BYU Football found yet another miracle. This time it was directly tied to Bear Bachmeier's legs, not his arm. BYU remains undefeated and has back-to-back 6-0 starts to a season for the first time in school history. It was far from pretty, but they got it done.
The Cougars scored on their second and third drive before Arizona answered. Then came a stoppage: a weather delay that lasted about an hour and twelve minutes.
Arizona came out of the weather delay red hot, scoring ten points to take a 17-14 lead while keeping BYU from getting any points until the fourth quarter. This snapped a streak of 32 consecutive quarters with a score, which was the longest in FBS. Arizona ended up scoring seven more points in the fourth quarter, making it 24-14. BYU looked out of it, but Bear Bachmeier had something to say about that.
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BYU forced a punt from Arizona, and Parker Kingston returned the punt 26 yards to the Wildcat 47, setting the Cougars up nicely with 2:55 still left on the clock. This was more than enough time as Bear Bachmeier attempted to lead BYU down the field to tie it. BYU was on the Arizona eight-yard line before Bachmeier fumbled. Luckily, Kyle Sfarcioc, an offensive lineman, recovered at the first down marker.
A pair of pass interference penalties aided BYU before Bachmeier rushed into the end zone for six from two yards out. Kicker Will Ferrin, who missed a field goal earlier, calmly made the extra point. Arizona kneelt the ball down, and the game went to overtime. Both teams traded field goals in the first overtime before Bear scored another rushing touchdown. BYU had to go for two, per NCAA overtime rules, and the pass was incomplete.
Arizona would pick up a first down and then stall, facing fourth down and seven. BYU would bring pressure, and Noah Fafita would have to throw it. BYU defended the pass well, and the game ended in a BYU 33, Arizona 27 victory. BYU had done it again, another improbable comeback on the road against the odds.
Three takeaways from BYU's 33-27 win over Arizona
1. BYU needs a healthy defense: Without Jack Kelly and a couple of other pieces, BYU looked beat on defense. But the defense came through when they were needed, and did not let BYU down.
2. Bear still has some things to learn: While Bear Bachmeier was great, he still has some things to learn. Bear is only a freshman, and he has plenty of room to grow.
3: BYU has resilience: The game wasn't pretty, but BYU showed grit and determination. The Cougars are getting stronger, and BYU can only go up from here.
Overall, there are some positive and not-so-positive aspects to take away from this game. The Comeback Cougars, as I call them, are far from perfect, but they have what it takes, and it showed Saturday night. Weather delays are always jarring, and it's understandable for BYU to come out flat, but things need to be fixed before the Utah game.