FINAL
Heading into Saturday night, the Arizona Wildcats won 17 consecutive home openers, but that was snapped after the BYU Cougars held off UA 28-23.
Khalil Tate provided the Wildcats a sliver of hope at the start of the fourth quarter and capped off a nine-play drive with a two-yard touchdown run, which cut the BYU lead 28-17.
In the following BYU drive, Lorenzo Burns broke up a flat route on fourth down, which gave Arizona some life trailing 28-17, but after back-to-back deep ball attempts from Tate, the Wildcats went three-and-out and couldn't capitalize on a golden opportunity to gain momentum.
BYU and Arizona were in a back-and-forth stalemate in the fourth quarter, but Tate was able to connect with Shawn Poindexter for 16 yards on a crucial fourth down play, which could've decided the game. Sophomore running back J.J. Taylor ran in for a two-yard touchdown to end the drive, but he couldn't complete the two-point conversion, which cut the score 28-23 with just over three minutes left. Fortunately for UA, Sumlin had two timeouts to spare.
With a chance to put the ball in Tate's hands, Arizona's defense was unable to stop BYU on third-and-three. BYU earned three first downs in the final drive and ran out the clock to spoil the Wildcats' season opener.
THIRD-QUARTER UPDATE
The Arizona Wildcats are in danger of starting their “New Era” 0-1.
Arizona trails BYU 28-10 entering the fourth quarter of the season opener Saturday night at Arizona Stadium. The Cougars outscored the Wildcats 21-0 in the third period.
A 10-7 halftime lead quickly turned into a 14-10 deficit when BYU took the second-half kickoff and marched 75 yards in 10 plays. Tanner Mangum hit tight end Matt Bushman (Sabino High) for a 24-yard touchdown to cap the drive. After a play-action fake, Bushman got past Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles for an easy pitch-and-catch.
A 22-yard pass from Mangum to Dylan Collie on third-and-12 set up the TD. Arizona safety Isaiah Hayes got a hand on the ball, but Collie was able to come down with it.
After a three-and-out, BYU struck again. A combination of runs and quick passes pushed the ball to the 1. Squally Canada ran it in from there to make it 21-10.
After another three-and-out, Arizona surrendered a 37-yard punt return to Michael Shelton. The Cougars needed five plays to cover 36 yards, with Canada again finishing the drive, this time from the 2.
HALFTIME UPDATE:
Khalil Tate’s first touchdown pass of the season gave the Arizona Wildcats a 10-7 lead over BYU at halftime of their game Saturday night at Arizona Stadium.
The junior quarterback and Heisman hopeful didn’t do much damage with his legs in his first half of play under Kevin Sumlin – just 11 yards on six carries – but he completed 11 of 20 passes for 128 yards and a score.
Shawn Poindexter and Tony Ellison each have three catches. Ellison was on the receiving end of Tate’s TD pass.
Tony Fields II has a team-high seven tackles, followed by fellow linebacker Colin Schooler with six.
The Wildcats have outgained the Cougars 194-135.
After a scoreless and sluggish first quarter, BYU struck first. The “New Era” Wildcats fell victim to an old bugaboo.
Arizona surrendered a 30-yard pass on third-and-10, Tanner Mangum hitting Aleva Hifo as he crossed through the confused UA defense. The completion advanced the ball to the Arizona 7-yard line. Three plays later, Squally Canada plowed in from the 1 to give the Cougars a 7-0 lead.
The Wildcats answered with a 12-play, 68-yard drive that culminated in a 24-yard field goal by Lucas Havrisik.
Tate and his receivers converted two third-and-long situations to keep the drive alive. First Tate hit Stanley Berryhill III for 19 yards. Then a scrambling Tate found Shawn Poindexter for 32.
The drive stalled at the 6-yard line. On third-and-5, Tate rolled to his left. Gary Brightwell was open near the sideline but lost track of where he was on the field, catching the ball out of bounds.
After a Fields-fueled three-and-out, Arizona again drove deep into BYU territory. This time the Wildcats cashed in.
On second-and-7, Tate threw a strike to Ellison for a 15-yard touchdown with 50 seconds left in the half. The play began with a play-action fake, and Ellison was basically uncovered in the end zone.
FIRST-QUARTER UPDATE:
The “New Era” of Arizona Wildcats football is off to a bit of a slow start.
Arizona and BYU are tied 0-0 through entering the second quarter Saturday night at Arizona Stadium.
Arizona twice moved the ball into BYU territory but couldn’t come away with any points.
On the opening possession of the game, the Wildcats advanced to the Cougars’ 24-yard line. Khalil Tate threw the ball out of the end zone on third-and-9. Lucas Havrisik then attempted a 43-yard field goal, which was blocked by BYU’s Michael Shelton.
After forcing a punt, Arizona reached the BYU 41. On third-and-5, Tate took a sack. He had ample time to throw the ball but couldn’t find an open receiver.
The Wildcats stopped the Cougars again on their next possession and had the ball as the second quarter began.
Tate is 7 of 10 for 50 yards. He has minus-4 rushing yards on three attempts (including the sack).
Colin Schooler has three tackles, including one for a loss.
