3 takeaways from BYU’s dramatic 2OT win at Arizona

Can you say “instant classic?”

BYU kept its perfect record alive in dramatic, outrageous fashion Saturday night in Tucson, orchestrating a late comeback to prevail 33-27 in double overtime.

The Cougars are now 6-0, 3-0 in the Big 12 and have clinched bowl eligibility for the eighth time under head coach Kalani Sitake.

COUGS WIN A THRILLER IN DOUBLE OVERTIME!! pic.twitter.com/gjciztglTG

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) October 12, 2025

3 takeaways

The Cougars overcame some tremendous obstacles — many of which they created themselves. Seriously, how did BYU win this game? Here’s an incomplete list of some of the turbulent moments along the way:

• The Cougars, who were already without linebacker Jack Kelly, lost another starter in safety Raider Damuni, who exited early with an injury.
• Keanu Tanuvasa was ejected for targeting in the second quarter.
• Logan Lutui was flagged for being offsides twice, including on a pivotal fourth down play.
• The Cougars fumbled all momentum following the 74-minute weather delay between the first and second quarters.
• Will Ferrin missed a field goal.
• Sam Vander Haar was stopped short on a fake punt play, giving Arizona the ball back in BYU territory.
• Defensive back Jayden Dunlap stopped running while covering receiver Chris Hunter, resulting in a 35-yard touchdown catch.
• Carsen Ryan had a pair of early drops, with Chase Roberts dropping a late third down pass as well.
• A high snap to Bear Bachmeier resulted in play breaking down and Bachmeier chucking it downfield, only to be intercepted.

There are more moments that could be listed here, but you get the picture. BYU played far from a perfect game, yet the Cougars refused to let the wheels completely fall off, remained composed and overcame it all to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

In doing so, BYU has now recorded 6-0 starts in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history. Additionally, the Cougars came back from trailing by 10 or more points in the fourth quarter to win for the first time since 2015.

BYU’s win probability was as low as 4.4% at one point. They don’t call them the “Cardiac Cougars” for nothing.

This was the sixth game since the start of 2024 wherein the Cougars won in some sort of dramatic, last second finish. You can call it luck — and BYU has certainly lost some late heartbreakers in that same span — but at some point the repeated occurrences cease to be flukey and become more of what this team truly is.

Under Sitake, BYU is tough, resilient and a handful to put away. A group like that doesn’t just roll over when circumstances appear dire. The Cougars just find ways to win, period, and that’s their best quality by far.

LJ Martin picked a great night to have a career outing. BYU’s star running back ran for a personal best 162 yards on 25 carries, averaging 6.5 yards per attempt and scoring a touchdown in the first quarter.

He was called upon more than ever before, and delivered time after time. He’s making a legitimate case to be a First Team All-Big 12 selection at running back, and his effort against the Wildcats will certainly boost such a résumé.

As a team, the Cougars ran for 258 yards at a 5.1 yard per carry average, gashing Arizona’s previously stout run defense.

Bear Bachmeier doesn’t back down. Statistically, Saturday was Bachmeier’s worst outing thus far. He completed just 12 of 29 passes (41%) and threw two interceptions, with BYU’s offense being held scoreless for a 45-minute stretch at one point.

But as we’ve learned through six weeks, Bachmeier is as tough as they come. He may make freshman mistakes here and there, but he has the poise and resolve of a grizzled veteran.

Bachmeier was given 22 carries against Arizona, with 14 coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. He didn’t panic after his two interceptions, nor did he after fumbling near the end of regulation (offensive guard Kyle Sfarcioc is an unsung hero for recovering the fumble to prevent a devastating loss).

Despite the increased physicality late by being more active in the run game, Bachmeier continued to deliver, scoring the touchdown to send the game to overtime and finding the end zone again for the eventual game-winning score.

Bachmeier struggled for much of Saturday and has plenty to clean up — but his performance in crunch time with the game on the line was incredibly admirable.