Big 12 Admits Major Officiating Mistake in BYU’s Controversial Win Over Arizona State

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Big 12 Admits Major Officiating Mistake in BYU’s Controversial Win Over Arizona State

Olamilekan Ajayi · Gridiron Heroics

Sun, November 1, 2026 at 4:12 PM UTC ·

4 min read

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The Big 12 said late Saturday that its replay officials wrongly awarded the No. 8 BYU Cougars a first-quarter touchdown in their 27-20 win over the Arizona State Sun Devils at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. The score came on a fumble recovery near the goal line, and the conference's statement spelled out a different outcome that should have followed the review.

On second-and-goal from the 1, quarterback Bear Bachmeier lost the ball on a sneak and was ruled down on the field. Replay determined the ball came out before his forward progress was stopped, and running back Sione Moa, who picked it up at the 2, was credited with a touchdown that put BYU ahead 7-0.

Kenny Dillingham's Bold "Bring It Every Day" Remark Sets Tone for Arizona State's 2026 Season(Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

BYU Cougars, Kalani Sitake — Jul 8, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; BYU head coach Kalani Sitake addresses the media during 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

"At 11:27 in the first period of the Arizona State-BYU game, Big 12 replay officials stopped the game to review possession by BYU. The play showed that the runner lost possession of the ball prior to the forward progress spot, and the ball was recovered by another BYU player at the two-yard line and he was awarded a touchdown. Rule 12-3-3-d-2 states 'If the replay official rules that the ball was not dead, it belongs to the recovering team at the spot of the recovery and any advance is nullified.' Replay was incorrect in awarding a score. The correct ruling should have been BYU ball for a third and goal attempt from the two-yard line," the conference said.

BYU would still have had third-and-goal from the 2, so those points may well have come a play or two later. The statement still confirms that a touchdown awarded in error stood in a game Arizona State lost by exactly seven, and the admission arrived only after the result was final.

USATSI 27424146 scaled — ASU Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham yells out to his team as they play against the Houston Cougars at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Oct. 25, 2025.

Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham was irate on the sideline, and Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira sided with him during the broadcast, according to Awful Announcing. Pereira also pointed to a pattern.

"This is not the type of situation that you have when the runner steps out of bounds where you can give him continuing action. This was a player that recovered the ball and got up in the field of play. The ruling on the field was the runner was down initially, and if that's the case, you've ruled it dead. You can give a recovery, but you can't give an advance unless we've come up with a new rule here, which I'm not too sure that you can really do," Pereira said.

Why BYU keeps showing up in the Big 12's officiating headlines

All three of those weeks ran through BYU. On Oct. 17, the Cougars beat the then-No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 28-24 in Provo, and the conference admitted the next day that one second should have been put back on the clock after CJ Carr's final incompletion. That second would have given Notre Dame another snap from the BYU 8.

A week later, the UCF Knights knocked off then-No. 2 BYU 39-31 in double overtime after a disputed sequence on a blocked UCF field goal try late in regulation. The Big 12 issued no statement on that one.

In the two games where the Big 12 has admitted a mistake, BYU won by one score.

Why BYU keeps showing up in the Big 12's officiating headlines

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