By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Arizona State Sun Devils fall to No. 4 BYU Cougars, 27-20, at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Cougars bounce back after a tough loss last week to the UCF Knights. The Sun Devils are now the ones on the receiving end. The first quarter came with a controversial decision. Big 12 Conference admits that the first-quarter touchdown should have been spotted at the 2-yard line instead of a touchdown.
Sun Devils quarterback Jake Fette threw for 166 passing yards with two touchdowns in his first career start.
“That’s a blessing, but at the end of the day, we didn’t come out with a win,” Fette said during a postgame interview. “None of that matters. They made one more than us.”
The Sun Devils made plays especially after halftime. The team rallied after a 14-point deficit. The Sun Devils outscored Cougars 14-0 in the third. They didn’t quit. The halftime talk helped the team to focus on one play at a time. Fette played well in a tough environment.
“I love playing football,” Fette continued. “I love being in a hostile environment.”
Coach Kenny Dillingham liked what he saw from the defense in slowing down the Cougars’ run game. Although the Sun Devils gave up a 95-yard play down the stretch in the fourth quarter, Dillingham liked what he saw with the run defense.
“I thought we’d stopped the run, and that’s how we should have been playing all year,” Dillingham said. “Bottom line, we got back from London, and we played three straight games that just weren’t good enough.”
Dillingham is optimistic about the future. The Sun Devils played with heart and physicality. The team is young and growing. Therefore, we can’t count them out of getting back into the Big 12 title conversation in the future.
The Sun Devils are now 4-4 (2-3). The Cougars improve to 7-1. The Sun Devils will play Colorado next Saturday, Nov. 7, in a Salute to Service and Family Weekend.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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