Arizona State fans rush field prematurely, but Sun Devils hold on
Officials called a (figurative) false start on Arizona State football fans at the end of Saturday’s upset victory over BYU.
In the No. 22 Sun Devils’ 28-23 victory over the No. 15 Cougars, ASU fans rushed the field to celebrate the win and the goalposts at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, came down (seemingly lowered by the school). Unfortunately, for everyone ready to celebrate, there was still 1 second left in the game at the time of the premature celebration. Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt’s pass landed incomplete with time still on the clock.
As the referees tried to regain order, the goalposts were placed back into their positions to prepare for the game’s final play. Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham got into a heated argument with the refs, as he also believed the game was over.
After a considerable delay, officials and security personnel — with the help of some players — were able to regain a handle on the situation and clear the field. BYU had 1 second left to run a Hail Mary play to try to win the game. This really upset the rowdy ASU crowd, which was already in celebration mode.
BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff’s pass to Chase Roberts to the 1-yard line was ruled incomplete and the Sun Devils officially won the game.
With the victory over BYU combined with Colorado’s loss, Arizona State is now tied with the Cougars and Buffaloes at 6-2 in Big 12 play, heading into the regular season’s final week. The Big 12 championship game winner will automatically qualify for the 12-team College Football Playoff.
