Final: No. 23 BYU stays unbeaten with 27-17 victory over No. 19 Arizona State

The Deseret News is providing live coverage from tonight’s game between BYU and Arizona State. Follow along for updates throughout the night.

Final

BYU 27, Arizona State 17

No. 23 BYU found the perfect time to punch in its only second-half score Saturday against No. 19 Arizona State at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

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Facing a third-and-goal with a slim 21-17 lead, backup quarterback Baylor Romney found Isaac Rex for a 3-yard touchdown with 1:19 to play, giving the Cougars the 28-17 win.

It turned into a grind-it-out game in the second half, as both teams relied on their rushing attacks to power their offenses.

The Cougars are hoping a late-game injury won’t be a long-term issue — starting quarterback Jaren Hall converted a key first down with 2:35 to play with a 13-yard run down to the Arizona State 4. Hall stayed on the field briefly after taking a hit from a trio of defenders before walking off the field, and he was replaced by Romney.

That led to the gutsy pass call for a touchdown from Romney to Rex, when BYU could have kept the ball on the ground to wind down the clock with ASU out of timeouts.

The gamble paid off, though, and the Sun Devils couldn’t trim their deficit any further in the final minute.

In a game where ASU outgained BYU in total yards 426 to 361, the Cougars benefitting from forcing the Sun Devils into four turnovers, while BYU had two of its own.

Arizona State also hurt itself throughout the night with penalties, finishing with 16 that cost them 121 yards.

Hall completed 15 of 27 passes for 214 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, while Sun Devils quarterback Jayden Daniels completed 21 of 29 passes for 265 yards and two interceptions.

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End of 3rd quarter

BYU 21, Arizona State 17

The Cougars and Sun Devils are in a tight one going into the final period.

Arizona State turned its two possessions in the quarter into a touchdown and a field goal — a 10-yard Daniyel Ngata run and a 40-yard Cristian Zendejas kick. BYU, meanwhile, had to punt on its first two drives of the half.

Ngata sparked the Sun Devils offense in the quarter, as he rushed for 82 yards on eight carries in the third.

BYU’s Jaren Hall threw his second interception of the game late in the third quarter, to Merlin Robertson, but Tyler Allgeier made the play of the night so far, tracking down Robertson after a 60-yard return and forcing a fumble. Hall recovered the ball, giving BYU the ball back at its 15.

Still, the Cougars need to find their rhythm on offense again to stay ahead.

Halftime

BYU 21, Arizona State 7

The Cougars have taken control of this game after a 14-point second quarter.

BYU capped a six-play, 83-yard drive with a 34-yard touchdown pass from Jaren Hall to Gunner Romney on a trick play to take a 14-7 lead. The Cougars then scored on their next drive, going 74 yards on eight plays before Isaac Rex caught a 14-yard touchdown to make it a two-score game.

The Cougars had 191 yards of total offense in the second quarter to 63 for Arizona State. Hall has completed 9 of 16 passes for 174 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the final 20 seconds of the half, while the Sun Devils’ Jayden Daniels has completed 13 of 18 passes for 176 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

End of 1st quarter

BYU 7, Arizona State 7

Arizona State has moved the ball more, but it’s 7-7 after one quarter in Provo.

BYU scored first on a Tyler Allgeier 4-yard run after ASU fumbled on the opening kickoff. The Sun Devils responded with a 75-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard Rachaad White touchdown run.

The Sun Devils have dominated statistically, though, with 137 yards to 12 for BYU. ASU quarterback Jayden Daniels has completed 7 of 8 passes for 110 yards.

Pregame prep

Here are a few stories to get you ready for the game: