For BYU, time flies when you’re having fun

The BYU-Kansas State game took three hours and 13 minutes to complete, but the Cougars only needed 249 seconds to determine the outcome. Time flies when you are having fun and in BYU’s case, they had a blast on Saturday.

Will Ferrin’s 31-yard field goal capped a disappointing end to a 13-play, 62-yard drive, but it got BYU on the scoreboard and cut No. 13 Kansas State’s advantage to 6-3 with 2:10 remaining in the first half.

Up until that point, the favored Wildcats dictated the pace and dominated the time of possession. In fact, the only thing that appeared out of their control was the rabid consumption of those vanilla iced “white-out” Cougar Tails.

What happened next triggered a chain of events that still has thousands of eyewitnesses, many who wore purple to the game, still scratching their heads wondering if what they saw really happened?

It did.

Fifty-three seconds after Ferrin’s field goal, BYU linebacker Jack Kelly stripped the ball away from Kansas State running back DJ Giddens and freshman defensive back Tommy Prassas scooped it up and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown.

Six seconds later, defensive end Tyler Batty dropped into coverage during a zone blitz and intercepted Avery Johnson’s pass at the Kansas State 29. Twenty-three seconds after that, Jake Retzlaff threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Chase Roberts.

BYU’s 6-3 deficit turned into a 17-6 halftime lead in less time than it takes to microwave a bag of popcorn. Fans at sold-out LaVell Edwards Stadium (64,201) erupted in an explosion of emotion — and the Cougars were just getting started.

Fifty-eight seconds into the third quarter, linebacker Harrison Taggart intercepted Johnson’s pass at the Wildcats 27. It took just two plays and 53 seconds for Retzlaff to connect with Darius Lassiter for a 3-yard touchdown strike to boost BYU’s edge to 24-6.

Bewilderment. The Cougars forced three turnovers and scored 24 points in just over four minutes (4:12) — with the most jaw-dropping moment still two minutes away.

All the Big 12 preseason contenders from Manhattan, Kansas, could do was stand and stare while the home crowd stood and screamed.

Then Parker Kingston happened.

When defensive linemen Isaiah Bagnah and John Nelson tag-teamed Giddens for no gain on third-and-two, Kansas State coach Chris Klieman sent in his punter, Simon McClannan, for what would be his only kick of the game.

McClannan booted a beauty — 57 yards. Kingston retreated and tried to make an over-the-shoulder catch, but the ball deflected off his fingers and bounced toward the Wildcats end zone.

Surely Klieman was thinking, “This is just the break we needed!”

Kingston was on his own 9-yard line when he corralled the football, but his momentum demanded six more yards before the speedster from Roy High could redirect himself.

Dodging a disaster, Kingston high-stepped a defender at the three and ran sideways 40 yards before turning up field and running for 90 more, passing his head coach along the way. The improbable journey ended in the end zone in front of the ROC (student section). Kingston held up both arms in “Gladiator” fashion as if to say, “Are you not entertained?”

The turn of events hit like a tornado that wasn’t in anyone’s forecast. Kansas State (3-1, 0-1) was rolling, and their visiting fans were enjoying the September scenery and free ice cream with a 6-0 lead before Ferrin’s field goal with 2:10 remaining in the first half.

When Ferrin kicked the extra point, following Kingston’s crusade, the ice cream was long gone, and BYU was up 31-6 just five minutes into the third quarter. By the time the fire dancers took the field before the fourth, the storm and the contest were already over.

Yes, time flies when you are having fun and there was a stretch on Saturday night when BYU (4-0, 1-0) had a blast in a convincing 38-9 victory. As for the best moments in LES history? Beating No. 1 Miami in 1990 may never be topped, but Saturday night, in the Big 12 opener, certainly stands somewhere close.

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Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.