BYU 41-19 Arizona (Oct. 12, 2024) Game Recap

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Jake Retzlaff passed for 218 yards and two touchdowns and No. 14 BYU forced four turnovers in a 41-19 win over Arizona on Saturday.

Darius Lassiter had 86 yards on five catches and Parker Kingston caught a touchdown pass and threw a score on a trick play for BYU. The Cougars (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) are off to their best start since 2020.

Noah Fifita threw for 275 yards and a touchdown to lead Arizona. But he threw three interceptions and lost a fumble. Tetairoa McMillan had 78 yards on five catches for the Wildcats.

Arizona (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) has lost four straight games in the series with BYU.

Arizona turned the ball over twice in the first three plays of the second half.

BYU's Jakob Robinson hit the ball to himself and intercepted it, allowing Chase Roberts a 9-yard touchdown catch. Then Harrison Taggart recovered a fumble when Isaiah Glasker stripped Fifita on a sack. This led to a 33-yard field goal by Will Ferrin, extending BYU's lead to 24-7 less than two minutes into the third.

LJ Martin scored on a 1-yard run and Glasker had a 21-yard interception return in the fourth quarter, sealing the win for the Cougars.

For the second week in a row, Arizona managed a fourth down stop on its opponent's first drive. After Retzlaff threw away a fourth down pass at the Arizona 5, the Wildcats scored 95 yards. McMillan's wide-open 39-yard catch on the flat set up Montana Lemonious-Craig for a 14-yard scoring drive that made it 7-0.

Another fourth down gamble paid off for BYU on its second drive. Martin took a pitch and ran 15 yards on fourth down to put the Cougars in the red zone. Kingston made a 20-yard catch one play later, tying the score at 7.

BYU took a 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter when Kingston threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Martin. Tanner Wall started the scoring when he intercepted a pass from Fifita at the BYU 1.

THE TAKEAWAY

Arizona: After a strong opening attack, the Wildcats slowly resolved their disappointment on offense. Arizona struggled to finish drives and coughed up turnovers deep in its own territory, squandering the chance for another road upset over an AP Top 25 opponent.

BYU: An opportunistic defense turned the momentum in the Cougars' favor after the first quarter. BYU scored 24 points on four takeaways to break open a close game. The Cougars intercepted 10 passes in six games and had at least three takeaways in a game for the third time this season.

IMPLICATIONS ON THE SURVEY

BYU could move up in the AP Top 25 poll after another dominant home win.

NEXT

Arizona: Host Colorado on Saturday.

BYU: Host Oklahoma State on Friday.

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