard line. The chains were not.
Officials were slow to get to the line of scrimmage as the Cougars hurried to run another play. It appears the chain gang set up at the 16-yard line, which would put the line to gain at the Arizona six-yard line (as opposed to the four-yard line).
Now, fast forward to third down. BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier fumbled after being hit by a Wildcats defender. An offensive lineman jumped on the ball for a recovery. It was spotted between the four and five-yard lines.
The yellow line to gain seen on television suggested that the ball was clearly short of a first down. Referees moved the sticks to give the Cougars a first-and-goal.
Here is the series as it happened.
1st down – ball spotted at 14, chains not set before ball snapped.
2nd down – chains were set from the 16 to the 6, instead of 14 to 4
3rd down – ball spotted between the 4 & 5 yardline https://t.co/aYCrFy7x8U pic.twitter.com/EffqSHvXrW
— Blair Willis (@BlairWillisUA) October 12, 2025
The Cougars won the game.
BYU would score a few plays later to tie the score. Arizona did not have a chance to stop the Cougars on a potentially decisive fourth-and-short.
This play was not the reason the Wildcats lost. They had an opportunity to close the game out on offense the possession prior but went three-and-out.
There is also no guarantee the Cougars would not have picked up the first down on fourth-and-inches. Still, Arizona should’ve been granted a chance to make a play.
The two sides would both kick field goals in the first overtime session before BYU won the game in overtime No. 2. The Cougars remained undefeated, moving to 6-0.
Arizona, meanwhile, just missed out on a major upset. They fell to 4-2 on the season and 1-2 in conference play.