Sun Devil fans storm field prematurely, delay final play of monumental ASU-BYU football game
Nov 23, 2024, 7:36 PM | Updated: Nov 25, 2024, 9:37 am
When Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt threw an incompletion on fourth-and-goal on Saturday, Sun Devil fans erupted in jubilation thinking the clock had ran out on No. 14 BYU.
With the Mountain America Stadium field covered in maroon and gold — a goal post was uprooted by the most spirited ASU fans — officials huddled up and confirmed there was still one second left in the game. The visiting Cougars would need a miracle, but still would be alive at their own 49-yard line down 28-23.
After 14 long and confusing minutes, which left one unfortunate broken fence, every last Sun Devil fan was escorted off the field and the ASU defense had to make one last stand. BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff made the entire Valley hold its breath with a completion to Chase Roberts, but the catch was four yards short of the goal line.
The win now officially in hand, ASU faithful stormed the ground again. This time without backlash. This time the celebration could go on, and on and on.
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
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The five-point victory over new Big 12 rival BYU, arguably the most consequential in the past decade, was made extra sweet as No. 16 Colorado lost to Kansas 37-21. A Territorial Cup win over Arizona (4-7) will now nearly guarantee a Big 12 Championship Game berth for the Sun Devils who were picked dead last in the conference’s preseason poll.
Saturday was not the first time this season ASU football has had to retake the field for a final play.
In a 31-28 comeback win over Texas State on Sept. 12, coach Kenny Dillingham quoted former Seattle Seahawks great Marshawn Lynch (“Yeah, I’m only out here right now so I don’t get fined”) after the clock appeared to read all zeroes on a Leavitt kneel down.
The second-year coach was visibly frustrated this time around as well, and was not quiet about it. However, this time it came on the other side of a second consecutive win against a ranked opponent.
Senior running back Cam Skattebo more than made up for the late-game dramatics with 147 rushing yards and a career-best three rushing touchdowns on 28 carries. The herculean effort by Skattebo helped the Sun Devils win the time-of-possession battle by more than 10 minutes (35:05 to 24:55).
What @KennyDillingham said 🗣️‼️
Wait till the end 🔥#ForksUp /// #ActivateTheValley pic.twitter.com/WLLXHdFENr
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) November 24, 2024
The Sun Devils will travel to Tucson for the Territorial Cup against Arizona on Nov. 30 at 1:30 p.m. Watch the TV broadcast on FOX and listen live on 98.7 FM.
Editor’s note: This story originally said ASU would make the Big 12 Championship game with a win over Arizona. That remains the case except for one of 256 outcomes from the final week of regular season play. Read more on tiebreakers here.
