No. 14 BYU’s comeback attempt against No. 21 Arizona State failed in a 28-23 loss that saw Sun Devils fans prematurely rush the field in a chaotic scene.
At the end of the fourth quarter, Arizona State fans poured out of the stands and stadium workers took down the goal posts at Mountain American Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., after the Sun Devils’ final play of the game. Players and coaches pleaded with fans to clear the field as officials reviewed the last play — an incomplete pass by Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt on fourth-and-goal at BYU’s 49-yard line as the game clock seemingly expired.
The referees ultimately put one second back on the clock, giving BYU possession of the ball and requiring the goal posts to go back up.
Arizona State fans prematurely rushed the field and took down the goal post with one second left in the game 😬 pic.twitter.com/yRENXDqcVb
— ESPN (@espn) November 24, 2024
The game resumed after a 13-minute delay only to see BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff’s Hail Mary attempt be caught by wide receiver Chase Roberts short of the end zone.
ASU fans rushed the field again, causing further chaos as BYU quickly headed to the locker room.
“I love going into details on things. I’m not going to go into the details on that one,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said. “We won the football game. We beat another ranked team in Mountain America Stadium. … It doesn’t matter. Whatever happened at the end, it happened.
“You know what? We got to rush the field twice. How about that?”
Arizona State held a 21-3 lead at halftime but couldn’t slow down BYU’s offense for most of the second half. The Cougars scored three consecutive touchdowns to cut down the Sun Devils’ lead early in the fourth quarter.
With 1:04 on the clock, ASU defensive back Javan Robinson intercepted a pass by Retzlaff and returned it 64 yards to BYU’s 7-yard line. The Cougars’ defense eventually pushed the Sun Devils back to the 49-yard line. Ahead of ASU’s final possession, a message on the stadium scoreboard appeared, saying, “Entering the playing surface at any time is strictly prohibited.”
Fans ignored the warning and rushed the field after ASU’s final play, despite the scoreboard message switching to say the play was under review and the PA announcer asking everyone to return to the stands. BYU’s sideline was roped off from fans during the confusion but that didn’t deter ASU fans from taunting the Cougars.
BYU coach Kalani Sitake said he was told there would not be an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Arizona State for the field storm.
He said the officiating crew was “awesome,” and he didn’t think the game was lost in that moment.
“I hate getting mad at the fans,” Sitake said. “They’re so excited to get the win. All we heard is that there might be one second. … They eventually cleared it and we were able to get that one play. I understand the fan’s excitement and energy, and it’s OK.”
With Saturday’s win, Arizona State improved to 9-2 and BYU fell to 9-2. They join Colorado and Iowa State in a four-way tie at the top of the Big 12 standings.
(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
