BYU keeps fighting and uses these 3 plays to beat Cyclones

BYU has taken on the persona of a prize fighter that goes the distance. The Cougars believe that, despite taking a few punches, over the course of a 12-round fight, they will be the one standing when the bout is over.

So far through eight games, they have been right, including Saturday’s 41-27 victory at Iowa State — but it wasn’t easy.

The aggressive and well rested Cyclones landed a haymaker on the first play of the game — a 75-yard touchdown pass. The blow knocked BYU off balance and as they struggled to find their footing, the Cyclones intensified their attack — racking up 192 yards of offense and 17 points in the first quarter.

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The second quarter started a lot like the first and after back-to-back chunk plays of 28 and 24 yards, Iowa State marched deep into BYU territory and looked destined to deliver a knockout blow.

However, these Cougars had been up against the ropes before, trailing at Colorado 14-0, at Arizona 24-14, and against Utah 14-10. In each case, BYU answered with a counterpunch or two to beat all three of them.

On Saturday, they did it again. Here are the three plays that swung the fight to keep the No. 11 Cougars (8-0, 5-0) on top of the Big 12 standings.

Lutui interception

Facing first-and-10 at the Cougars’ 23, Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht stood in the pocket and fired a pass to the sideline. Up to this point, he had been flawless, but even BYU’s Logan Lutui was surprised by what happened next.

“I don’t know. The quarterback just threw it right to me,” said the defensive end from Hunter High in West Valley City. “I’m glad I was able to catch it and get that momentum for our team.”

With no one within 10 yards of him, Lutui pulled in Becht’s errant pass and returned it 15 yards to the BYU 27. The Cougars marched downfield and Will Ferrin kicked a 50-yard field goal to turn a possible 24-7 deficit into a manageable 17-10 score — and keep them back in the fight.

Alexander’s tackle

Moments after Bear Bachmeier’s 6-yard touchdown run gave BYU a 27-24 lead with 4:33 remaining in the third quarter, the Cyclones struck back. Carson Hansen took a handoff from Becht, broke through the line and started sprinting to pay dirt.

Hansen is fast, but Tre Alexander is faster.

Sixty-five yards into what Hansen thought was going to be a 75-yard touchdown run, Alexander caught him from behind. The hustle play took on extra significance when Iowa State had to settle for a field goal to tie the game instead of retaking the lead.

Botched punt return

BYU’s next possession ended with a punt and when Sam Vander Haar’s kick started bouncing around Iowa State’s 35-yard line, all the Cyclones moved away from the football — except for Beni Ngoyi.

Unaware of his proximity to the live ball, Ngoyi touched it with his foot after East High’s Kevin Doe blocked him into it and Mory Bamba jumped on it at the 33. Three plays later, Bachmeier connected with Roy High’s Parker Kingston for what became the game winning touchdown.

Honorable Mentions

Kingston’s catch: Kingston’s 27-yard touchdown grab came on third-and-four. Facing a blitzing pass rush, Bachmeier threw the ball up for his 5-foot-11 speedster with the hope he could out-leap the defender and bring it down.

“I had a slant and go and knew if I could beat the guy in front of me that it was going to be a touchdown,” said Kingston, who caught seven passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns. “I went up and made a play. I never thought I was going to (Randy) ‘Moss’ somebody and I was finally able to do it.”

Satuala’s pick-six: Iowa State’s attempt to answer Kingston’s touchdown went awry two plays later after Bountiful High’s Faletau Satuala, stepped in front of Becht’s throw toward the sideline and raced 40 yards for a touchdown.

“I just saw the ball and was like, ‘Oh yeah, this is mine!” said BYU’s leading tackler. “I got it in my hands, and it was unreal running down the sideline. The stadium went quiet and I’m thinking, ‘Wow, I’ve really got the ball right now!’ It’s pretty awesome.”

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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.