The BYU Cougars’ win against Arizona was a tale of sheer last-minute magic that had everyone on the edge of their seats. Bachmeier made a gutsy 2-yard touchdown run with only 19 seconds left to tie the game and force overtime. This clutch play encapsulated everything about the Cougars’ fight. Though the Cougars snagged a 33-27 win to keep Kalani Sitake’s clean slate intact, it showed clear mistakes on the Cougars inflicting pressure. Bachmeier took the center stage during the post-game presser and made his feelings clear on the initial mistakes.

“I think we just executed and mitigated the mistakes,” Bachmeier said. “I mean, had a couple false starts in the third quarter, and nothing was really going our way. But we just kind of had each other’s backs, and credit to the boys up front again for just being really physical. And, you know, guys on the perimeter making plays.” 

The weather change soaked both teams. Arizona tried to take advantage during this stretch, collecting 24 unanswered points while BYU’s usually reliable offense sputtered with two costly interceptions. During the first pick, the Wildcats marched all the way to BYU’s five-yard line before the turnover killed their scoring chance.

The second came right after a BYU punt, as Arizona quickly pushed back into the Cougar area. Then on fourth down, Kedrick Reescano broke a few tackles and took it 36 yards to the house, stretching the Wildcats’ lead to 24–14. The weather delay made things worse as the players looked stiff and restless when play resumed. The defense was also missing some key pieces. It happened when captain defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa was ejected early in the second quarter for targeting. Also, linebacker Jack Kelly was out with an injury even before the game started. That absence showed as the defense struggled more with the Cougars remaining scoreless in the second and third quarters.

The BYU offense couldn’t find the end zone through the air. Even their usually reliable kicker, Will Ferrin, missed a crucial 42-yard field goal. Those two quarters felt like a grind where BYU had to survive the storm and wait for the comeback. Down 24-14 with just over 11 minutes left and key secondary players either ejected or injured, the magic started to unfold. First, after Bachmeier’s gutsy drive to save the game with a tie, things started to look possible for the Cougars squad.

The exhaustion showed as both teams leaned on the run-heavy game in overtime, trading field goals. But then, Bachmeier finally broke through with a 7-yard touchdown run in the second OT to take the lead. And then the BYU secondary placed the final flags. BYU cornerback Evan Johnson went one-on-one with Arizona’s Javin Whatley with everything. Johnson stuck with him to the corner of the end zone, broke up the pass out of bounds, and sealed the win for the Cougars.

Big day for Kalani Sitake

Keeping the struggles aside, it’s a big day for HC, Kalani Sitake, and BYU football. Sitake just turned 50 a couple of days back as the Cougars are cruising with a clean 6-0 record. Sitake, a former BYU running back under legendary coach LaVell Edwards, has come full circle. It’s a testament to Sitake’s leadership and the culture he’s built around BYU.

He took over in 2015 and has led BYU through transitions. The 2024 season showed a standout 11-2 record and a top-15 finish nationally. His ability to elevate BYU to national relevance. This 6-0 start reflects Sitake’s recruiting success, player development, and strategic smarts. Sophomore stars like Bear Bachmeier and LJ Martin are thriving, and the defense, even when banged up, keeps finding ways to win.