Provo – The performance of the BYU Cougars against Kansas State seemed almost unattainable to match. Three weeks ago, BYU forced three turnovers in just six minutes and scored 28 points to take control against the then-No. 13 team in the nation.
As the second half of the Cougars’ match against Arizona began on Saturday, defensive back Jakob Robinson made his presence felt immediately. He deflected a pass and intercepted it on the first play after halftime, giving BYU the ball at the 9-yard line for an easy touchdown by Chase Roberts.
Shortly after, Isaiah Glasker forced a fumble from Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, allowing BYU to capitalize again with a field goal after recovering the ball in the red zone. While it wasn’t the explosive turnover surge seen against Kansas State, these defensive plays—two of the four turnovers BYU secured during the game—were crucial in leading to the Cougars’ 41-19 victory over Arizona.
With this win, the Cougars improved to 6-0 and claimed the top spot in the Big 12 standings, earning themselves a place in the postseason after missing out last year.
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake expressed his pride in the team’s hard work during the offseason. “There’s only one way to fix things and that’s work,” he stated. He added that “great things happen when you just do your job.”
Quarterback Jake Retzlaff had a solid outing, completing 18 of 32 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns as BYU amassed nearly 400 total yards of offense. Coach Sitake praised Retzlaff’s leadership, saying, “The guy’s been amazing.”
In the first half, coordinator Jay Hill’s defense struggled to contain Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, who managed to escape pressure and orchestrated a 95-yard scoring drive. He completed a 39-yard pass to Tetairoa McMillan on a critical third-and-nine during that drive. As a result, Arizona converted four out of six third downs in the first half. McMillan ended the game with four catches for 67 yards, while Fifita totaled 193 yards and two touchdowns.
However, the BYU defense adjusted after Tanner Wall’s interception at the one-yard line. Retzlaff drove the offense down the field, culminating in a 20-yard touchdown pass to Parker Kingston. Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick later orchestrated a trick play where Kingston threw a 33-yard touchdown to LJ Martin, granting BYU a 14-7 lead.
In the fourth quarter, LJ Martin solidified the win with a one-yard touchdown, finishing the game with 95 total yards in his return after a month. As Arizona tried to rally late in the game, Fifita’s third interception was grabbed by Glasker, who returned it for a touchdown, sealing the Cougars’ impressive victory.
Darius Lassiter was the leading receiver for BYU, amassing 86 yards on five catches. The Cougars will face Oklahoma State next Friday in Provo.