BYU uses its unique ticket to punch Arizona, get bowl-eligible

Still perfect.

Bowl-bound.

Ranked and cruising.

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No. 14 BYU used a familiar calling card in dispatching Utah-killer Arizona 41-19 on a sun-drenched Saturday homecoming at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

The script?

Same as the K-State and Baylor wins for the 6-0 Cougars.

Deliver a lightning-quick flurry of big plays that rock foes into submission. Get short fields because of defensive plays and get points.

BYU scored 24 unanswered points against Arizona, 10 of which came in under two minutes, including a touchdown in 10 seconds after kicking off to the Wildcats to start the second half.

BYU led Arizona 24-7 barely into the third quarter after taking a 14-7 lead into the locker room at halftime.

That’s kind of nuts.

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Arizona ran three plays to start the second half and BYU forced two turnovers that led to 10 points.

Nickel back Jakob Robinson tipped a Noah Fifita pass to himself to set up a 9-yard Chase Roberts touchdown catch from Jake Retzlaff.

Then Fif ita fumbled when Cougar linebacker Isaiah Glasker poked the ball out of his hands, and Harrison Taggart recovered to set up a 33-yard field goal by Will Ferrin. Bam. In seconds, BYU stole the game’s momentum, put it in a safe and spun the dial.

The rest was just dressing.

This win elevated Kalani Sitake’s team to 6-0, the first such start since 2020’s COVID year record that climbed to 9-0 before BYU lost to Coastal Carolina in a wacky decision to play within days of kickoff.

It’s the sixth 6-0 start in school history and the second such season windup at 6-0 in the Sitake era. The other 6-0 starts came in 2008, 2001, 1984 and 1979.

BYU’s defense held one of the nation’s top receivers, Tetairoa McMillan, to 5 catches for 78 yards and no touchdowns. McMillan got 39 yards on one catch. BYU faced 52 passes from Fifita, picked him off three times and allowed just 1 TD.

BYU’s offense, starting third-string center Bruce Mitchell, allowed zero sacks and set up a 147-yard rushing attack.

It just might be time for critics of Sitake to go to the back of the bus. He’s had folks yapping at his heels his entire time in Provo. He’s not this, he can’t do this, he blinks too much, he has to look at film to comment, yada, yada, sickening yada.

Fact is, Sitake has assembled a gritty, deeply talented, hard-fighting, physical team led by an intelligent staff that loves to ball out. His players love him. His culture has elevated his players to be a contender in the Big 12 in just two seasons.

His team has a brand established in 2024. It looks pretty shiny. Sitake has opened his heart out to BYU players and fans. He deserves loyalty in return.

They can rip the heart out of opponents with huge plays on both sides of the line. His defense is Top 25. His offense is good enough. Sitake’s players love him just like he felt the love of the late LaVell Edwards, and it’s paying dividends on the field.

Edwards would be proud. He’s got former players rising to the top. Steve Sarkisian has Texas No. 1 in the country. Andy Reid has the Kansas City Chiefs winning Super Bowls and the rest of the NFL chasing him.

This win over Arizona was a watershed moment for BYU football as a P4 program. It was a must-get.

When Glasker intercepted Fifita with a minute to play, a dramatic pick-six, it was BYU’s third interception off the Big 12 returning star QB and a big time exclamation point.

It’s time Sitake’s critics step back a few steps in the shadows and let a fired-up fanbase enjoy something unique, perhaps even special. BYU is a very good football team on a roll.

It brings back memories of the late ’70s, ’80s and highlight-filled ’90s, but none of those teams played a schedule like this. Not one of them, and that makes the 6-0 start as good as anything anyone has seen in Provo, maybe ever.

BYU is atop the Big 12 standings. The other contenders — Texas Tech, Iowa State, Colorado and West Virginia — are not on BYU’s schedule

After today, the Cougars have as good a chance as any to be in the league championship game in Arlington. You don’t just luck out getting the turnovers and momentum-changing plays this Cougar team is getting this season. It’s skill and talent.

“These guys work hard. We have a great culture and the boys have taken over this team with great leadership,” Sitake told a national TV audience afterward, right before praising his assistant coaches.

“Great things happen when you just do your job,” Sitake concluded.