Cougs Daily

39 Seconds Changed the Game in BYU's Dominant Victory Over No. 13 Kansas State

Casey Lundquist

BYU safety Tommy Prassas returns a fumble for a touchdown against No. 13 Kansas State
BYU safety Tommy Prassas returns a fumble for a touchdown against No. 13 Kansas State / BYU Photo
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What a way to kickoff Big 12 play in front of a sellout crowd. BYU is 4-0 following a dominant 38-9 victory over no. 13 Kansas State. With the win, the Cougars broke the program record for the largest margin of victory over a top-15 team in program history. And it all started with a sequence of plays that spanned only 39 seconds of gameplay that completely changed the course of the game.

With just over a minute remaining in the first half, Kansas State had a 6-3 lead and was dominating the game in the trenches. Then, BYU linebacker Jack Kelly forced a fumble on a DJ Giddens rush attempt and BYU true freshman safety Tommy Prassas picked up the fumble and returned it for a score with 1:08 remaining in the first half.

Two plays later, BYU defensive end Tyler Batty dropped into coverage and intercepted an Avery Johnson screen pass to give the ball back to the BYU offense with 0:57 remaining in the first half.

The BYU offense was opportunistic, needing only two plays to go 29 yards for the touchdown. Jake Retzlaff connected with leading wide receiver Chase Roberts for the 23-yard touchdown with 0:29 remaining in the first half.

In 39 seconds, BYU went from trailing 3-6 to leading 17-6.

The momentum carried over into the second half. The Wildcats received the second half kickoff trailing 17-6. Three plays later, BYU linebacker Harrison Taggart intercepted Avery Johnson again the give the BYU offense the ball in KSU territory.

Again, BYU's offense needed only two plays to march 27 yards down the field for the score. BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff connected with Darius Lassiter from 5 yards out for the touchdown. That gave BYU a 24-6 lead. BYU outscored Kansas State 21-0 in 3:07 of gameplay.

But wait. There's more.

The BYU defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing Kansas State possession. BYU punt returner Parker Kingston bobbled the punt and picked it up inside his own 10 yard-line. Kingston ran across the field, beat Kansas State to the opposite boundary, and followed a convoy of blocker for the punt return touchdown. The 90-yard punt return touchdown was the third longest in BYU history and Lavell Edwards Stadium exploded.

It was as if the south side of the field, the side surrounded by The ROC, was the Bermuda Triangle and Kansas State couldn't escape. Disaster was inevitable for the Wildcats.

Somehow, the Bermuda Triangle magic continued on that side of the field. BYU officially closed the door on a Kansas State comeback when linebacker Isaiah Glasker tripped up Avery Johnson in Kansas State territory on fourth down.

The BYU offense capitalized on the short field once again, going 38 yards in 6 plays. The drive was capped off by the run of the year: a 21-yard scamper from true freshman Sione Moa. Moa would simply not be denied, running through Kansas State tacklers on his way to the endzone. That touchdown gave BYU a 38-9 lead.

There was something special going on inside Lavell Edwards Stadium on Saturday night. Maybe it was the uniforms. Maybe it was the late kickoff. Maybe it was just another display of a dominant BYU defense.

Accoring to the imperfect memory of this author, there hasn't been that type of run in a game against a Power Four opponent in Lavell Edwards Stadium since BYU beat UCLA 59-0 in 2007. In that game, BYU went on a 35-0 run in the second quarter and took a 42-0 lead into the halftime locker room.

BYU is much, much better than the oddsmakers anticipated before the season. With this type of defense, BYU is capable of doing some damage in the Big 12.

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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.

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