No. 8 BYU held off Arizona State 27-20 on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah, closing out a tense Big 12 win with a fourth-quarter shutout and a late scoring drive that kept the Cougars firmly in the conference race. Bear Bachmeier threw for 236 yards and a touchdown, and Sione Moa scored twice, including the sealing one-yard run with 2:09 left, as BYU improved to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Big 12.
Arizona State's first career start for quarterback Jake Fette began badly. He fumbled on the third play of the Sun Devils' opening drive, and BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker recovered at the Sun Devil 29, setting up the Cougars' first touchdown. The opening score itself arrived in unusual fashion: Bachmeier fumbled the snap inside the Arizona State one-yard line, and Moa scooped up the loose ball and crossed the goal line to put BYU ahead 7-0.
BYU extended its lead before halftime when Bachmeier threaded a pass through traffic to Kyler Kasper for a 13-yard touchdown, making it 17-3. Arizona State, however, refused to fold. After halftime, Fette threw two third-quarter touchdown passes — a 20-yard strike to Omarion Miller and a one-yard scoring catch by Anthony Miller Jr. — to tie the game at 17-17. The second scoring drive was set up when Adrian Wilson recovered a fumble by Kyler Kasper at the BYU 39.
The fourth quarter belonged to BYU. Matthias Dunn kicked a 45-yard field goal to put the Cougars ahead for good, and after Bachmeier converted two fourth downs to keep the decisive drive alive, Moa punched the ball in from a yard out with 2:09 remaining. Arizona State added a late field goal to close within 27-20, but BYU recovered the onside-kick attempt and ran out the clock, shutting out the Sun Devils in the final quarter.
BYU entered the game ranked eighth nationally, carrying one of the strongest starts in the Big 12, while Arizona State arrived in Provo having already lost three times this season to top-10 opponents on the road. The Sun Devils' record in those games told the story of a team competitive enough to threaten ranked hosts but still searching for a breakthrough win away from Tempe.
The Cougars' defence set the tone early, registering six sacks and forcing a turnover before halftime, according to the Associated Press account of the game. That early pressure helped BYU weather an inconsistent second half on offence, when Arizona State's comeback briefly flipped the momentum. Cardae Mack led Arizona State with 170 all-purpose yards, including 123 on the ground, giving the Sun Devils a reliable outlet when the passing game struggled.
Fette's afternoon illustrated Arizona State's uneven day. The young quarterback threw for 166 yards and two touchdowns, but his early fumble and a passing attack that the Associated Press described as lacking consistency left the offence one-dimensional at key moments. BYU, by contrast, found just enough from Bachmeier in the decisive moments, even though the Cougars' own offence stalled for long stretches after halftime.
The game's most debated moment came on its very first touchdown. After Bachmeier fumbled at the Arizona State one-yard line, officials reviewed the play and awarded Moa a touchdown for recovering the fumble in the end zone. The ruling drew immediate scrutiny: Fox Sports rules analyst Mike Pereira disagreed with the call, arguing that, under the rules as he read them, BYU could not advance the fumble for a touchdown and that the original ruling that forward progress had stopped would also have prevented the score.
The controversy did not decide the game on its own — BYU still had to survive Arizona State's second-half comeback and execute the late sealing drive — but it shaped the early narrative and gave Arizona State a grievance to carry into the rest of the afternoon. For BYU, the sequence was a reminder of how fine the margins are in a conference race where a single disputed call can swing a game's opening momentum.
The Associated Press takeaway from the game was blunt about Arizona State's problem: a lack of a consistent passing game made the Sun Devils' offence one-dimensional and kept them from completing a second-half comeback. On the other side, the same account credited BYU's early defensive pressure — six sacks and a forced turnover before halftime — with helping the Cougars survive their own inconsistent second half.
The officiating debate added a second layer of reaction. Pereira's on-air disagreement with the opening-touchdown ruling was widely shared after the game, and Arizona State supporters pointed to the sequence as a turning point that handed BYU an early lead it never surrendered. BYU, for its part, could point to the fourth quarter as its answer: a shutout, a go-ahead field goal and a sealing drive converted on fourth down twice.
For BYU, the win keeps the Cougars' Big 12 title hopes alive and sets up one of the most anticipated games of the season: next Saturday's Holy War at Utah, against an unbeaten Utes team that dismantled Cincinnati 49-25 on the same day. A win in Salt Lake City would put BYU in control of its conference destiny; a loss would hand Utah the inside track and leave BYU needing help.
For Arizona State, the defeat was a familiar frustration. Falling to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the Big 12, the Sun Devils have now lost a third time to a top-10 opponent on the road, and the path to a strong conference finish now runs through a home game against Colorado and a need to fix the passing consistency that stalled the comeback in Provo.
More broadly, the result tightened the Big 12 picture. Utah sits at 5-0 in conference play and 8-0 overall, with BYU one game back at 4-1. When those two teams meet next Saturday, the winner will carry a clear advantage into the final stretch of the regular season, and the loser will be left chasing.
BYU travels to Utah next Saturday for the Holy War, a rivalry game that now doubles as a Big 12 title eliminator of sorts. The Cougars will need the defensive pressure they showed early against Arizona State, and a cleaner offensive performance, against a Utah team that led Cincinnati 42-6 at halftime.
Arizona State hosts Colorado next Saturday, a game the Sun Devils need to steady their season and keep their bowl hopes on track. Fette's development will be central: the flashes in the third quarter against BYU showed what the offence can be, but the early fumble and the inconsistent passing game showed what still needs work.
The first College Football Playoff rankings are also due on Tuesday evening, and BYU's position in them will be closely watched. A 7-1 record with a win over a conference rival should keep the Cougars in the conversation, but the Holy War result will do far more to define their season than any ranking this week.
No. 8 BYU beat Arizona State 27-20 on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah.
Bear Bachmeier threw for 236 yards and a touchdown, and Sione Moa scored twice, including the sealing one-yard touchdown with 2:09 left. Matthias Dunn added the go-ahead 45-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Bachmeier fumbled at the Arizona State one-yard line and Moa recovered the ball in the end zone. After review, officials awarded a touchdown, but Fox Sports rules analyst Mike Pereira disagreed, arguing BYU could not advance the fumble for a score.
BYU improved to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Big 12. Arizona State fell to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the Big 12.
BYU visits Utah next Saturday in the Holy War. Arizona State hosts Colorado next Saturday.
Related coverage on US News Pulse: Utah beats Cincinnati 49-25 to stay unbeaten, Colorado beats Kansas State 27-24 in overtime, Indiana survives Minnesota 23-16 in overtime.
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