Arizona loses 33-27 in double-overtime heartbreaker to No. 18 BYU

TUCSON – The Wildcats went toe-to-toe with one of Big 12 and nation’s best teams in No. 18 BYU. After 14-0 deficit early in the first quarter, Arizona weathered the storm, quite literally, but couldn’t complete the comeback, giving up it’s 24-14 lead to No. 18 BYU before falling 33-27 in double-overtime.

After winning the toss and electing to defer, Arizona began the game on the defensive side of the ball. With defensive end Tre Smith out for the season, Malachi Bailey and linebacker Riley Wilson lined up on the edges, bringing some heat to true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier and forcing a three and out. On the Cougars second drive of the game, the defense gave up two short third down conversions, leading to a 28-yard touchdown run by running back LJ Martin. Arizona trailed 7-0 with 8:55 in the first quarter.

Arizona looked to respond on its second drive of the game with nine-yard reception and 17-yard run by Kris Hutson and Kedrick Reescano, but the Wildcats’ drive stalled from there, resulting in a punt at midfield. But Issac Louison’s punt that pinned BYU back at its own six yard line didn’t matter. Four plays into the drive, Bear Bachmeier connected with wide receiver Parker Kingston for a 75-yard touchdown, the first passing touchdown allowed by Arizona’s defense this season, giving No. 18 BYU a 14-0 lead with 4:15 left in the first quarter.

Wildcats rally before weather delay

Arizona was able to put something together before the quarter ended though. Noah Fifita connected with wide receiver Kris Hutson three times for 42 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown reception, cutting BYU’s lead in half and bringing the score to 14-7 with 32 seconds left in the first. With that touchdown, Noah Fifita passed Khalil Tate for third on Arizona’s all-time passing touchdown list. But minutes later, lightning strikes sent the game into a weather delay, the second of the season after the two-hour delay prior to the start of the Weber State game.

The weather delayed held for roughly 75 minutes as fans hid from the inclement weather under concourses and coverings at Arizona Stadium, with playing resuming around 7:05 PM MST. BYU looked to generate some momentum out of the delay, but failed to convert a fake punt on 4th and nine at its own 38 yard line after Dalton Johnson was blocked into the punter three yards short. The Wildcats got another gift after BYU defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa was ejected for targeting, before the drive ultimately stalled. After a Noah Fifita fourth down conversion gave Arizona the ball at the six yard line, the Wildcats threw three-straight incompletions, settling for a 24-yard Michael Salgado-Medina field goal to make the score 14-10 with 9:32 remaining in the second quarter.

Arizona takes the lead

With under three minutes left in the first half, BYU kicker Will Ferrin missed a 42-yard field goal wide left, giving Arizona the ball back at its own 24 yard line with all three timeouts. Arizona executed a perfect two-minute drill, marching 76 yards down the field in eight plays, with Noah Fifita throwing a 35-yard touchdown on a rope to wide receiver Chris Hunter to give the Wildcats a 17-14 lead with 40 seconds remaining in the first half.

With 40 seconds left, BYU looked to score one more time before heading into the locker room, but veteran defensive back Treydan Stukes jumped a pass for his second interception of the season, holding onto Arizona’s three-point lead at halftime. It was also Bear Bachmeier’s second interception of the season.

The Wildcats finished the first half with 198 yards, including 118 yards through the air and 80 on the ground. Seth Doege’s group went just 1-6 on third down, but converted both fourth down attempts. BYU was a little more efficient, heading to halftime with 249 yards, including 113-yard first half performance by running back LJ Martin.

Arizona’s first drive of the second half was a grinder. Arizona got behind the sticks early after a chop block by running back Quincy Craig and center Ka’ena Decambra, before BYU’s second roughing the passer penalty of the game moved the Wildcats just outside the red zone. A BYU offsides call on 4th and 1 kept things alive a little longer, but Arizona’s 14-play, 71-yard that chewed up nearly eight minutes stalled with a Noah Fifita interception at the four yard line on fourth down.

Defense leads to offense for the Cats

BYU and Arizona traded three and outs on the following drives. On the next BYU possession, a wild snap led to an interception for Dalton Johnson in the final seconds of the third quarter. It was Dalton Johnson’s first interception since the 2023 Territorial Cup, and marked the first multi-interception game of Bear Bachmeier’s career. The Wildcats capitalized on the Cougars’ mistake, marching down the field on a 10-play, 74-yard drive that resulted in a 36-yard touchdown run by Kedrick Reescano on 4th and inches to take a 24-14 lead with 11:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The following BYU drive took over seven minutes, as the Cougars converted two third downs and a fourth down on the way to a 24-yard field goal by kicker Will Ferrin, cutting Arizona’s lead to 24-17 with 4:08 remaining in the game. BYU came with some trickery on the ensuing kickoff, but wide receiver Tre Spivey, who was in for his first special teams snap of the season, fell on the squib kick, giving the Arizona the ball at its own 26 yard line with 4:08 to go.

Heading to overtime

BYU’s final drive executed to perfection, but not without some controversy. On third and four at the Arizona eight yard line, Bear Bachmeier fumbled the football forward. It was recovered by BYU, and the Cougars were awarded a first down. There are no advancement rules inside two minutes in college football, so the play was legal by rule, but it certainly raised some questions, including where the ball was spotted. The Cougars went 47 yards in 11 plays, as quarterback Bear Bachmeier scrambles for a two-yard touchdown run with 19 seconds remaining. BYU elected to kick a PAT, and with two timeouts remaining, Arizona took a knee to send the game to overtime. It’s the first Arizona game to go to overtime since 2023 at USC, and the first in Tucson since 2016 against Washington.

In overtime, BYU won the toss and elected to start on defense first. The Wildcats gashed BYU with three straight runs, but Kedrick Rescano’s nine-yard touchdown came off the board after a holding call on left guard Chubba Maae. Arizona settled for a 23-yard field, and BYU responded with a 45-yard kick of its own, sending the game to double-overtime.

In double-overtime, BYU began with the ball. The Cougars kept it on the ground for five-straight players, before Bear Bachmeier punched it from seven yards out. The two-point conversion, which teams must attempt in double-overtime, was no good keeping the door open for the Wildcats. But Arizona couldn’t rally to win the game. On the final play of the game, with the Wildcats staring down a 4th and six from the BYU 10, Javin “Nunu” Whatley couldn’t haul in a back shoulder fade in the end zone to keep the game alive. With the heartbreaking loss, Arizona drops to 4-2 on the season and 1-2 in conference play.

The Wildcats head to Houston (5-2, 2-1) on Saturday, October 18, for a 9:00 AM MST kickoff on FS1.